IRAQ: The shoes that shook the Arab world

Throwing a shoe at someone is the ultimate insult in the Arab world. And journalist Muntader Zaidi’s decision to hurl a couple fastballs with his loafers at U.S. President George W. Bush during a Baghdad press conference on Sunday left no doubt about how he felt.

But his action also elicited a strong wave of mostly positive reaction throughout the Arab world, which gives you an idea how that part of the world feels about Bush and how happy that community is that Bush will be leaving office, having invaded Iraq and taken on policies perceived as pro-Israel and anti-Arab.

Across the Middle East, ordinary people wrote poems and sang praise for Muntader. Some even suggested erecting statues to the guy. (Maybe it could replace one of Saddam Hussein's statues, which Iraqis repeatedly beat with their shoes after the 2003 U.S. invasion.)

In a barbershop near downtown Beirut on Monday, customers buzzed about the reporter's political gesture.

“It was great,” one customer said, beaming with satisfaction.

Another responded by saying that Bush certainly deserved it for inflicting “disaster” on the Iraqi people.

The video of the journalist throwing his shoes at Bush was played over and over again on television stations including the pan-Arab Al Jazeera as well as Iranian state television and even radio.

“Please listen again,” said a radio announcer in Tehran. “This is the sound of the shoe hitting the wall and missing President Bush."

The left-leaning Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar featured the news in on its front page under the headline, “The farewell kiss for Bush,” calling the reporter a “hero” who stood up to the president.

"This was without a doubt the best farewell as seen by millions of Iraqis who were heartened" by the reporter's action, said the daily, adding that Iraqis were "probably sad when they saw their Prime Minister Nouri Maliki throwing himself in front of his guest to protect him."

In an opinion piece posted on the website of the al-Arabiya news channel, commentator Khaled Walid Mahmoud wrote that the pair of shoes that were hurled at the U.S. president would "enter history " as the shoes of painter Vincent Van Gogh once did.

He described the action of the reporter as "bold and nationalistic” and said it reflected "the real face of every honest Iraqi."

The burgeoning Arab online scene was bursting with commentary, poems and even an online fan club for Zaidi on Facebook.

“He achieved what many Arabs couldn’t achieve over the years in the face of either the Israeli occupation of Palestine or the American invasion of Iraq,” a visitor named Zahraa said on the website of Arabian Business magazine.

“The famous shoes should be exhibited in a museum as it resembled a rocket that talks on behalf of all Iraqis," she wrote.

Asad from Dubai, on another Arab chat website, wrote: 

“It is without exaggeration that I can say that the flying shoe speaks more for Arab public opinion than all the despots/puppets that Bush meets with during his travels in the Middle East.”

-- Raed Rafei and Khaled Hijab in Beirut and Ramin Mostaghim in Tehran

Photos: The front page of today's An-Nahar, a Lebanese daily; from Vincent Van Gogh's shoe series.

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Comments

[steve]

This Democrat believes the shoe attack was low and inappropriate. The fact that security was not faster or more aggressive is very bothersome.

[AM]

Some observations: I find it ironic that Mr. Al-Zaidi is being praised for committing an act facilitated by the toppling of the Saddam Hussein regime. In a press conference held by the previous regime, Mr. Al-Zaidi would likely never have had access, and if he did and had he committed the same act, the consequence would probably have been his execution. If anything, this act highlights one of the objective successes of the Bush-led conflict in Iraq i.e. freedom of the press. Also, the concept that Mr. Al-Zaidi is a “hero” does not resonate with an extraordinary definition of the word (popular Arab opinion not withstanding), chiefly an individual who exhibits courage or bravery. By “extraordinary” I mean that he has to do something exhibit such bravery so as to merit praise at a national, regional, or international level. Mr. Al-Zaidi’s physical self was never at risk and his act was by no means conducive to producing any tangible result. Finally, I could argue that it would have been more “heroic” for Mr. Al-Zaidi to take up arms against Soldiers or Marines, heroic in a purely impassive/definition-sense meaning exhibiting physical and mental courage. Of course, doing so might entail costs that Mr. Al-Zaidi wasn’t prepared to face. What a surprise there.

[kj]

Someone should buy bush a clue:

"So what if I guy threw his shoe at me?" he said.

how about telling him the translation. He is now in the same category as the shoe slapped saddam statue. Get it? He is just as much a tyrant and despot as saddam. the west's persistence in the latest reneging of honoring the withdraw SOFA he signed, shows the oilmen of washington are determined to control and plunder iraq's oil and gas wealth.

"This is a gift from the Iraqis. This is the farewell kiss, you dog," the man said,
"This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq," he said, according to a pool translation.

the reporter IS a national hero!

[Phil Shoeman]

Where was Secret Service? I guess someone is looking for a job. So when the Iraqi president comes to the US we should show him some gratitude and put a size 13 up hisass

[George]

I keep seeing comments about the Iraqi people deservig to have Sadam back. Um... Sadam or Bush, it's the same. Different face, same principles.

The US didn't rescue Iraq and bring about democracy. We shouldn't feel so proud and so much better than the Iraqi people. We should be ashamed that we let our leader murder not only so many of our own people, but many many more Iraqi people.

Do you really think that this Bush was a hero??? Do you really think that he deserves anything else but contempt from most of the world??

Wake up Sheeple!!

[Alex C.]

To condemn this act would be antithetical to U.S. "objectives" for Iraq; an excellent model for Americans who have for too long remained idle in the face of sheer incompetence and vulgarity.

[Tankut]

I've got strong empathy as a Turk. When I put myself into Pres. Bush position, I felt terrible. President Bush represents all USA in there with pride and honor. But this miserable Iraqis journalist attack USA President. They aren't civilized. All Iraqis deserve only Saddam. However US security members continue to sleep while second shoe is coming...

[snooch]

MORONS
Don't you guys get that we invaded Iraq. Most people don't like it when their country is invaded. Is it a surprise that they don't like us? Really? We want them to hate Saddam, but we've killed as many Iraqis as he ever did. The Iraqis realize this war was about oil and American companies getting a foothold in their country. Do we really expect them to thank us? Sorry our bombs aren't as smart as we want them to be. Sorry we killed most of your families. Don't you feel liberated?

[Phillip]

I thought President Bush was absolutely tops as he dodged one shoe after another; no wasted motion, he just kept his eyes on the shoes, and bobbed just enough to avoid being hit. Quite impressive. He's an athletic guy (compared with McClinton McMuffin) and showed the empty impotence of the Iraqi worm who, you'll all notice, cried like a little girl as he was politely escorted out of the auditorium. Think he would have even been allowed to live under Saddam? Cried like the little girl worm he is.

[Shalim Sheikh]

This shows the sorry state of world. People still dislike American's and 8 years of Bush has only given us more insecurity.
Children of my country are not safe anymore, I see more hate dwelling in people's heart against us. Repeat of 911 seems inevitable.
The most civilized creature still thinks eye for an eye.

[Citlalmina]

I was glad to see the shoes flying towards Bush. That does not compare to the mass killings that the Bush policies have done, but atleast, the world can see how Iraqis really feel. Hell, i wish he had been wearing steel toe construction worker boots. Bush and the rest of the imperialistic American politicians cannot avoid the reaction to their sadistic policies.

The invasion of Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. This is about the US taking over the world under stupid pretense of "terrorism".

[Mron]

Just what Bush deserves as a prelude to his trial as a war criminal and traitor to the US Constitution.

[Chicka]

While throwing shoes at a world leader is wildly inappropriate...... I'll admit I laughed. And props to the rest of the Iraqi press corps for trying to stop him, so it's not like they are all "animals".

I think what was the most bizarre element of that was Bush's expression. He seemed *amused*, as if he's thinking "Hey that guy threw his shoes at the President of the US!!!" without realising he *is* the President.

As for punishing the reporter, I hope not more than removing his credentials. He wasn't trying to kill him, just insult his honor. Which is hard to do cuz Bush ain't got none.

[PAUL]

All it would take is a small amount of explosive in one of the shoes and a pull string detonator. Security should have let neither of those shoes get close to him.

[Cryos]

An additional comment the comments on this board prove the real reason for liberal methodology. You don't want freedom you want to be under the bootheel of big government and a dictator because you think you're too dumb to decide things for yourself. I guess that's the liberal definition of freedom.

[Kevin]

Germans didn't much like being occupied by Allied forces after they removed Hitler. It's not like the Germans said, "Considering the millions of innocent people that our country killed in concentration camps, I am glad to have foreigners occupy my land." So it is not surprising that average Iraqis don't care about the hundreds of thousands of people massacred by Saddam. They don't care that Saddam tried to make the world believe that he continued to hold WMD to increase his standing in the world, something that he admitted after he was captured, which precipitated the US invasion. After the US removed their dictator, we made the mistake of overestimating Iraqi civil society, and so we weren't prepared when Iraqis proceeded to slaughter each other. In spite of the fact that Iraqis blamed us for the murders that they, themselves, perpetrated in collaboration with people from other Islamic countries, we stayed in at great cost to stop the killing and to keep them from falling into all-out civil war. It's a thankless job. The Sunnis are upset that we toppled their guy, Saddam, The Sadr-allied Shia are upset that we didn't allow them to massacre all the Sunni. On the other hand, the Kurds have been responsibly administering their territory, which has flourished, and have been reliable and reasonable allies. Is it any wonder that the Kurds want to be independent? Being tied to non-Kurdish Iraq is like being tied to lead weights in the open ocean.

[Cryos]

Once again another board with people supporting this sort of thing against an American president. Fine expect the same for Obama. Just because Obama follows blind, idiotic liberal ideology that NEVER works doesn't mean anyone should be expected to "come together for Obama." Remember to shut up and not complain when Obama gets EXACTLY the same treatment as you have given Bush since day 1.

[Randall Unruh]

From the people of the United States to Muntader Zaidi:

Thank you for expressing what would get us arrested for so expressing in the U.S.

[San Ying]

Has anyone noticed that the reaction to stop the shoe-thrower was 'slow'. And he had time to throw the 2nd shoe? And he was not roughed up in any way?
And President Maliki of Iraq looked calm and made NO attempt to pull Dub away or shield him?
Calling Dub a 'dog' was an insult to the dog.

[Asher Garber]

Please keep using the excuse that Bush favors Israel over Palestinian policy when discussing the reasons why Arabs might not like America. Never mind that Jordan was created out of the "Jewish National Homeland" as a Jew-free Palestine.

The LA Times understanding on the Middle East is woeful, biased, and ain't gonna get anyone anywhere.