There are three ways to react to the now mythical shoe throwing that took place at US President George W. Bush’s press conference in Baghdad last week.
The first and most natural reaction is to laugh. The footage is highly comical. Bush ducks with such agility I found myself wondering whether Laura Bush likes to hurl her shoes at her husband. He seemed so well practiced at dodging flying shoes! It is made all the funnier by the poker faced Nuri Al-Maliki who did not budge one inch as Muntadar Al-Zeidi hurled one shoe and then the other at the US president standing by his side.
The second is to cheer. The image is so apt. In case you have been marooned on a desert island for the last week, here is what happened. At a press conference in Baghdad on Dec. 13, Bush stood next to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki and fielded questions from the press as normal. Then one journalist, a young Iraqi named Muntader Al-Zeidi who works for an Egyptian-based channel Al-Baghdadiyah, stood and hurled his shoe at Bush shouting in Arabic: “This is a gift from the Iraqis, this is a farewell kiss, you dog.”
The shoe narrowly missed Bush’s head, as he ducked to dodge the shoe. Then Al Zeidi hurled his second shoe, shouting, “This is from the widows, the orphans and all those who were killed in Iraq.” The shoe went high over Bush’s head.
Al-Zeidi is clearly a natural at communications. First, there is the symbolism of using his shoes, and not just any shoes, he made sure he wore Iraqi-made shoes. Then there are the words that accompanied the act. In one gesture he summarized the sentiment of millions of Iraqis toward Bush. And not just Iraqis of course.
The third reaction is to ask soberly whether this is the way to treat a visiting dignitary. I may seem a party-pooper for even asking this question, but it needs to be asked. You can agree with the sentiment expressed yet ask whether this was the right way to express it. Moreover, this has tipped into an argument about freedom of expression.
Was the Iraqi reporter simply asserting his right to freedom of expression? Had he, for instance, drawn a cartoon where he hit Bush with his shoe I would immediately say “yes”. But what he did was an attempt to physically assault Bush. He missed, so no physical harm was done, but he aimed straight at the president. In other words, it was more than a symbolic gesture.
The sheer fact that he was able to do it is rather perversely proves that Iraqis have greater freedom of expression now than under Saddam Hussein. I dread to think what would have happened to Al-Zeidi had he attempted to throw his shoes at the former president. Similarly, Col. Qaddafi’s daughter may wish to bestow a medal of honor on Al-Zeidi but what would have happened to him in Libya had he done that there. And I am most amused by the hero status he has been awarded in Syria. Once again, I can barely imagine a Syrian journalist daring to throw his shoes at a head of state standing next to Bashar Assad. Ah but it was not just any head of state, it was Bush and he deserves it! I hear the argument and perhaps he does. Al-Zeidi certainly does not deserve to be beaten up for what he did, nor should hurling a shoe at a president carry a penalty of 7 to 15 years in jail. The most worrying part of this event is that Al-Zeidi has not been seen since the attack. If, as his brother has suggested, he has been brutally beaten while in custody, then that is very grave indeed. He has apparently written an apology to Al-Maliki for the embarrassment caused. I hope this “apology” is part of a process to secure his release.
I do wonder what would happen to a journalist who hurled his shoes at say Gordon Brown or Silvio Berlusconi or even George Bush back home in Texas. Would he get off scott free? I doubt it. As this is a first offense, perhaps the attacker would be fined or given a suspended sentence. Surely it would not be treated any more seriously than that? Or would it? But would the journalist be hailed as a hero, as Al-Zeidi has been in much of the Arab world? It is such a big word. What is for sure is that Al-Zeidi has made his place in history. The image of Bush ducking a shoe is likely to become one of the defining images of his presidency and certainly something that will make us laugh for years to come. What a shame the shoes have been destroyed by the security services. They are a piece of history and they would have made Al-Zeidi very rich indeed!
But when all is said and done, as much as I admire Al-Zeidi for having the courage of his convictions, I find it depressing and sad that in this day and age a modern Arab hero is a man who throws his shoes at a US president.
