tagged w/ Muntazer al-Zaidi
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Muntazer al-Zaidi, the Iraqi reporter who threw not one but two shoes at former President George W. Bush, has been released from prison in Iraq. He served about a year of his sentence but was released to a hero's welcome from Iraqi residents.
I'm curious about how this portends for the US' reputation in the Middle East and especially in Iraq. Surely under Bush, the US saw a precipitous drop in approvals abroad, but the numbers have since jumped back up with the election of Obama. However as the American presence in the Middle East continues and security remains poor in Iraq (not to mention Afghanistan), will views of the US begin to sour again? Muntazer al-Zaidi's popularity upon release might herald such a change.
Related posts:
Our Collective Journalism special on foreign policy during the 2008 election: The View From Over There.
Some of the original shoe-throwing video.Muntazer al-Zaidi, the Iraqi reporter who threw not one but two shoes at former... more
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Muntazer al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George W. Bush, in protest against the Iraq war, has been inundated with offers of houses, women and other riches on his release from prison.
Since al-Zaidi shouted "This is your farewell kiss, you dog. This is for the widows and orphans of Iraq" and lobbed his size 10s, he's become something of a legend some areas of the Middle East. Pictures of Bush avoiding the footwear adorn Baghdad walls, t-shirts and even children's games.
When he walks free from prison next week, he'll have some fans waiting for him.
"He is a David and Goliath figure," said Salah al-Janabi, a Baghdad white goods salesman. "When the history books are written, they will look back on this episode with great acclaim. Al-Zaidi's shoes were his slingshot."
And it's not just words.
His former boss has built him a four-bedroom home. There's a new car waiting for him. Offers of money and healthcare have come flooding in, as well as ladies' hands in marriage.
"One Iraqi who lived in Morocco called to offer to send his daughter to be Muntazer's wife," said an editor at his former place of work. "Another called from Saudi offering $10m for his shoes, and another called from Morocco offering a gold-saddled horse. After the event, we had callers from Palestine and many women asking to marry him, but we didn't take their names. Many of their reactions were emotional. We will see what happens when he is freed."Muntazer al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George W. Bush, in... more
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richjm
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added this
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2 years ago
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Yahoo News carries some interesting news bits evidencing that truth is stranger than fiction.Yahoo News carries some interesting news bits evidencing that truth is stranger than... more
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Since the sentencing of Muntadhar al-Zaidi, aka the Iraqi shoe-throwe, hundreds of thousands of Facebook users have been joining groups to show their support for al-Zaidi. Some say they will even serve time for him, others claim he should be knighted.Since the sentencing of Muntadhar al-Zaidi, aka the Iraqi shoe-throwe, hundreds of... more
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The man who threw his shoes at George W. Bush in protest against the Iraq war has been given three years in prison.
Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi had pleased not guilty to the charge of aggression against a foreign head of state , saying his actions had been a "natural response to the occupation."
The trial took place at the central criminal court in Baghdad's Green Zone, which is normally reserved for terrorism cases. When the verdict was announced, his family angrily shouted out, claiming the sentence was unjust and unfair.The man who threw his shoes at George W. Bush in protest against the Iraq war has been... more
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richjm
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added this
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3 years ago
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Muntadhar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalis who threw his shoes at George W. Bush is in court, being charged with assaulting a foreign head of state. al-Zaidi said he was provoked by Bush's "bloodless and soulless smile."Muntadhar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalis who threw his shoes at George W. Bush is in... more
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A monument depicting a giant bronze-coloured shoe has been put up in an Iraqi town as a tribute to the Iraqi journalist who threw a shoe at Bush during a press conference. The monument, which stands two metres high and is filled with a plastic shrub, bears the inscription "Muntazer: fasting until the sword breaks its fast with blood; silent until our mouths speak the truth," in honour of journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi.
Zaidi has been held in jail in Baghdad since the incident, facing charges of assaulting a visiting head of state.A monument depicting a giant bronze-coloured shoe has been put up in an Iraqi town as... more
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The maker of the shoes that an Iraqi journalist hurled at US President George W. Bush has had to take on 100 extra staff to cope with a surge in demand for his footwear, he said on Monday.
"Between the day of the incident and 1:00 pm today we have received orders totalling 370,000 pairs", Istanbul-based Serkan Turk, head of sales at Baydan Shoes, told AFP.
Normally the firm sold only 15,000 pairs a year of the model that Muntazer al-Zaidi threw at the US president at a press conference in Baghdad on December 14 to become an instant hero across the Arab world, he said.
Turk said orders had initially flooded in from Iraq, followed by other Middle East countries and finally from the rest of the world, including for 19,000 pairs from the United States.
Formerly prosaically dubbed Model 271, the black polyurethane-soled shoes have been renamed Bush Shoes, he saidThe maker of the shoes that an Iraqi journalist hurled at US President George W. Bush... more
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