British soldier Chris Herbert lost his leg as a result of a roadside bomb in Basra, Iraq. He was frustrated that people expected him to be racist towards Muslims because of his injury, so Herbert took to Facebook to lash out against people blaming all Muslims for recent terrorists attacks by ISIL.
He wrote (spelled verbatim):
Yes. A Muslim man blew me up, and I lost my leg.
A Muslim man also lost his arm that day wearing a British Uniform.
A Muslim medic was in the helicopter that took me from the field
A Muslim surgeon performed the surgery that saved my life
A Muslim Nurse was part of the team that helped me when I returned to the UK
A Muslim Healthcare Assistant was part of the team that sorted out my day-to-day needs in rehabilitation when I was learning to walk
A Muslim taxi driver gave me a free ride the first time I went for a beer with my Dad after I came home.
A Muslim doctor offered my Dad comfort and advice in a pub, when he didn’t know how to deal with my medicines and side effects.
Since the Paris terrorist attacks, there’s been a sharp increase in the number of Islamophobic incidents across the world. Hate crimes against Muslim have tripled in London following the Paris attacks, and there have been near-daily incidents against Muslims in the US and Canada, including a brutal assault of a Muslim store owner.
To emphasize his point, Herbert goes on to detail the unpleasant incidents he’s had with “white Brits” since his injury:
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
(Although, alot of people helped in my recovery! I dont hate white brits either! hahaha)
Herbert’s post has been shared over 124,000 times since he wrote it on Tuesday (Dec. 9) and has been widely praised on social media. Former soldier Johnny Mercer told BBC Trending that Herbert’s comments “reflect the views of many, many soldiers.”