Your courage is inspiring, Mrs. Khan—and you’re right. https://t.co/wWrx9f65o0

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 1, 2016

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

That’s the only thing he had to say. It would have been so simple and yet been so much.

To how many funerals, memorials, schools, churches, public places where people have lost their lives in this country have presidents had to go? To how many parents of children, how many widows and widowers, to how many lovers, sweethearts, friends have they had to offer condolences?

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

How many times will the next president be called upon to do the same thing?

I recently had a friend describe Trump to me: “All he does is say out loud the things that people are really thinking,” my friend said.

Probably my friend is right. Probably people were thinking, “Why was Ghazala Khan standing there by her husband speechless and solemn in her veil? Why didn’t she say something?”

“Walking onto the convention stage, with a huge picture of my son behind me, I could hardly control myself. What mother could? Donald Trump has children whom he loves. Does he really need to wonder why I did not speak? ~ Ghazala Khan

Perhaps people were wondering whether it was because she was Muslim—perhaps there are people besides Trump who just don’t know what the Muslim religion really consists of.

“My religion teaches me that all human beings are equal in God’s eyes. Husband and wife are part of each other; you should love and respect each other so you can take care of the family.”  ~ Ghazala Khan

So, I’ll give my friend that.  I’ll give my friend that when Trump said that he wondered why she was standing there silent. “I don’t know, maybe she wasn’t ‘allowed’ to speak,” he was just saying what other people were thinking anyway.

“When Donald Trump is talking about Islam, he is ignorant. If he studied the real Islam and Koran, all the ideas he gets from terrorists would change, because terrorism is a different religion.” ~ Ghazala Khan

But what Trump did not say that I bet other people were thinking anyway was,

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

I bet there were a lot of people thinking that as well.

Our president is called upon to speak for us many, many times; to tell those who have lost loved ones what is in our hearts as a grateful, shocked, grieving people.

We really do want our president to be able to say what we are thinking and even what we are feeling when we are faced with other suffering human beings.  We want our president to say out loud what Ghanzala Khan was unable to say herself but felt that we were saying in our hearts.

“…Without saying a thing, all the world, all America, felt my pain. I am a Gold Star mother. Whoever saw me felt me in their heart.” ~ Ghazala Khan

He didn’t say it though.

So, I will say it here for him.

“We are sorry for your loss.”

Khizr and Ghazala Khan, parents of a slain Muslim soldier, say Donald Trump lacks empathy https://t.co/g3MqEHQC2tpic.twitter.com/eB1U4HC0KX

— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 31, 2016

~

Author: Carmelene Siani

Image: Twitter

Editor: Caitlin Oriel