An English war veteran who lost his leg in the Iraq War has a powerful message for those who think he should discriminate against Muslims because of what happened to him.
Chris Herbert was serving in Iraq in 2007 when his unit was ambushed, The Telegraph reported at the time.
Herbert, then 19, lost his leg. His friend was killed, and another soldier was injured.
Herbert now lives in Portsmouth and works as an events manager. But he wrote on Facebook that recently he has been getting troubling questions from people he knows.
Some of those people, he wrote, have been expecting him to subscribe to the recent wave of anti-Islam sentiment. So, Herbert decided to set them straight.
"Yes," he wrote, "a Muslim man blew me up." But he said plenty of other Muslims have been a powerful force for good in his life:
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 didnt know how to deal with my medicines and side effects.
In contrast, he wrote that plenty of white British men have been cruel to him 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
Of course, Herbert wrote that he knows plenty of amazing white British men too. His point is, he said, is he doesn't hate people for what they believe.
Point is, fuck 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. Blaming all Muslims for the actions of groups like Daeshe and the Taliban, is like blaming all Christians for the actions of the KKK or Westboro Baptist Church. Get a grip of your lives, hug your family and get back to work.
His post soon began to spread through Facebook and has been shared more than 30,000 times.
