'Intolerance towards Muslims rising due to Trump'

August 09, 2016 17:15

In a fresh attack on Donald Trump's poll rhetoric, the parents of a fallen Pakistani- origin American soldier have blamed the controversial Republican presidential nominee for the growing intolerance towards Muslims in the US.

Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the 'Gold Star' parents whose appearance at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia created a firestorm for Trump, have said they felt compelled to speak out because the welcome they felt when they immigrated to the US nearly four decades ago is eroding in the face of this year's presidential campaign.

"You see people wearing scarves, people are pointing fingers at them and throwing them out of flights and calling them names when they pass by and all of that," 66-year-old Khizr Khan said.

"Most Americans are against this kind of nonsense, but there is an element that has gotten voice, has been encouraged by this political rhetoric, and especially this election season has made it worse," he said.

Khan said Trump's call to ban all Muslim immigrants -- a position the Republican nominee has since modified -- and his provocative statements against Mexicans and others bear some of the responsibility for a loss of civility and restraint.

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