Orthodox Jewish immigrant dedicates vote to Muslim-American soldier Humayun Khan

'Captain Khan is a prime example of why religious bigotry is wrong and of how we can come together in one country dedicated to an ideal of religious freedom'

Yosef Rapaport holds up his ballot paper dedicated to US captain Humayun Khan (Yosef Rapaport)

As millions of Americans join queues across the country to cast their ballots on Election Day, one vote has stood out from the rest.

Yosef Rapaport, an Orthodox Jewish immigrant living in Brooklyn, dedicated his vote to US Captain Humayun Khan, a Muslim-American soldier who was killed serving in Iraq and whose father famously slammed Donald Trump’s proposed Muslim ban at a Democrat convention.

Tweeting from a polling place in the New York City borough, 62-year-old Mr Rapaport, posted a picture of his unmarked ballot paper next to an image of Captain Khan, with the caption: “I'm an Orthodox Jewish Immigrant My vote is private. Dedicated in honor of US CPT Khan, his devotion makes (religious) freedom possible.”

Captain Khan was killed in action in June 2004 after a car bomb detonated near Baqubah, and "died trying to save the lives of innocent Iraqis", according to the general who commanded the US military unit.

Speaking at the DNC in July, Captain Khan’s father Khizr Khan delivered a stinging rebuke to Mr Trump for ignoring the US Constitution and “consistently smearing the character of Muslims.”

He castigated Mr Trump for his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the US, saying that under a Trump presidency, his son would never have been born in the country, let alone allowed to serve in its armed forces, while brandishing a copy of the US constitution.

“Following the issue during the campaign about the loyalty of Muslims, he [Captain Khan] is a prime example of why religious bigotry is wrong and a prime example of the opposite; of how we can come together in one country dedicated to an ideal of religious freedom,” Mr Rapaport, who did not reveal explicitly who he had voted for, told The Independent.

“I care if the private religious practice of a certain group gets attacked, as I feel that’s an attack on my practice.

“We can still respect each other’s traditions and right to practice religious beliefs in our own private ways, that is what America is all about and that religious freedom is very, very important to me. If you look at me I’m a religious person […] and I am thankful to the ultimate devotion of someone else who makes my life possible as a religious Jew in America.”

Mr Rapaport said he was overwhelmed by the response to his Tweet, which has been shared and liked nearly 12,000 times. “Most of the responses have been amazing,” he said. “One man said his wife had died in combat and was thankful for my dedication.”

Speaking about this year’s election, Mr Rapaport, who immigrated to the US 40 years ago from Canada where his parents arrived as holocaust survivors and refugees after World War Two, said: “I’ll be glad when it is all over”, adding there had not been a “good feeling” throughout the Presidential campaigns.

Mr Trump and Hillary Clinton are making their final pitches to voters as Election Day gets underway in the US, bringing an end to one of the most turbulent and divisive elections in US history. When the polls close in the evening in the eastern states, voters in the western US will still be casting their votes. The last polls close at 1am ET, when the final ballots are collected in Alaska.