Americans forget that people in Arab countries have national pride in their country.
Thousands of Iraqis poured into the streets of Baghdad in support of Muntazer al-Zaidi, who threw is shoes at President Bush. In Baghdad crowds pelted US troops with their shoes in support of the reporter’s action.
“Thanks be to God, Muntazer’s act fills Iraqi hearts with pride,” the journalist’s brother, Udai al-Zaidi, said. “I’m sure many Iraqis want to do what Muntazer did.”
He is a 29-year-old Shia reporter, who was kidnapped by militants and arrested by American troops. “He hates the American material occupation as much as he hates the Iranian moral occupation,” another brother, Dhirgham, said.
He covered the US bombing of Sadr City and was affected by the destruction.
Cathleen,
When you traveled in the Middle East, you were probably warned about “the shoe thing.” As part of my cultural instruction before I went to Iraq with Christian Peacemaker Teams, we were told that when sitting in a chair, don’t rest your ankle on the other knee, exposing the sole of your shoe. For the same reason, when sitting on the floor (as is often the case when eating in people’s homes) tuck your legs under you. They take the exposure of the sole very serious over there. I guess the equivalent here in the West would be the middle finger salute.
I had several thoughts when I first saw the footage of the shoe hurler. The first was that the journalist would become a hero in the ME, which turned out to be true. His symbolic gesture gave vicarious satisfaction to many millions of Muslims who’ve been impacted by Bush’s tragic policies and military aggressions.
My second thought was fear for his life. Most Middle Eastern countries have very strict laws and punishments. I saw that firsthand when our CPT Team had a fatal car accident due to a tire blowout. The driver was arrested and spent several weeks in jail while an investigation was conducted to determine whether he was at fault. If he had been found guilty of causing the accident, the severity of his punishment would have been horrifying to American citizens.
So I realized that the shoe-thrower could be subject to extended imprisonment or worse, which truly makes him a martyr. Already he’s been incarcerated and suffered a severe beating. It’s anyone’s guess whether the pressure from the Muslim populace will serve to set him free or at least reduce his sentence. Maybe as a gesture of American goodwill and Christian forgiveness, President Bush could choose to pardon his attacker.
Now my next thought was actually surprising to me and may be to you also. I was insulted and angry. Yeah Bush is an idiot who has ruined three nations with his utterly disastrous policies, but he’s still our president, and regardless of who he is and what he’s done, the leader of the United States of America deserves at least a modicum of respect.
Just think about this; what would happen if an American journalist threw a shoe at a visiting Arab leader? Yeah, he’d be arrested and punished, and probably hailed as a hero by some Americans, but that’s as far as it would go here. Meanwhile the Middle East would explode in rioting at the supreme insult to their leader and their culture. If they get riled over cartoons insulting Mohammed, imagine how angry they’d be if one of us hurled a shoe (or two!) at one of them?
So my final thought is that it is truly a shame that the insult is perceived as deserved, not just by the Islamic world, but probably by most Americans. That is truly a sad, sad commentary on the state of our nation and our world.
“Yeah Bush is an idiot who has ruined three nations with his utterly disastrous policies, but he’s still our president, and regardless of who he is and what he’s done, the leader of the United States of America deserves at least a modicum of respect.”
Sue, the Red Cross has stated that Bush has killed over a million people in the Middle East and displaced over 3 million innocent lives. Some areas of the country are a wasteland of cancer causing depleted uranium that Bush has doused with a certain gleeful evil which will no doubt kill tens, if not hundreds of thousands more and ruin the farmland and drinking water forever.
“respect” are you taking some kind of drugs?
I guess what I mean to say is that the OFFICE of the president deserves respect, not the man himself. I understand the extent of Bush’s crimes in the eyes of the world and many Americans, including myself. The shoe-throwing incident just underscores the degree to which he has disgraced this country and the presidential office.
We shouldn’t have to hope the change we receive from Obama is that he won’t disgrace us, but that’s what it’s come to I guess.
[I guess what I mean to say is that the OFFICE of the president deserves respect, not the man himself.]
Convenient sophistry.
[We shouldn't have to hope the change we receive from Obama is that [Obama] won’t disgrace us]
Good luck with that.
Cheers!
Looks like this is catching on…
“Reuters LONDON – Protesters shook their shoes at the U.S. Embassy in London on Friday in a show of support for a jailed Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush during a news conference in Iraq.
Up to 50 demonstrators, some carrying shoes mounted on sticks, protested the arrest of journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi and called for his release.
“He has stood up against the silence and the lies that we have been forced to take all too often in the British and international media,” said David Crouch, the chairman of Media Workers Against The War, a group representing anti-war journalists.
“Our role is to give a voice to people who don’t have a voice and for that reason al-Zaidi might as well have thrown 27 million shoes at George Bush, because he was speaking for the vast overwhelming majority of the Iraqi population,” Crouch said.
The protest ended when demonstrators dumped their shoes — including high heels, sneakers, and slippers — into a box in front of the U.S. Embassy at London’s Grosvenor Square.”
…on the bright side: better shoes than bombs eh?
Yes, shoe throwing is catching on even in the occupied West Bank. On Fridays, Palestinians peacefully protest against Israel’s Separation Wall which in many cases divides towns from their farmland. Below is a description of what happened today in the town of Bilin which I visited.
Protesters Threw Shoes at Israeli Soldiers in Bil’in
ffj-bilin -Friday 19\12\2008 Demonstrators marched today after the Friday prayer carrying Palestinian flags and banners calling to end the Israeli occupation, stop the wall and settlement building, stop land confiscation and settler attacks, closures and roadblocks, and the release of all detainees. The demonstration was joined by internationals and Israeli activists. Members of the Peoples’ Struggle Front also joined the protest today and carried banners.
Protesters carried pictures of U.S President George Bush having shoes thrown at him. They also carried their own shoes as a symbolic refusal of the Israeli occupation.
The protest today marched towards the wall singing slogans and attempting to reach the confiscated land behind the wall. The Israeli army was stationed behind concrete blocks and fired teargas and sound grenades when the protesters tried to reach the gate. Dozens suffered gas inhalation and eight demonstrators were shot with rubber coated steel bullets, two journalists, one of them from Israel, his name is Israel, and the second, Issam Arrimawi working in Wafa Media. Two others were taken to the Ashshikh Zaid Hospital in Ramallah : Mohammad Abu Rahma and Baseb Abu Rahma .and the others we treated in the village… The demonstrators responded to these attacks by throwing their shoes at the army.
The Israeli High Court accepted an appeal by the residents of Bil’in two days ago against the route of the Israeli Annexation Wall which is confiscating a lot of farm lands from the village. The court ruled that the Israeli authorities should change the path of the wall according to the July 4, 2007 High Court decision and that the Israeli government should pay a fine of 10,000 NIS.
http://www.bilin-ffj.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
http://www.imemc.org/article/58066
Iyad Burnat- Head of Popular Commitee in Bilin
Head of Friends of Freedom and Justice in Bilin
Email- ffj.bilin@yahoo.com
Here’s another one about Iran, but the photo shows Palestinian reporters.
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/12/19/shoe.thrower.iraq.iran/index.html
Love how they spelled “deserved.” Maybe we need to send them a Hooked on Phonics program.
It’s amazing how this has spread throughout the world. Wonder how long it will go on.
New Shoe Game
http://www.sockandawe.com/
Hero? Maybe in a Big Shoe Dance kind of way…