Chris Herbert: British Army veteran who lost leg in Iraq refuses to hate Muslims

A British Army veteran’s passionate response to people who expect him to hate Muslims is going viral on Facebook. And unlike Donald Trump’s comments aimed at isolating Muslims in the wake of recent Daesh attacks, this soldier’s post cites a number of Muslims who showed compassion to him and his family.

Chris Herbert says he wrote the Facebook post because he was “getting frustrated by some people expecting racism from me, because I got blown up.”

”Yes. A Muslim man blew me up, and I lost my leg,” writes Herbert referring to the Iraq roadside bombing in 2007, in which he lost his right leg.

“A Muslim man also lost his arm that day wearing a British Uniform, he recounts. “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,” he continues.

He then lists a number of incidents where he experienced harassment or discrimination by white people but goes on to insist he doesn’t hate white Brits either.

“I know who I dislike, and I know who I don’t. I know who I appreciate, and I know who I don’t,” he writes.

“Blaming all Muslims for the actions of groups like Daesh and the Taliban, is like blaming all Christians for the actions of the KKK or Westboro Baptist Church,” he argues.

Herbert’s post has been widely praised on Facebook and has so far been shared 177,000 times.

Herbert’s post comes after Republican presidential candidate Donal Trump’s call for a temporary ban on Muslims from entering US and the widespread Islamophobic incidents reported from many parts of Europe and the US.