A British soldier who lost his leg while serving in Iraq astonished everyone because he does not feel hatred towards Muslims. His Facebook post attacking Islamophobia went viral.
Chris Herbert was serving in the British Army in Basra, Iraq when his leg was blown off by a bomb that went off next to his Land Rover in 2007. He was just 19. His comrades suffered greatly as well - two severely injured while one, Private Luke Simpson, died.
Many therefore expect him, among anyone else, to have deep-seated anger for Muslims. Surprisingly, he has none. More importantly, he does not understand why people expect him to be racist against Muslims either. In his Facebook post, which went viral after being up, Herbert detailed how yes, he was blown up by a Muslim man, but he met so many more Muslim men who helped and supported him ever since that he could not bear to be hateful. He encountered a kind Muslim soldier, nurse, surgeon, taxi driver, and many more Muslim men who helped him after his tragic accident.
In contrast, he said, he had the misfortune of meeting some very rude and mean "White Brits" after losing his leg too. "A white brit spat in my girlfriends face for 'fucking a cripple when you could have me [him].' A White brit pushed my wheelchair away from a lift so he could use it first.
A White brit screamed at my Dad for parking in a disabled bay when I was in the services coming home," his post read. He clarified that he does not hate "White Brits" either since he met some good ones along the way too.
He said he made the contrast between good Muslims and bad "White Brits" he met since his accident because he felt it is ridiculous to hate an entire group of people for the actions of a few belonging to the group.
"Point is, **** off. I know who I dislike, and I know who I dont. I know who I appreciate, and I know who I dont. If you want to hate an entire race of men and women for the actions of a few dickheads feel free, but don't push your views on me, thinking I am an easy target because one douchebag decided it was my day to die," part of his post read. He asks people to hug their family and live their lives. He also said that being discriminatory against the entire religion is akin to "blaming all Christians for the actions of the KKK or Westboro Baptist Church."
The post is well-accepted on Facebook and Twitter. Some people said what he wrote could not be any truer. Some expressed that he is right for standing what he feels instead of letting others dictate him what to feel after losing his leg. J.K. Rowling shared the post on her Twitter.
Interestingly, the post surfaced the same time a petition emerged banning Donald Trump from entering the UK. The US presidential candidate is one of the most vocal with his anti-Muslim sentiments.
