26.4K OtherJun 07, 2018 Internet Can’t Believe This Amputee Soldier Would Respond Like This To Muslim Man ‘Blowing Him Up’ Ilona Baliūnaitė BoredPanda staff Open list comments 154 Vote arrow up Vote arrow down 589 Open list comments 154 Checkmark Link copied! Share icon Share Checkmark Link copied! Share icon Share Modal close ADVERTISEMENT Chris Herbert lost his leg in 2007, after a roadside bomb exploded next to his British Army vehicle in Basra, Iraq. Aged just 19 at the time, he also had to deal with the loss of his best friend, who died in the attack. Such a tragic and traumatic experience would break many a man, leaving them bitter, twisted and full of hate. But not Chris. He has managed to retain a positive outlook on life, and refuses to let people drag him down.With anti-Muslim sentiment on the rise in many western countries, some people saw a valuable propaganda tool in Chris. Look at what they did to this brave soldier who was serving his country! Except he was having none of it. Frustrated by the racism around him and people’s assumptions of him based on his experience, he decided enough was enough and wrote an eloquent piece that everyone should read. Expertly unpicking the case for judging billions of people based of the actions of a minority of extremists, Chris exposes the inherent stupidity of Islamophobia and urges people to see the good in each other instead.Scroll down to read Chris’ thought provoking piece for yourself, and let us know what you think in the comments. Chris Herbert lost his leg in 2007, after a roadside bomb exploded next to his British Army vehicle in Basra, IraqShare iconADVERTISEMENTImage credits: Chris HerbertAged just 19 at the time, he also had to deal with the loss of his best friend, who died in the attackShare iconImage credits: PA ImagesSince the traumatic experience, he’s been continuously asked one questionShare iconImage credits: Lewis Whyld/PA Images So he decided to explain his feelings in an honest and powerful Facebook postShare iconShare iconShare iconShare iconADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTShare iconShare iconShare iconShare iconShare iconShare iconThe post went viral as people pushed back against anti-Muslim sentiment in the UKShare iconADVERTISEMENTImage credits: PA ImagesChris has managed to retain a positive outlook on life, and refuses to let people drag him downShare iconImage credits: Chris HerbertWhen an Islamophobic group tried to recruit him as a mascot for their organisation, it was the final strawShare iconImage credits: Toe in the WaterAnd he just had to speak outShare iconImage credits: Chris HerbertPeople’s responses were mixed on the whole, but mostly positiveShare iconShare iconADVERTISEMENTShare iconShare iconShare iconShare icon Ic_puzzle Games View all games Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing! Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! Share on Facebook Ilona Baliūnaitė Author, BoredPanda staff View profile Read more » I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place Read less » Ilona Baliūnaitė Author, BoredPanda staff Read more » I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place Read less » View profile Get the latest inspiring stories via our awesome iOS app! Download Bored Panda app! What do you think ? Add photo comments POST RaroaRaroa RaroaRaroa Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report He's so right. Judge every person as an individual and by the things they do. Nothing else is relevant to determining whether a person is good or bad. Vote comment up 53 53points Vote comment down reply Bunzilla Bunzilla Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report The only thing I judge people on is how they treat others. The way you treat other people (especially those who are different than yourself), is a true mark of just what sort of person you are. Vote comment up 12 12points Vote comment down reply Load More Replies... Dr. Cheri Hayes Dr. Cheri Hayes Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Agreed... I don't look at color, I look at character...let's see...the gal that cuts my hair is Iranian, the guy that does my nails is Vietnamese, my auto mechanic is Hispanic, my doctor is Japanese, the people who help my autistic son at the group home he lives in are Nigerian, the people at his school/day program are Armenian, and his little girlfriend is Filipino...heck, I just realized that the only people who are white in my son's life are us, his mom and dad! LOL! My point though, is that every one of these people I've noted in this post are amazing, sweet, kind, have amazing integrity, and they are dear friends to me. Who cares what color they are. My life would be a lot more empty without them. Vote comment up 3 3points Vote comment down reply Juana Juana Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report The shark pic! Lol. Vote comment up 39 39points Vote comment down reply PeachPossum PeachPossum Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report When I first saw this pic, the photo was cropped at the bottom. I thought it was a vacuum cleaner and he was supposed to be a genie in a tutu. Now it is a shark... still funny, but trying to figure out why he is wearing a tutu. Vote comment up 13 13points Vote comment down reply Load More Replies... Magpie Magpie Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Is not a tutu. Is a deflated life ring. :P Vote comment up 3 3points Vote comment down reply Jack Feuerstein Jack Feuerstein Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report You question that meanwhile he's lying on the floor screaming surrounded by other kids probably at a frat party. Vote comment up 1 1point Vote comment down reply Random Panda Random Panda Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Agree with everything, but I wish people would stop referring to Muslims as a race. Islam is a religion and can be practiced by people of any race. Discrimination against Muslims could be more accurately described as xenophobia, I think? Vote comment up 14 14points Vote comment down reply Meowton Mewsk Meowton Mewsk Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report You must be in one of the privileged races to think this way. No, Islam isn’t a race but it’s not anti-racists who need to learn this. I am an Iranian atheist and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been called a “Muzzie,” or been accused of doing something for “Allah,” or been told I’m part of some culture war or other b******t. Even after 9/11, people acted scared or violent. No Islam is not a race but racists are too stupid to understand that and will single you out BASED ON RACE to abuse or degrade you. It’s racism because they base it exactly on race, not us. They see a middle eastern person and decide we are Muslim by default. The people referring to Muslim as a race are the racists. Vote comment up 15 15points Vote comment down reply Load More Replies... diane a diane a Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report maybe "Religionism" should become a term - as the principle is behind most of the evil commited in the name of a "God" since the birth of all religions Vote comment up 6 6points Vote comment down reply Random Panda Random Panda Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report I empathize with you, but everything you said applies to America. I'm Eastern European (so not particularly privileged, as race as a concept doesn't operate the same way in Europe that it does in America), people here are much more aware of the difference between being Middle Eastern and being Muslim thanks to our history. The problem with referring to Muslims as a race (aside from anyone looking Middle Eastern getting discriminated against, as you describe) is that racists aren't the only people who can't make the difference. As a result any valid criticism of Islam (even the kind coming from (ex)Muslims themselves) is immediately dismissed as racism and conversations get shut down, which is bad. Conversations regarding the problematic aspects of Christianity don't get shut down the same way. Basically everyone needs to get more educated. Vote comment up 2 2points Vote comment down reply Meowton Mewsk Meowton Mewsk Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Kostas, you didn’t get what I was saying and I don’t think you have the capacity to grasp this one. Even though it’s simple as f**k but whatever, you’re going to stick to your incorrect and confused guns. Diane a, I’m right there with you buddy. Religion is the root of most of the worlds problems. Vote comment up 1 1point Vote comment down reply Kostas Kostas Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago This comment is hidden. Click here to view. DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report and what about all middle eastern people who hate Muslims? all Iranian atheists, Christians and others who hate their Iranian Muslim neighbours? they are racist? Iranians racist to Iranians? how that works? Vote comment up -12 -12points Vote comment down reply anarkzie anarkzie Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Xenophobia is no more accurate than calling someone racist considering that anyone can become a Muslim, the correct term is Islamaphobic but as people tend to streotype people of certain races people say racist. Vote comment up 4 4points Vote comment down reply Suzi Gauthier Suzi Gauthier Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Hey, I've seen people use racist instead of sexist LOL Vote comment up 2 2points Vote comment down reply Load More Comments POST RaroaRaroa RaroaRaroa Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report He's so right. Judge every person as an individual and by the things they do. Nothing else is relevant to determining whether a person is good or bad. Vote comment up 53 53points Vote comment down reply Bunzilla Bunzilla Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report The only thing I judge people on is how they treat others. The way you treat other people (especially those who are different than yourself), is a true mark of just what sort of person you are. Vote comment up 12 12points Vote comment down reply Load More Replies... Dr. Cheri Hayes Dr. Cheri Hayes Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Agreed... I don't look at color, I look at character...let's see...the gal that cuts my hair is Iranian, the guy that does my nails is Vietnamese, my auto mechanic is Hispanic, my doctor is Japanese, the people who help my autistic son at the group home he lives in are Nigerian, the people at his school/day program are Armenian, and his little girlfriend is Filipino...heck, I just realized that the only people who are white in my son's life are us, his mom and dad! LOL! My point though, is that every one of these people I've noted in this post are amazing, sweet, kind, have amazing integrity, and they are dear friends to me. Who cares what color they are. My life would be a lot more empty without them. Vote comment up 3 3points Vote comment down reply Juana Juana Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report The shark pic! Lol. Vote comment up 39 39points Vote comment down reply PeachPossum PeachPossum Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report When I first saw this pic, the photo was cropped at the bottom. I thought it was a vacuum cleaner and he was supposed to be a genie in a tutu. Now it is a shark... still funny, but trying to figure out why he is wearing a tutu. Vote comment up 13 13points Vote comment down reply Load More Replies... Magpie Magpie Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Is not a tutu. Is a deflated life ring. :P Vote comment up 3 3points Vote comment down reply Jack Feuerstein Jack Feuerstein Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report You question that meanwhile he's lying on the floor screaming surrounded by other kids probably at a frat party. Vote comment up 1 1point Vote comment down reply Random Panda Random Panda Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Agree with everything, but I wish people would stop referring to Muslims as a race. Islam is a religion and can be practiced by people of any race. Discrimination against Muslims could be more accurately described as xenophobia, I think? Vote comment up 14 14points Vote comment down reply Meowton Mewsk Meowton Mewsk Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report You must be in one of the privileged races to think this way. No, Islam isn’t a race but it’s not anti-racists who need to learn this. I am an Iranian atheist and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been called a “Muzzie,” or been accused of doing something for “Allah,” or been told I’m part of some culture war or other b******t. Even after 9/11, people acted scared or violent. No Islam is not a race but racists are too stupid to understand that and will single you out BASED ON RACE to abuse or degrade you. It’s racism because they base it exactly on race, not us. They see a middle eastern person and decide we are Muslim by default. The people referring to Muslim as a race are the racists. Vote comment up 15 15points Vote comment down reply Load More Replies... diane a diane a Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report maybe "Religionism" should become a term - as the principle is behind most of the evil commited in the name of a "God" since the birth of all religions Vote comment up 6 6points Vote comment down reply Random Panda Random Panda Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report I empathize with you, but everything you said applies to America. I'm Eastern European (so not particularly privileged, as race as a concept doesn't operate the same way in Europe that it does in America), people here are much more aware of the difference between being Middle Eastern and being Muslim thanks to our history. The problem with referring to Muslims as a race (aside from anyone looking Middle Eastern getting discriminated against, as you describe) is that racists aren't the only people who can't make the difference. As a result any valid criticism of Islam (even the kind coming from (ex)Muslims themselves) is immediately dismissed as racism and conversations get shut down, which is bad. Conversations regarding the problematic aspects of Christianity don't get shut down the same way. Basically everyone needs to get more educated. Vote comment up 2 2points Vote comment down reply Meowton Mewsk Meowton Mewsk Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Kostas, you didn’t get what I was saying and I don’t think you have the capacity to grasp this one. Even though it’s simple as f**k but whatever, you’re going to stick to your incorrect and confused guns. Diane a, I’m right there with you buddy. Religion is the root of most of the worlds problems. Vote comment up 1 1point Vote comment down reply Kostas Kostas Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago This comment is hidden. Click here to view. DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report and what about all middle eastern people who hate Muslims? all Iranian atheists, Christians and others who hate their Iranian Muslim neighbours? they are racist? Iranians racist to Iranians? how that works? Vote comment up -12 -12points Vote comment down reply anarkzie anarkzie Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Xenophobia is no more accurate than calling someone racist considering that anyone can become a Muslim, the correct term is Islamaphobic but as people tend to streotype people of certain races people say racist. Vote comment up 4 4points Vote comment down reply Suzi Gauthier Suzi Gauthier Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017 Round attention Svg Vector Icons : http://www.onlinewebfonts.com/icon Report Hey, I've seen people use racist instead of sexist LOL Vote comment up 2 2points Vote comment down reply Load More Comments Related on Bored Panda
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