Chris Herbert, a British soldier who lost his leg in Iraq, shut down Islamophobia in a Facebook post that has gone completely viral.
Herbert’s thoughts, which were posted to his Facebook on Tuesday, Dec. 8, have more than 80,000 shares as of Wednesday morning. In a controversial email to reporters this week, real estate mogul Donald Trump demanded a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” after several terrorism-related attacks took place in San Bernardino, Calif., and France.
Though Herbert didn’t call out Trump by name in his post, he cited examples detailing why this mentality is dangerous. In fact, he said outright that it’s racist. “Getting frustrated by some people expecting racism from me, because I got blown up,” the Brit shared with his followers. “Yes. A Muslim man blew me up, and I lost my leg.”
The solider then cited examples of kindness exemplified by Muslims after the incident. “A Muslim medic was in the helicopter that took me from the field,” he wrote. “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 U.K. 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.”
On the flip side: “A white brit spat in my girlfriends face for ‘f–king a cripple when you could have me [him],'” Herbert continued. “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 message was simple. “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.”
The serviceman isn’t the only one to call out Islamophobia. J.K. Rowling said on Tuesday that the GOP presidential hopeful was far worse than Voldemort, the most villainous character in her best-selling Harry Potter series. MSNBC anchor Joe Scarborough became a trending topic on Tuesday after he ended an interview with Trump during a rather testy conversation. Venerable journalist Tom Brokaw also reflected on the “dangerous proposal” made by Trump to ban Muslims, citing examples from history. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest chimed in on Tuesday and said during a press briefing that Trump’s comments should disqualify him from the presidential race.
