Lucky would not be the word to describe the Iraqi journalist who reportedly was beaten before his arrest for hurling two shoes at President Bush during a news conference in Baghdad on Sunday, wrote the Los Angeles Times in an editorial yesterday. Excerpts:
As he threw the first shoe, Muntadar Al-Zeidi yelled that it was “the farewell kiss, you dog!” The second, he said, was “from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq.” Bush successfully ducked the projectiles, if not the anti-imperialist insult. Although hardly a compliment in the West, a shoe in the face is a particular affront in the Arab world. Zeidi embarrassed the prime minister by attacking Bush, thereby violating the Middle Eastern tenet that hospitality includes protecting your guest. Zeidi could face up to seven years in prison on charges of insulting the Iraqi state.
Many Iraqis, however, took to the streets on Monday to hail Zeidi as a hero. Tens of thousands of Iraqis have died in the 5 1/2 -year war, and anger about the US occupation is widespread, even among those who view the presence of US troops as a necessity to avoid further sectarian conflict. Many of those demanding the journalist’s release chanted, “Bush, Bush, listen well: We pushed you out with two shoes.” The good news for Bush is that the assailant hurled shoes, not bombs. That’s impolite, but it’s still a measure of progress in the violent politics of Iraq. This was an act of protest with a shoe laced with blame. Bush made light of the incident, saying all he could report was that the shoe was “a size 10.”
Many Iraqis thought the shoe fit.
