Muntadhar al-Zaidi
Encyclopedia
Muntadhar al-Zaidi is an Iraq
i broadcast journalist
who served as a correspondent
for Iraqi-owned, Egypt
ian-based Al-Bagh. , al-Zaidi works with a Lebanese TV channel.
On November 16, 2007, al-Zaidi was kidnapped by unknown assailants in Baghdad
. He was also previously twice arrested by the United States armed forces
. On December 14, 2008, al-Zaidi shouted "This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog" and threw his shoes
at then-U.S. president
George W. Bush
during a Baghdad
press conference. Al-Zaidi suffered injuries as he was taken into custody and some sources said he was tortured during his initial detention. There were calls throughout the Middle East
to place the shoes in an Iraqi museum, but the shoes were later destroyed by US and Iraqi security forces to prevent this. Al-Zaidi's shoeing inspired many similar incidents of political protest around the world.
Following the incident, Al-Zaidi was "embraced around the Arab world
" and was represented by the head of the Iraqi Bar Association
at trial. On February 20, 2009, al-Zaidi received a 90-minute trial by the Central Criminal Court of Iraq
. On March 12, 2009, he was sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting a foreign head of state
during an official visit. On April 7 the sentence was reduced to one year from three years. He was released on 15 September 2009 for good behavior, after serving nine months of the sentence. After his release, Al-Zaidi was treated for injuries and later said he planned to "build orphanages, a children's hospital, and medical and orthopaedic centres offering free treatment and manned by Iraqi doctors and medical staff."
, a suburb of Baghdad, Iraq. He began working as a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia TV
in 2005. He first became known as a victim of a kidnapping by unknown assailants in November 2007. Al-Zaidi has also been arrested twice by United States armed forces. He lives in a two room apartment within central Baghdad. He is of the Shi'a-Muslim
faith, and unmarried.
"One of his best reports was on Zahra, a young Iraqi school girl killed by the occupation forces while en route to school," said Ahmed Alaa, a close friend and colleague of al-Zaidi at al-Baghdadia television who talked to Islam Online. Alaa said al-Zaidi documented the tragedy in his reportage, complete with interviews with her family, neighbors and friends. "This report earned him the respect of many Iraqis and won him many hearts in Iraq," he said. Al-Zaidi once also turned down an offer to work for what he termed "a pro-occupation channel". Friends said al-Zaidi had been "emotionally influenced" by the destruction he'd seen in his coverage of the US bombing of Sadr City.
Muzhir al-Khafaji, al-Zaidi's boss at the TV station, describes al-Zaidi as a "proud Arab and an open-minded man." He added, "He has no ties with the former regime. His family was arrested under Saddam's regime." On politics, al-Zaidi said "I’m Iraqi and I’m proud of my country." Friends of al-Zaidi said he utterly rejected the occupation and the civil clashes. They said he believed the U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement
was a "legalization of the occupation."
Sami Ramadani, a political exile from Saddam's regime and a senior lecturer at London Metropolitan University, wrote in an op-ed for The Guardian
that al-Zaidi "reported for al-Baghdadia on the poor and downtrodden victims of the US war. He was first on the scene in Sadr City
and wherever people suffered violence or severe deprivation. He not only followed US Apache helicopters' trails of death and destruction, but he was also among the first to report every 'sectarian' atrocity and the bombing of popular market places. He let the victims talk first".
"voiced deep concern" in a statement about al-Zaidi's detention. No ransom demand was made, and al-Zaidi's kidnappers released him still blindfolded, on to a street three days later around 3 a.m. on Monday, November 19, 2007, after which al-Zaidi's brother picked him up. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
mentioned al-Zaidi's kidnapping in a December 2007 report that listed violent incidents in the media, in particular, incidents targeting journalists in Baghdad. According to the report,
"journalists and media workers and other professionals continue to be targets for kidnapping and assassination."
After his kidnapping, al-Zaidi told Reuters
; "My release is a miracle. I couldn't believe I was still alive." The editor of Al-Baghdadia TV described the kidnapping as an "act of gangs, because all of Muntadhar's reports are moderate and unbiased." Al-Zaidi has also been arrested twice by the United States armed forces
in Iraq. In January 2008, al-Zaidi was detained overnight by US troops as they searched his residence. The soldiers later offered him an apology.
During a December 14, 2008 press conference at the Prime Minister's Palace in Baghdad, Iraq, al-Zaidi threw both of his shoes at then-United States President George W. Bush
. The throwing of shoes is an act of extreme disrespect in the Arab culture. "This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people
, you dog," yelled al-Zaidi in Arabic as he threw his first shoe towards the U.S. president. "This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq," he shouted as he threw his second shoe. President Bush ducked twice, avoiding being hit by the shoes. Prime Minister Maliki also attempted to catch one of the shoes to protect the President. Al-Zaidi was then pulled to the floor by another journalist, before being grabbed by Prime Minister Maliki's guards, kicked, and rushed out of the room. White House spokeswoman
Dana Perino
was hit in the face by a microphone boom knocked over by a presidential bodyguard resulting in a clearly visible black eye.
President Bush said some Iraqi reporters had apologized to him, and he said that he thanked them for their apologies. "Thanks for apologizing on behalf of the Iraqi people. It doesn't bother me." Bush joked, "If you want the facts, it's a size 10 shoe that he threw." When asked about the incident by another reporter, Bush said "It's a way for people to draw attention. I don't know what the guy's cause was. I didn't feel the least bit threatened by it." When later asked to reflect on the incident, Bush said "I didn't have much time to reflect on anything, I was ducking and dodging. I'm not angry with the system. I believe that a free society is emerging, and a free society is necessary for our own security and peace," he added. "I don't think that you can take one guy throwing his shoe as representative of the people of Iraq," said White House Press Secretary Dana Perino.
Al-Zaidi was initially held by the prime minister's guards, and was later turned over to the Iraqi army's Baghdad command. The command handed him over to the Iraqi judiciary. Hundreds took to the streets to demand his release. Al-Zaidi could face charges of insulting a foreign leader and the Iraqi prime minister, who was standing next to Bush. A conviction of these charges would carry a sentence of up to two years in prison or a small fine — although it's unlikely he would face the maximum penalty given his newfound "cult status" in the Arab world, according to a Middle-East observer. An Iraqi lawyer has stated that al-Zaidi is likely to get at least two years in prison if he is prosecuted for insulting a visiting head of state. Al-Zaidi went before a judge on December 17, 2008. Al-Zaidi declined to be represented by Khalil al-Duleimi
, who defended the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein before his execution, and also said that he wanted to be represented by an Iraqi lawyer. "I will introduce myself as his lawyer and demand the case be closed and Muntadher be released because he did not commit a crime," said Dheyaa al-Saadi
, al-Zaidi's lawyer and head of the Iraqi Bar Association
. "He only freely expressed himself to the occupier, and he has such a right according to international law." On December 17, 2008, al-Zaidi appeared privately before a judge from within the Green Zone.
-owned Afaq TV reported that security forces kicked al-Zaidi and beat him. His family reports that it has received many threatening phone calls. The United States Secret Service
and the Iraqi Police
took custody of al-Zaidi. Al-Zaidi was tested for alcohol and drugs, and his shoes were confiscated as evidence. Al-Zaidi was interrogated by Iraqi and U.S. agents to ascertain whether anyone paid him to throw his shoes at Bush. In an interview with BBC News, al-Zaidi's brother, Durgham al-Zaidi, reported that Muntadhar al-Zaidi suffered a broken hand, broken ribs, internal bleeding, and an eye injury. Durgham al-Zaidi told Al Jazeera
that his brother was tortured. Al-Baghdadia TV
said that al-Zaidi was "seriously injured" during his detention. Al Sharqiya
also points to signs of injury on his thighs and an immobile right arm. However, a different brother, Maitham al-Zaidi, spoke with Muntadhar on the phone and was told: "Thank God I am in good health." On Friday 19 December Dhia al-Kinani, the judge investigating the case, said there were signs al-Zaidi had been beaten; al-Zaidi had bruises on his face and around his eyes. The judge also said al-Zaidi had not yet raised a formal charge relating to his injuries. His lawyer, Dhiya'a al-Sa'adi, has also confirmed that al-Zaidi had been beaten, stating that "there are visible signs of torture on his body".
. Al-Zaidi found support from his employer, Awn Hussain Al Khashlok, thousands of protesters in Iraq
, some Iraqi politicians, people in Syria
, a charity in Libya
, and from "around 200 lawyers" including some U.S. citizens. Al-Zaidi's action was criticised by the government of Nouri al-Maliki
. After the incident the office of Nouri al-Maliki criticised al-Zaidi's action and "demanded" an on-air apology from Al-Baghdadia TV
. Al-Baghdadia TV issued a statement demanding al-Zaidi's release:
In Tikrit
a copper statue of three meters height was dedicated to his action as a monument. It had his shoe's shape and an honouring poem as an inscription. It was designed by Laith al-Amari. The statue was taken down according to police order shortly after erection. Al Zaidi has been named as the world’s third most powerful Arab, in the Arabian Business Power 100 list 2009.
A Lebanese TV station offered Mr al Zaidi a job and gave a promise that his salary payment would have been started since he threw a shoe. Another joke that was soaring amongst Iraqi society is that then Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
should be "called up" to the national football team
as a goalkeeper as his attempt of knocking the shoe off was made "masterfully".
In September 2009, London-based artist Pawel Waniewski created ‘Proud Shoes’ in tribute to Muntazer al-Zaidi's ‘shoe flying' incident. Waniewski's tribute to Mr al-Zaidi’s was a 21kg bronze piece of art depicting the thrown shoes, completely gilded in 24 carat gold.
On 3 March 2010, Blancox, a Columbian detergent manufacturer made an advertisement out of the shoe-throwing incident, by replacing the shoes with beautiful bouquets of flowers to signify 'fabric freshness and softness treasured in it'.
said "... the Iraqi authorities have a duty to investigate all allegations of torture or other ill-treatment of Muntadhar al-Zaidi and to prosecute any persons alleged to be responsible for such abuses. The Iraqi authorities should also disclose his whereabouts, ensure that he is permitted prompt and regular access to legal counsel, his family and to any medical attention he requires, and safeguard him from torture or other ill-treatment," he added.
Reporters Without Borders
expressed its "regret that [al-Zaidi] used this method of protest against the politics of the American president". It said that "[al-Zaidi] was clearly injured during his arrest" and called for him to be released from custody. It referred to Bush's "relaxed way" of speaking about the incident as a reason for "leniency".
The International Federation of Journalists
has said al-Zaidi should be released for humanitarian reasons. "Given the controversy surrounding this incident, we urge the Iraqi security services to guarantee the physical well-being of this journalist, who was clearly injured during his arrest," the statement said. The IFJ said the incident "reflected deep anger at the treatment of Iraqi civilians during US occupation over the past four years of which journalists have been major victims" and that "the journalist might be under threat while in detention "given the record of mistreatment of journalists in custody by US forces."
The Arab Lawyers Union has called for a fair trial for the journalist, with the support of both the Arab League
and the Egyptian government
. "We urge all human rights
organizations and the international society to help save the life of the Iraqi journalist and prevent any physical assault that may target him," union head Sameh Ashour said. Ashour said the union would protect al-Zaidi's life, "which at the moment is under threat."
The Lebanese
television channel NTV offered a job to al-Zaidi. NTV said that if al-Zaidi accepted the job offer, that he would be paid "from the moment the first shoe was thrown".
Al-Zaidi's family turned down an invitation by the Venezuelan President to come and live in the Latin American country. "We are grateful to President Hugo Chávez
. However we are Iraqis, we live in Iraq," Oudai al-Zaidi said speaking on the behalf of his family.
Former candidate for the President of Pakistan
and President of the Pakistan Jurists Association Mian Muhibullah Kakakhel
Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of Pakistan said that the action showed how much the international community hates George W. Bush
.
On December 15, 2008, al-Zaidi was given a bravery award by Libya
n charity group Wa Attassimou. The group urged for al-Zaidi's release.
In Syria
, al-Zaidi was "hailed as a hero". The Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim
, praised the incident, calling it the "best show of retaliation so far".
A commentary in the North Korea
n newspaper Minju Chosun said Bush "deserved" the shoe throwing incident as a result of "failed policy in Iraq".
Al-Zaidi has also been offered a six-door Mercedes, had a song written about him, had his incident reconstructed in an Afghan comedy sketch, and been offered
the hand of a man's 20-year-old daughter in marriage. The young woman Amal Saad Gumaa said she likes the idea of being attached to a man she finds so honorable.
On December 29, 2008, activists at the Iraqi consulate in Washington, D.C. delivered a petition calling for the release of al-Zaidi. "If he had wanted to hurt George Bush, he would have chosen a different weapon," a member of Code Pink said. "We want the Iraqi government and the world to know that there is a very good sentiment for him to be set free," said Nick Mottern, director of Consumers for Peace.
. However, a producer in Lebanon suggested that it might have made them instead. Many shoes in Iraq are also made in China
. Even so, al-Zaidi's brother insisted that the shoes were made in Baghdad by a highly-reputable firm named Alaa Haddad. On December 18, 2008, Iraqi and American security agents looking for explosives examined and then destroyed the shoes.
On December 20, 2008, protesters in Montreal
and Toronto
threw shoes at posters of George Bush in front of their respective U.S. consulates to support Muntadhar al-Zaidi, to demand his immediate release, and to celebrate his gesture. The shoe tosses took place in -24°C weather during protests against the U.S. military occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, and against Canada's involvement in the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. At the shoe toss event in Toronto, Ahmed Habib, a refugee from Baghdad, said "We don't think of Muntadhar al-Zaidi as a criminal but, in fact, we think of him as a hero. The only war criminal is George Bush and his buddy Stephen Harper, so shame on the both of them." At the shoe toss event in Montreal, Québec solidaire
leader and MNA
Amir Khadir
threw his shoes at a picture of president Bush and was later criticized and accused of betraying the "dignity and responsibilities of a[n] MNA."
On December 20, 2008, Ukrainian reporter Ihor Dmitriv pelted a Ukrainian politician with a shoe when he became angered by the politician's sexist remarks. Speaking in NATO accession, Oleh Soskin, said NATO membership was more favored by the Ukrainian women as they were "the more intelligent" part of the body politic. Dmitriv said his attack was motivated by the Ukrainian leadership's "craziness" and said "a shoe is going to become a leading means (for common people) to influence their leaders."
The anti-war
group Code Pink
pelted shoes at an effigy of U.S. president George W. Bush outside the White House
on December 17, 2008. Protesters presented their shoes at U.S. Embassies around the world to show their support for al-Zaidi.
On January 12, 2009, Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
made fun of the incident and "threatened" to throw his shoes at reporters when visiting Couromoda 2009, a shoes event held in São Paulo.
On January 20, 2009 protesters in the United States shoed an inflatable replica of George W. Bush in replication of al-Zaidi's shoe-throwing incident.
On February 2, 2009, a German protester threw his shoe at Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao
as he gave a speech at Cambridge University. The shoe landed on stage a few feet from the premier and the protester was quickly hustled away by security guards.
On February 5, 2009, Israel
i Ambassador to Sweden
Benny Dagan was hit by a protester's shoe while speaking about the 2009 Gaza War, the shoe throwers reportedly chanted murderer!" and "intifada
!".
On March 17, 2009, Canadian protesters in Calgary used shoes as props during their demonstrations, even going so far as to create a "shoe cannon".
The incident has also inspired several online shoe-throwing games, and on the Late Show with David Letterman
, the "Great Moments in Presidential Speeches" segment included flying shoes aimed at other presidents (via digitally-altered stock footage).
On 7 April 2009, Union Home Minister of India
P. Chidambaram
was shoed by Jarnail Singh, a Sikh
journalist during a press conference in Delhi
. Singh, who works at the Hindi
daily Dainik Jagaran was dissatisfied with Chidamabaram's answer to a question on the Central Bureau of Investigation
's (CBI) clean chit to Congress
leader Jagdish Tytler
on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots
.
On 16 April 2009, Indian Leader of Opposition and Prime Ministerial candidate of National Democratic Alliance
, L K Advani was shoed by his own party member, Pawas Agarwal, a former district vice-president of Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) Katni Town in Madhya Pradesh
.
On 8 October 2009, A single shoe was hurled at Clifford D. May as a protest by a student named Muhammad Hussain who is also the class representative of his class at Karachi University I.R. Dept. Pakistan.
On 4 November 2009, John Howard
, the former Australian prime minister, was delivering a speech about leadership in the new century at Cambridge University when an Australian student called him a racist before taking off his boot and throwing it in his direction.
On 23 October 2009, supporters of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threw their shoes at opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi
as he visited Tehran during the 2009 Iranian election protests
. A fight broke out between supporters of Ahmadinejad and Karroubi and one of the Ahmadinejad supporters threw a shoe at him, which hit him in the face and resulted in his turban falling off.
In December 2009, al-Zaidi was himself ironically shoed by another Iraqi journalist in Paris, who accused him of "working for dictatorship in Iraq". The incident occurred while al-Zaidi was speaking about his experiences during the Bush shoeing and its aftermath.
In February 2010, a 26-year old Kurd with Syrian citizenship tried to shoe Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
in Sevilla, the shoes however missed Erdogan. While throwing the shoes the man called "long live free Kurdistan."
On 7 August 2010, Shamim Khan threw a shoe at Asif Ali Zardari
, the President Of Pakistan
in his address to the Pakistani community at Birmingham
. Shamim Khan said that he threw his shoe at him because Pakistan is fighting with the worst flood, and its aftermath, in eighty years and President Zardari was enjoying a week-long trip in Europe instead of being with his people. Shamim Khan is being treated as national hero in Pakistan due to ongoing hatred against President Zardari in Pakistan.
The NBC series Kings imitated the shoe throwing incident in the episode "The New King (Part 2)".
On 5 September 2010, Anti-war
protesters threw eggs, bottles and shoes at the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair
at a book signing event in Dublin, Ireland
.
On 11 September 2010, an angry protester threw a shoe at the Greek Prime Minister Giorgos Papandreou just moments after he had left the opening of the Thessaloniki
International Trade Fair in Thessaloniki, Greece
.
On 25 October 2010, former Australian Prime Minister John Howard dodged shoes thrown at him live on Australian television
Q&A from anti-war protester and environmental activist Pete Gray
. This is Howard's second experience with a shoe-throwing protester.
, the head of the Iraqi Bar Association
and one of its most high-profile attorneys, said that he had volunteered to defend al-Zaidi. Judge Dhiya al-Kenani said the court had refused the journalist's request for bail "for the sake of the investigation and for his own security". According to Abdul Satar Birqadr, spokesman for Iraq's High Judicial Council, al-Zaidi is charged with "assaulting a foreign head of state visiting Iraq."
On December 30, 2008, an Iraqi court said al-Zaidi's trial had been postponed pending an appeal over whether the incident amounted to assault or only insulting a foreign leader. A charge of assault would carry a maximum sentence of 15 years, while charges of insulting a foreign leader carry a maximum sentence of only 3 years. One of al-Zaidi's lawyers said he expected a lengthy trial and a sentence of no less than three years if al-Zaidi is convicted. Dhargham al-Zaidi, said his family would turn to an international court if they found the Iraqi jurisdiction system "biased and unfair." In January 2009, al-Zaidi's lawyers petitioned Swiss
authorities for political asylum, arguing that his life is at risk in Iraq.
The trial began before the Central Criminal Court of Iraq
on February 20, 2009, which only lasted 90 minutes before being recessed. In testimony before the court, al-Zaidi described his growing frustration as Bush spoke about his victories and achievement at the press conference where the shoe was thrown. As Bush listed the gains made in Iraq during the mid-December news conference, al-Zaidi said he was thinking about the sanctity of mosques being violated, the rape of women, and daily humiliations. Al-Zaidi said Bush's "bloodless and soulless smile" and his joking banter provoked him. "I don't know what accomplishments he was talking about. The accomplishments I could see were the more than 1 million martyrs and a sea of blood. There are more than 5 million Iraqi orphans because of the occupation.... More than a million widows and more than 3 million displaced because of the occupation." al-Zaidi said."I wanted to restore the pride of the Iraqis in any way possible, apart from using weapons." al-Zaidi said he was tortured, beaten and given electric shocks during his interrogation. Supporters who rallied in front of the court said al-Zaidi should be praised for standing up to Bush rather than punished for his actions. The trial resumed briefly on March 12, 2009 after which sentence was imposed.
Upon reading of the sentence, al-Zaidi shouted "long live Iraq." "This judiciary is not just," al-Zaidi's brother Dargham said. Zaidi's sister shouted "Down with Maliki, the agent of the Americans." Zaidi's brother Uday said he scorns "those who say Iraqi justice is independent" and that the "court was set up according to Paul Bremer decisions." Several family members screamed: "It's an American court... sons of dogs." The family said they would not only appeal but also press ahead with plans to bring torture charges against Bush, Maliki and his bodyguards at a human rights court abroad.
A poll of Iraqis suggested 62 percent of Iraqis regarded al-Zaidi as a "national hero". Maha al-Dori, an Iraqi parliament member, said he felt the ruling showed the judges may have been motivated by political concerns. Iraq's Journalistic Freedoms Observatory said "it is now left to wait for a presidential or prime ministerial pardon, because we cannot accept an Iraqi journalist behind bars."
On April 7, 2009, the sentence was reduced to one year from three years. Judge Abdul Sattar al-Beeraqdar, spokesman for Iraq's Higher Judicial Council, said the court reduced al-Zaidi's sentence because he is young and had no previous criminal record. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki argued al-Zaidi could have faced 15 years in jail or even execution for insulting a visiting head of state.
. Al-Zaidi claimed that "Bush did not go there for the sake of human rights or for the victims. He went there because he missed the smell of blood, and the stench of destruction that he wreaked on Iraq. So he went there to get a whiff of that smell, because he is a sick man."
Regarding the election of Barack Obama
as President of the United States, Al-Zaidi stated in the same interview that:
produced a play entitled "The Last Salute", directed by Indian director Arvind Gaur
and starring Imran Zahid
. It was written by Rajesh Kumar and based on Muntadhar al-Zaidi's book. Pooja Bhatt and Mahesh Bhatt announced the making of a film based on the play.
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i broadcast journalist
Broadcast journalism
Broadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are "broadcast", that is, published by electrical methods, instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. Broadcast methods include radio , television , and, especially recently, the Internet generally...
who served as a correspondent
Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
for Iraqi-owned, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian-based Al-Bagh. , al-Zaidi works with a Lebanese TV channel.
On November 16, 2007, al-Zaidi was kidnapped by unknown assailants in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. He was also previously twice arrested by the United States armed forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
. On December 14, 2008, al-Zaidi shouted "This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog" and threw his shoes
Shoeing
Shoeing, throwing shoes, showing the sole of one's shoe or using shoes to insult are forms of protest in many parts of the world.Incidents where shoes were thrown at political figures have taken place in Australia, India, Ireland, Israel, Hong Kong, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and most notably,...
at then-U.S. president
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
during a Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
press conference. Al-Zaidi suffered injuries as he was taken into custody and some sources said he was tortured during his initial detention. There were calls throughout the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
to place the shoes in an Iraqi museum, but the shoes were later destroyed by US and Iraqi security forces to prevent this. Al-Zaidi's shoeing inspired many similar incidents of political protest around the world.
Following the incident, Al-Zaidi was "embraced around the Arab world
Arab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
" and was represented by the head of the Iraqi Bar Association
Iraqi Bar Association
The Iraqi Bar Association , created in 1933, is the biggest lawyers' association in Iraq, with tens of thousands of members as of 2007...
at trial. On February 20, 2009, al-Zaidi received a 90-minute trial by the Central Criminal Court of Iraq
Central Criminal Court of Iraq
The Central Criminal Court of Iraq, or CCCI, is a criminal court of Iraq. The CCCI is based on an inquisitorial system and consists of two chambers: an investigative court and a criminal court...
. On March 12, 2009, he was sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting a foreign head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
during an official visit. On April 7 the sentence was reduced to one year from three years. He was released on 15 September 2009 for good behavior, after serving nine months of the sentence. After his release, Al-Zaidi was treated for injuries and later said he planned to "build orphanages, a children's hospital, and medical and orthopaedic centres offering free treatment and manned by Iraqi doctors and medical staff."
Biography
Muntadhar al-Zaidi was raised in Sadr CitySadr City
Sadr City is a suburb district of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. It was built in 1959 by Prime Minister Abdul Karim Qassim and later unofficially renamed Sadr City after deceased Shia leader Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr....
, a suburb of Baghdad, Iraq. He began working as a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia TV
Al-Baghdadia TV
Al-Baghdadia TV is an independent Iraqi-owned Arabic-language satellite channel based in Cairo, Egypt. It is considered a Nationalistic channel of funding directly and only from the CEO. During the Iraqi insurgency, several prominent journalists with the station were murdered...
in 2005. He first became known as a victim of a kidnapping by unknown assailants in November 2007. Al-Zaidi has also been arrested twice by United States armed forces. He lives in a two room apartment within central Baghdad. He is of the Shi'a-Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
faith, and unmarried.
"One of his best reports was on Zahra, a young Iraqi school girl killed by the occupation forces while en route to school," said Ahmed Alaa, a close friend and colleague of al-Zaidi at al-Baghdadia television who talked to Islam Online. Alaa said al-Zaidi documented the tragedy in his reportage, complete with interviews with her family, neighbors and friends. "This report earned him the respect of many Iraqis and won him many hearts in Iraq," he said. Al-Zaidi once also turned down an offer to work for what he termed "a pro-occupation channel". Friends said al-Zaidi had been "emotionally influenced" by the destruction he'd seen in his coverage of the US bombing of Sadr City.
Muzhir al-Khafaji, al-Zaidi's boss at the TV station, describes al-Zaidi as a "proud Arab and an open-minded man." He added, "He has no ties with the former regime. His family was arrested under Saddam's regime." On politics, al-Zaidi said "I’m Iraqi and I’m proud of my country." Friends of al-Zaidi said he utterly rejected the occupation and the civil clashes. They said he believed the U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement
U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement
The U.S.–Iraq Status of Forces Agreement is a status of forces agreement between Iraq and the United States. It establishes that U.S...
was a "legalization of the occupation."
Sami Ramadani, a political exile from Saddam's regime and a senior lecturer at London Metropolitan University, wrote in an op-ed for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
that al-Zaidi "reported for al-Baghdadia on the poor and downtrodden victims of the US war. He was first on the scene in Sadr City
Sadr City
Sadr City is a suburb district of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. It was built in 1959 by Prime Minister Abdul Karim Qassim and later unofficially renamed Sadr City after deceased Shia leader Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr....
and wherever people suffered violence or severe deprivation. He not only followed US Apache helicopters' trails of death and destruction, but he was also among the first to report every 'sectarian' atrocity and the bombing of popular market places. He let the victims talk first".
Kidnapping and detention
On Friday morning, November 16, 2007, al-Zaidi was kidnapped on his way to work in central Baghdad. Unknown armed men forced him into a car, where he was beaten until he lost consciousness. The assailants used al-Zaidi's necktie to blindfold him and bound his hands with shoelaces. He was held captive with little food and drink and questioned about his work as a journalist. During his disappearance, al-Zaidi was reported missing by Iraq's Journalistic Freedoms Observatory. On November 18, Reporters Without BordersReporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
"voiced deep concern" in a statement about al-Zaidi's detention. No ransom demand was made, and al-Zaidi's kidnappers released him still blindfolded, on to a street three days later around 3 a.m. on Monday, November 19, 2007, after which al-Zaidi's brother picked him up. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
mentioned al-Zaidi's kidnapping in a December 2007 report that listed violent incidents in the media, in particular, incidents targeting journalists in Baghdad. According to the report,
"journalists and media workers and other professionals continue to be targets for kidnapping and assassination."
After his kidnapping, al-Zaidi told Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
; "My release is a miracle. I couldn't believe I was still alive." The editor of Al-Baghdadia TV described the kidnapping as an "act of gangs, because all of Muntadhar's reports are moderate and unbiased." Al-Zaidi has also been arrested twice by the United States armed forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
in Iraq. In January 2008, al-Zaidi was detained overnight by US troops as they searched his residence. The soldiers later offered him an apology.
Shoe incident
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. The throwing of shoes is an act of extreme disrespect in the Arab culture. "This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people
Iraqi people
The Iraqi people or Mesopotamian people are natives or inhabitants of the country of Iraq, known since antiquity as Mesopotamia , with a large diaspora throughout the Arab World, Europe, the Americas, and...
, you dog," yelled al-Zaidi in Arabic as he threw his first shoe towards the U.S. president. "This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq," he shouted as he threw his second shoe. President Bush ducked twice, avoiding being hit by the shoes. Prime Minister Maliki also attempted to catch one of the shoes to protect the President. Al-Zaidi was then pulled to the floor by another journalist, before being grabbed by Prime Minister Maliki's guards, kicked, and rushed out of the room. White House spokeswoman
White House Press Secretary
The White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the government administration....
Dana Perino
Dana Perino
Dana Maria Perino is an American political commentator for Fox News. She served as the White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush from September 14, 2007 to January 20, 2009...
was hit in the face by a microphone boom knocked over by a presidential bodyguard resulting in a clearly visible black eye.
President Bush said some Iraqi reporters had apologized to him, and he said that he thanked them for their apologies. "Thanks for apologizing on behalf of the Iraqi people. It doesn't bother me." Bush joked, "If you want the facts, it's a size 10 shoe that he threw." When asked about the incident by another reporter, Bush said "It's a way for people to draw attention. I don't know what the guy's cause was. I didn't feel the least bit threatened by it." When later asked to reflect on the incident, Bush said "I didn't have much time to reflect on anything, I was ducking and dodging. I'm not angry with the system. I believe that a free society is emerging, and a free society is necessary for our own security and peace," he added. "I don't think that you can take one guy throwing his shoe as representative of the people of Iraq," said White House Press Secretary Dana Perino.
Al-Zaidi was initially held by the prime minister's guards, and was later turned over to the Iraqi army's Baghdad command. The command handed him over to the Iraqi judiciary. Hundreds took to the streets to demand his release. Al-Zaidi could face charges of insulting a foreign leader and the Iraqi prime minister, who was standing next to Bush. A conviction of these charges would carry a sentence of up to two years in prison or a small fine — although it's unlikely he would face the maximum penalty given his newfound "cult status" in the Arab world, according to a Middle-East observer. An Iraqi lawyer has stated that al-Zaidi is likely to get at least two years in prison if he is prosecuted for insulting a visiting head of state. Al-Zaidi went before a judge on December 17, 2008. Al-Zaidi declined to be represented by Khalil al-Duleimi
Khalil al-Duleimi
Khalil al-Duleimi is an attorney best known for representing Saddam Hussein at his trial. He was one of 22 lawyers representing Hussein at his trial, and the only one based in Iraq. When Saddam's legal team learned that Saddam was to be interrogated, they requested the presence of a lawyer...
, who defended the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein before his execution, and also said that he wanted to be represented by an Iraqi lawyer. "I will introduce myself as his lawyer and demand the case be closed and Muntadher be released because he did not commit a crime," said Dheyaa al-Saadi
Dheyaa al-Saadi
Dheyaa al-Saadi is an Iraqi lawyer. As leader of the Iraqi Bar Association, he protested against the Iraqi government's dissolution of the association's elected council in March 2006...
, al-Zaidi's lawyer and head of the Iraqi Bar Association
Iraqi Bar Association
The Iraqi Bar Association , created in 1933, is the biggest lawyers' association in Iraq, with tens of thousands of members as of 2007...
. "He only freely expressed himself to the occupier, and he has such a right according to international law." On December 17, 2008, al-Zaidi appeared privately before a judge from within the Green Zone.
Injuries
According to witnesses, al-Zaidi was "severely beaten" by security officers after he had been dragged out of the room following the shoe-throwing incident. As the man's screaming could be heard outside, Bush said "That's what people do in a free society, draw attention to themselves." A "large blood trail" could be seen on the carpet where al-Zaidi had been dragged by security agents. DawaIslamic Dawa Party
The Islamic Dawa Party or Islamic Call Party is a political party in Iraq. Dawa and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council are two of the main parties in the religious-Shiite United Iraqi Alliance, which won a plurality of seats in both the provisional January 2005 Iraqi election and the longer-term...
-owned Afaq TV reported that security forces kicked al-Zaidi and beat him. His family reports that it has received many threatening phone calls. The United States Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
and the Iraqi Police
Iraqi Police
The Iraqi Police Service are the uniformed Territorial police force responsible for the enforcement of civil law within Iraq.The current organisation, structure and recruitment practice was guided by the Coalition Provisional Authority following the 2003 invasion of Iraq...
took custody of al-Zaidi. Al-Zaidi was tested for alcohol and drugs, and his shoes were confiscated as evidence. Al-Zaidi was interrogated by Iraqi and U.S. agents to ascertain whether anyone paid him to throw his shoes at Bush. In an interview with BBC News, al-Zaidi's brother, Durgham al-Zaidi, reported that Muntadhar al-Zaidi suffered a broken hand, broken ribs, internal bleeding, and an eye injury. Durgham al-Zaidi told Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
that his brother was tortured. Al-Baghdadia TV
Al-Baghdadia TV
Al-Baghdadia TV is an independent Iraqi-owned Arabic-language satellite channel based in Cairo, Egypt. It is considered a Nationalistic channel of funding directly and only from the CEO. During the Iraqi insurgency, several prominent journalists with the station were murdered...
said that al-Zaidi was "seriously injured" during his detention. Al Sharqiya
Al Sharqiya
Al Sharqiya is Iraq's first privately owned satellite channel owned by the London, Baghdad and Dubai-based Iraqi media tycoon Saad al-Bazzaz, a secular nationalist from Mosul. Al-Bazzaz is also the Editor in Chief of the Azzaman newspaper...
also points to signs of injury on his thighs and an immobile right arm. However, a different brother, Maitham al-Zaidi, spoke with Muntadhar on the phone and was told: "Thank God I am in good health." On Friday 19 December Dhia al-Kinani, the judge investigating the case, said there were signs al-Zaidi had been beaten; al-Zaidi had bruises on his face and around his eyes. The judge also said al-Zaidi had not yet raised a formal charge relating to his injuries. His lawyer, Dhiya'a al-Sa'adi, has also confirmed that al-Zaidi had been beaten, stating that "there are visible signs of torture on his body".
Timeline
- On December 14, 2008, the shoe-throwing incident took place, culminating in al-Zaidi's arrest.
- On December 15, 2008, hundreds of Iraqis marched in Baghdad to demand his release. Crowds gathered in Sadr CitySadr CitySadr City is a suburb district of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. It was built in 1959 by Prime Minister Abdul Karim Qassim and later unofficially renamed Sadr City after deceased Shia leader Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr....
district of Baghdad and called for "hero" Muntadhar al-Zaidi to be freed from custody. There were similar scenes in NajafNajafNajaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...
. The demonstrators in Sadr City and Najaf alluded to the shoes. Participants in Sadr City "waved shoes attached to long poles," and those in Najaf threw their shoes at a passing United States military convoy. The "vast majority" of viewers of al-Baghdadia who telephoned to the station in order to express their opinions said that they approved al-Zaidi's actions.
- On December 17, 2008, a group of Iraqi lawmakers demanded that the legislature take up the issue of the detained journalist. Aqeel Abdul Hussain, head of the Sadrist bloc, said that lawmakers had a duty to stand up for the detained journalist. "Some of the members support the government, but we have to admit that there was a mistake in the procedures under which he was arrested," said a spokesman for Parliament Speaker Mashhadani. "And we also must condemn the fact that he was beaten," he added. The session of Parliament ended without a consensus on what action to take regarding the reporter.
- On December 18, 2008, a spokesman for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said that al-Zaidi wrote a letter to Maliki expressing regret for his actions and asking for a pardon. Dhargham al-Zaidi claims that his brother was severely beaten after being taken into Iraqi custody. On December 17, Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
called on Iraqi authorities to disclose the whereabouts of al-Zaidi and investigate all allegations of torture or other ill-treatment. Judge Dhia al-Kinani, the magistrate investigating the incident, said the court has opened a probe into al-Zaidi's alleged beating. Dhiaa al-SaadiDheyaa al-SaadiDheyaa al-Saadi is an Iraqi lawyer. As leader of the Iraqi Bar Association, he protested against the Iraqi government's dissolution of the association's elected council in March 2006...
, head of the Iraqi Bar AssociationIraqi Bar AssociationThe Iraqi Bar Association , created in 1933, is the biggest lawyers' association in Iraq, with tens of thousands of members as of 2007...
, said that, according to court documents, the reporter's face and body were bruised. "The investigation process is now under way in mysterious circumstances," al-Zaidi's brother Uday said.
- On December 19, 2008, thirty of al-Zaidi's family members staged a rally outside the "Green Zone," which houses the Iraqi government and the prison where al-Zaidi is being held. In response to an apology letter that al-Zaidi was said to have written, al-Zaidi's brother Uday stated that the apology was "not a real one. If they [the government] want an apology, they must first release him so he can do it freely and not under pressure." Um Saad, al-Zaidi's sister, said that al-Zaidi "would never apologize for insulting the man who occupied our country". She also said that "nothing is known about... his condition, but he did nothing wrong. On the contrary, he pleased everyone. Bush is an occupier and he is the source of all the orphans and all the widows in Iraq." Bahaa al-Araji, a Sadrist MP, said journalist Muntathir al-Zaidi plans to press charges against the people who he says beat him. "We know that the judges themselves feel for him... tomorrow we will submit a formal request that Zaidi should be allowed visits by his family," he also said. "We should call him Muntathar al Iraqi — not Muntathar al-Zaidi; all of Iraq is his tribe now," a leader in the Sons of Iraq movement said of al-Zaidi.
- On December 20, 2008, it was reported that the letter that al-Zaidi is said to have written to Nouri al-Maliki apologizes only to Maliki and not to George W. Bush. Al-Zaidi said he had no remorse for throwing his shoes at Bush and "added that he would repeat his actions if he sees him again, because Bush's forces have killed many of Iraq's children". In a written statement to the judge, al-Zaidi said that he expected to be killed by Bush's body guards after hurling his first shoe. "It seemed that his bodyguards were not on full alert at the time, that was how I managed to throw the second shoe," al-Zaidi explained. Also, hundreds of protesters gathered in a park opposite the Green Zone to protest the treatment of al-Zaidi. Heavily armed Iraqi soldiers surrounded the small park and Iraqi Army helicopters circled overhead as the demonstrators were demanded to leave. "I have told them I won’t move anywhere unless it is to my grave," said al-Zaidi's brother, Uday. Sunnis and Shiites held signs describing al-Zaidi as "the son of Iraq" and "the humiliator of the occupiers". A few Iraqi soldiers ate food offered to them.
- On December 21, 2008, al-Zaidi claimed he was physically coerced and that he would never apologize to President Bush no matter what the consequences. "Muntadhar said that he was forced to apologize to Al-Maliki and he will never, never apologize to Bush, even if they cut him into small pieces," al-Zaidi's brother Uday told the Los Angeles Times. Al-Zaidi's brother claimed his journalist brother had lost a tooth and his nose had required stitches because of the beatings he had suffered while in custody. "There were multiple bruises all over his body," he said. "There were cigarette burns behind his ears. He was beaten with metal rods. His eyes were swollen. They have assigned two medical doctors ... to provide him with treatment in order to hide the evidence of torture." Al-Zaidi's brother said his jailers periodically demanded he "confess" that he had been ordered to commit the act by enemies of the prime minister, but that a letter to the prime minister written by him from jail expressing regret for the attack was not said to have been ordered. Maliki reiterated that Zaidi's television station should renounce the act of al-Zaidi, and also suggested, without providing any names, that "a person urged him to commit this act, and this person is known to us as a person who beheads people". U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza RiceCondoleezza RiceCondoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
argued that Iraq is a democracy and that "history always shows these things differently than today’s news." An Iranian deputy minister called for al-Zaidi's release.
- On December 22, 2008, al-Zaidi's lawyer Dhiya'a al-Sa'adi also confirmed that al-Zaidi had been beaten and that al-Zaidi said he would never apologize to President Bush. Abdulsattar al-Berikdar, a spokesman of the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council, said the court was not investigating allegations of torture because al-Zaidi did not ask to be "submitted to a medical committee and did not tell the judge that he was tortured or register a complaint against anyone." Hajar Smouni, a spokesperson for Doha Center for Media FreedomDoha Center for Media FreedomThe Doha Center for Media Freedom is an international institution formally created on December 7, 2007 by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, and opened in October 2008 in Doha, Qatar...
in QatarQatarQatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, argued that al-Zaidi should be given access to medical care and a fair trial. Smouni said it was positive he met a lawyer, but said it is worrying "that he is to be tried at the Central Criminal Court of IraqCentral Criminal Court of IraqThe Central Criminal Court of Iraq, or CCCI, is a criminal court of Iraq. The CCCI is based on an inquisitorial system and consists of two chambers: an investigative court and a criminal court...
, because that is a court used to try terrorism suspects".
- On December 23, 2008, the Iraqi Parliament accepted the resignation of its speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani. Part of the controversy for his resignation began with his refusing to allow discussion of the fate of Muntadhar al-Zaidi. The speaker described al-Zaidi as "the pride" of Iraq and said that his "best friends" were currently being detained by the United States military for ties to the insurgency. "I weep for the state of Iraq," he told the Iraqi Parliament in his resignation.
- On January 16, 2009, al-Zaidi's brother visited him for 2 hours and Iraqi prison guards threw him a birthday party.
- On January 19, 2009, the Swiss newspaper Tribune de GeneveTribune de GenèveTribune de Genève is the most prominent regional newspaper of the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland.Tribune de Genève was founded on 1 February 1879 by James T. Bates. The French language daily is published by Edipresse in Geneva...
reported that al-Zaidi was seeking political asylum in SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, where his lawyer said he might work as a journalist at the United Nations.
- On January 28, 2009, Muntadhar al-Zaidi cast his vote from prison.
- On January 29, 2009, A monument of a shoe was erected in honor of Muntadhar al-Zaidi in a orphanage in TikritTikritTikrit is a town in Iraq, located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris river . The town, with an estimated population in 2002 of about 260,000 is the administrative center of the Salah ad Din Governorate.-Ancient times:...
. The orphans helped to build the structure.
- On January 30, 2009, the monument that was erected in honor of Muntadhar al-Zaidi was taken down after requests from the central government. Iraqi police visited the location to make sure that the shoe monument was removed. "We will not allow anyone to use the government facilities and buildings for political motives," Abdullah Jabara, deputy governor of Salaheddin argued. Faten Abdulqader al-Naseri, the orphanage director, said "Those orphans who helped the sculptor in building this monument were the victims of Bush's war. The shoe monument is a gift to the next generation to remember the heroic action by the journalist."
- On February 19, 2009 al-Zaidi told the Baghdad Central Criminal Court that he acted spontaneously after listening to Bush praise the "achievements" made in Iraq: "While he was talking I was looking at all his achievements in my mind. More than a million killed, the destruction and humiliation of mosques, violations against Iraqi women, attacking Iraqis every day and every hour. A whole people are saddened because of his policy, and he was talking with a smile on his face - and he was joking with the prime minister and saying he was going to have dinner with him after the press conference. Believe me, I didn't see anything around me except Bush. I was blind to anything else. I felt the blood of the innocent people bleeding from beneath his feet and he was smiling in that way. And then he was going to have a dinner, after he destroyed one million martyrs, after he destroyed the country. So I reacted to this feeling by throwing my shoes. I couldn't stop the reaction inside me. It was spontaneous."
- On February 20, 2009, al-Zaidi received a 90-minute trial by the Central Criminal Court of IraqCentral Criminal Court of IraqThe Central Criminal Court of Iraq, or CCCI, is a criminal court of Iraq. The CCCI is based on an inquisitorial system and consists of two chambers: an investigative court and a criminal court...
.
- On March 12, 2009, he was sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting a foreign head of stateHead of StateA head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
during an official visit.
- On April 7 the sentence was reduced to one year from three years.
- On 15 September 2009 he was released for good behavior, after serving nine months of the sentence.
Reaction
Following the incident, The New York Times reported that Al-Zaidi was embraced around the Arab worldArab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
. Al-Zaidi found support from his employer, Awn Hussain Al Khashlok, thousands of protesters in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, some Iraqi politicians, people in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, a charity in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, and from "around 200 lawyers" including some U.S. citizens. Al-Zaidi's action was criticised by the government of Nouri al-Maliki
Nouri al-Maliki
Nouri Kamil Mohammed Hasan al-Maliki , also known as Jawad al-Maliki or Abu Esraa, is the Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party. Al-Maliki and his government succeeded the Iraqi Transitional Government. He is currently in his second term as Prime Minister...
. After the incident the office of Nouri al-Maliki criticised al-Zaidi's action and "demanded" an on-air apology from Al-Baghdadia TV
Al-Baghdadia TV
Al-Baghdadia TV is an independent Iraqi-owned Arabic-language satellite channel based in Cairo, Egypt. It is considered a Nationalistic channel of funding directly and only from the CEO. During the Iraqi insurgency, several prominent journalists with the station were murdered...
. Al-Baghdadia TV issued a statement demanding al-Zaidi's release:
Al-Baghdadia television demands that the Iraqi authorities immediately release their stringer Muntadhar al-Zaidi, in line with the democracy and freedom of expression that the American authorities promised the Iraqi people on the ousting of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.... Any measures against Muntazer will be considered the acts of a dictatorial regime.
In Tikrit
Tikrit
Tikrit is a town in Iraq, located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris river . The town, with an estimated population in 2002 of about 260,000 is the administrative center of the Salah ad Din Governorate.-Ancient times:...
a copper statue of three meters height was dedicated to his action as a monument. It had his shoe's shape and an honouring poem as an inscription. It was designed by Laith al-Amari. The statue was taken down according to police order shortly after erection. Al Zaidi has been named as the world’s third most powerful Arab, in the Arabian Business Power 100 list 2009.
A Lebanese TV station offered Mr al Zaidi a job and gave a promise that his salary payment would have been started since he threw a shoe. Another joke that was soaring amongst Iraqi society is that then Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
Nouri al-Maliki
Nouri Kamil Mohammed Hasan al-Maliki , also known as Jawad al-Maliki or Abu Esraa, is the Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party. Al-Maliki and his government succeeded the Iraqi Transitional Government. He is currently in his second term as Prime Minister...
should be "called up" to the national football team
Iraq national football team
The Iraqi national football team represents Iraq in international football and is controlled by the Iraq Football Association. They won the 2007 Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup tournament.-The Golden Generation:...
as a goalkeeper as his attempt of knocking the shoe off was made "masterfully".
In September 2009, London-based artist Pawel Waniewski created ‘Proud Shoes’ in tribute to Muntazer al-Zaidi's ‘shoe flying' incident. Waniewski's tribute to Mr al-Zaidi’s was a 21kg bronze piece of art depicting the thrown shoes, completely gilded in 24 carat gold.
On 3 March 2010, Blancox, a Columbian detergent manufacturer made an advertisement out of the shoe-throwing incident, by replacing the shoes with beautiful bouquets of flowers to signify 'fabric freshness and softness treasured in it'.
International
Malcolm Smart of Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
said "... the Iraqi authorities have a duty to investigate all allegations of torture or other ill-treatment of Muntadhar al-Zaidi and to prosecute any persons alleged to be responsible for such abuses. The Iraqi authorities should also disclose his whereabouts, ensure that he is permitted prompt and regular access to legal counsel, his family and to any medical attention he requires, and safeguard him from torture or other ill-treatment," he added.
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
expressed its "regret that [al-Zaidi] used this method of protest against the politics of the American president". It said that "[al-Zaidi] was clearly injured during his arrest" and called for him to be released from custody. It referred to Bush's "relaxed way" of speaking about the incident as a reason for "leniency".
The International Federation of Journalists
International Federation of Journalists
International Federation of Journalists, IFJ, is a global union federation of journalists' trade unions—the largest in the world. The organization aims to protect and strengthen the rights and freedoms of journalists...
has said al-Zaidi should be released for humanitarian reasons. "Given the controversy surrounding this incident, we urge the Iraqi security services to guarantee the physical well-being of this journalist, who was clearly injured during his arrest," the statement said. The IFJ said the incident "reflected deep anger at the treatment of Iraqi civilians during US occupation over the past four years of which journalists have been major victims" and that "the journalist might be under threat while in detention "given the record of mistreatment of journalists in custody by US forces."
The Arab Lawyers Union has called for a fair trial for the journalist, with the support of both the Arab League
Arab League
The Arab League , officially called the League of Arab States , is a regional organisation of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asia . It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan , Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a...
and the Egyptian government
Politics of Egypt
The government of Egypt, as of February 27, 2011, is a republic currently under military rule of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces after the President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak stepped down following several days of mass protests. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the...
. "We urge all human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
organizations and the international society to help save the life of the Iraqi journalist and prevent any physical assault that may target him," union head Sameh Ashour said. Ashour said the union would protect al-Zaidi's life, "which at the moment is under threat."
The Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
television channel NTV offered a job to al-Zaidi. NTV said that if al-Zaidi accepted the job offer, that he would be paid "from the moment the first shoe was thrown".
Al-Zaidi's family turned down an invitation by the Venezuelan President to come and live in the Latin American country. "We are grateful to President Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
. However we are Iraqis, we live in Iraq," Oudai al-Zaidi said speaking on the behalf of his family.
Former candidate for the President of Pakistan
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
and President of the Pakistan Jurists Association Mian Muhibullah Kakakhel
Mian Muhibullah Kakakhel
Mian Muhibullah Kakakhel is the first youngest practicing Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court in the history of Pakistan and the former candidate for the presidentship of Pakistan....
Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of Pakistan said that the action showed how much the international community hates George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
On December 15, 2008, al-Zaidi was given a bravery award by Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n charity group Wa Attassimou. The group urged for al-Zaidi's release.
In Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, al-Zaidi was "hailed as a hero". The Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim
Rais Yatim
Dato' Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim is the current Malaysian Information, Communications, and Culture Minister. His ministry is considered a new ministry formed from the merger of three separate ministries in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's smaller cabinet...
, praised the incident, calling it the "best show of retaliation so far".
A commentary in the North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n newspaper Minju Chosun said Bush "deserved" the shoe throwing incident as a result of "failed policy in Iraq".
Al-Zaidi has also been offered a six-door Mercedes, had a song written about him, had his incident reconstructed in an Afghan comedy sketch, and been offered
Arranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...
the hand of a man's 20-year-old daughter in marriage. The young woman Amal Saad Gumaa said she likes the idea of being attached to a man she finds so honorable.
On December 29, 2008, activists at the Iraqi consulate in Washington, D.C. delivered a petition calling for the release of al-Zaidi. "If he had wanted to hurt George Bush, he would have chosen a different weapon," a member of Code Pink said. "We want the Iraqi government and the world to know that there is a very good sentiment for him to be set free," said Nick Mottern, director of Consumers for Peace.
The shoes
A Saudi businessman offered US$10 million to buy the shoes thrown by al-Zaidi. There were also calls from throughout the Middle East to place the shoes in an Iraqi museum. The exact manufacturer of the shoes has not been confirmed, but they are believed to be made by a Turkish shoemaker. The shoe, Ducati Model 271, first renamed "The Bush Shoe" and later "The Bye-Bye Bush Shoe", is manufactured by the Baydan Shoe Company in IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. However, a producer in Lebanon suggested that it might have made them instead. Many shoes in Iraq are also made in China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. Even so, al-Zaidi's brother insisted that the shoes were made in Baghdad by a highly-reputable firm named Alaa Haddad. On December 18, 2008, Iraqi and American security agents looking for explosives examined and then destroyed the shoes.
Incidents inspired by al-Zaidi
On December 17, 2008, Queens resident and Amtrak employee Stephen Millies, a protestor at a meeting of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of New York City (MTA), tried to throw his shoe at the CEO of the MTA with the statement, "This shoe is for you!" Millies managed to shake off his left shoe before being stopped and detained by MTA Police.Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
threw shoes at posters of George Bush in front of their respective U.S. consulates to support Muntadhar al-Zaidi, to demand his immediate release, and to celebrate his gesture. The shoe tosses took place in -24°C weather during protests against the U.S. military occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, and against Canada's involvement in the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. At the shoe toss event in Toronto, Ahmed Habib, a refugee from Baghdad, said "We don't think of Muntadhar al-Zaidi as a criminal but, in fact, we think of him as a hero. The only war criminal is George Bush and his buddy Stephen Harper, so shame on the both of them." At the shoe toss event in Montreal, Québec solidaire
Québec Solidaire
Québec solidaire is a democratic socialist and sovereigntist political party in Quebec, Canada, that was created on 4 February 2006 in Montreal. It was formed by the merger of the left-wing party Union des forces progressistes and the alter-globalization political movement Option Citoyenne, led...
leader and MNA
National Assembly of Quebec
The National Assembly of Quebec is the legislative body of the Province of Quebec. The Lieutenant Governor and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Quebec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other British-style parliamentary systems.The National Assembly was formerly the...
Amir Khadir
Amir Khadir
Amir Khadir is a politician in the National Assembly of Quebec , Canada for the electoral district of Mercier, and currently the male spokesperson for Québec Solidaire, a sovereignist and left-wing political party which was created by the merger of the Union des Forces Progressistes and Option...
threw his shoes at a picture of president Bush and was later criticized and accused of betraying the "dignity and responsibilities of a[n] MNA."
On December 20, 2008, Ukrainian reporter Ihor Dmitriv pelted a Ukrainian politician with a shoe when he became angered by the politician's sexist remarks. Speaking in NATO accession, Oleh Soskin, said NATO membership was more favored by the Ukrainian women as they were "the more intelligent" part of the body politic. Dmitriv said his attack was motivated by the Ukrainian leadership's "craziness" and said "a shoe is going to become a leading means (for common people) to influence their leaders."
The anti-war
Opposition to the Iraq War
Significant opposition to the Iraq War occurred worldwide, both before and during the initial 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States, United Kingdom, and smaller contingents from other nations, and throughout the subsequent occupation...
group Code Pink
Code Pink
Code Pink: Women for Peace is an anti-war group that is mainly composed of women. It has regional offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and Washington, D.C., and many more chapters in the U.S. as well as several in other countries...
pelted shoes at an effigy of U.S. president George W. Bush outside the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
on December 17, 2008. Protesters presented their shoes at U.S. Embassies around the world to show their support for al-Zaidi.
On January 12, 2009, Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
made fun of the incident and "threatened" to throw his shoes at reporters when visiting Couromoda 2009, a shoes event held in São Paulo.
On January 20, 2009 protesters in the United States shoed an inflatable replica of George W. Bush in replication of al-Zaidi's shoe-throwing incident.
On February 2, 2009, a German protester threw his shoe at Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao is the sixth and current Premier and Party secretary of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, serving as China's head of government and leading its cabinet. In his capacity as Premier, Wen is regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy...
as he gave a speech at Cambridge University. The shoe landed on stage a few feet from the premier and the protester was quickly hustled away by security guards.
On February 5, 2009, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Ambassador to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Benny Dagan was hit by a protester's shoe while speaking about the 2009 Gaza War, the shoe throwers reportedly chanted murderer!" and "intifada
Intifada
Intifada is an Arabic word which literally means "shaking off", though it is usually translated into English as "uprising" or "resistance" or "rebellion". , not to be confused with the Arabic plural ...
!".
On March 17, 2009, Canadian protesters in Calgary used shoes as props during their demonstrations, even going so far as to create a "shoe cannon".
The incident has also inspired several online shoe-throwing games, and on the Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
, the "Great Moments in Presidential Speeches" segment included flying shoes aimed at other presidents (via digitally-altered stock footage).
On 7 April 2009, Union Home Minister of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram or Chidambaram Palaniappan, sometimes written Palaniappan Chidambaram is an Indian politician with the Indian National Congress and present Union Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of India. Previously he was the Finance Minister of India from May 2004 to November 2008...
was shoed by Jarnail Singh, a Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
journalist during a press conference in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
. Singh, who works at the Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
daily Dainik Jagaran was dissatisfied with Chidamabaram's answer to a question on the Central Bureau of Investigation
Central Bureau of Investigation
The Central Bureau of Investigation is a government agency of India that serves as a criminal investigation body, national security agency and intelligence agency. It was established on 1 April 1963 and evolved from the Special Police Establishment founded in 1941...
's (CBI) clean chit to Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
leader Jagdish Tytler
Jagdish Tytler
Jagdish Tytler is a controversial Indian National Congress politician, and former member of Indian Parliament...
on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots
1984 anti-Sikh riots
The 1984 Anti-Sikh pogroms / riots or the 1984 Sikh Massacre was a sikh genocide there was four days of violence in northern India, particularly Delhi, during which armed mobs killed Sikhs, looted and set fire to Sikh homes, businesses and schools, and attacked gurdwaras, in response to the...
.
On 16 April 2009, Indian Leader of Opposition and Prime Ministerial candidate of National Democratic Alliance
National Democratic Alliance (India)
The National Democratic Alliance is a centre-right coalition of political parties in India. At the time of its formation in 1998, it was led by the Bharatiya Janata Party and had thirteen constituent parties. Its convenor is Sharad Yadav, and its honorary chairman is former prime minister Atal...
, L K Advani was shoed by his own party member, Pawas Agarwal, a former district vice-president of Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
(BJP) Katni Town in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
.
On 8 October 2009, A single shoe was hurled at Clifford D. May as a protest by a student named Muhammad Hussain who is also the class representative of his class at Karachi University I.R. Dept. Pakistan.
On 4 November 2009, John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
, the former Australian prime minister, was delivering a speech about leadership in the new century at Cambridge University when an Australian student called him a racist before taking off his boot and throwing it in his direction.
On 23 October 2009, supporters of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threw their shoes at opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi is an influential Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, mojtahed, and chairman of the National Trust Party. He was Chairman of the parliament from 1989 to 1992 and 2000 to 2004, and a presidential candidate in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections.He is a founding...
as he visited Tehran during the 2009 Iranian election protests
2009 Iranian election protests
Protests following the 2009 Iranian presidential election against the disputed victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi occurred in major cities in Iran and around the world starting June 13, 2009...
. A fight broke out between supporters of Ahmadinejad and Karroubi and one of the Ahmadinejad supporters threw a shoe at him, which hit him in the face and resulted in his turban falling off.
In December 2009, al-Zaidi was himself ironically shoed by another Iraqi journalist in Paris, who accused him of "working for dictatorship in Iraq". The incident occurred while al-Zaidi was speaking about his experiences during the Bush shoeing and its aftermath.
In February 2010, a 26-year old Kurd with Syrian citizenship tried to shoe Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
in Sevilla, the shoes however missed Erdogan. While throwing the shoes the man called "long live free Kurdistan."
On 7 August 2010, Shamim Khan threw a shoe at Asif Ali Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari is the 11th and current President of Pakistan and the Co-Chairman of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party . He is also the widower of Benazir Bhutto, who served two nonconsecutive terms as Prime Minister....
, the President Of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in his address to the Pakistani community at Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. Shamim Khan said that he threw his shoe at him because Pakistan is fighting with the worst flood, and its aftermath, in eighty years and President Zardari was enjoying a week-long trip in Europe instead of being with his people. Shamim Khan is being treated as national hero in Pakistan due to ongoing hatred against President Zardari in Pakistan.
The NBC series Kings imitated the shoe throwing incident in the episode "The New King (Part 2)".
On 5 September 2010, Anti-war
Anti-war
An anti-war movement is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts. Many...
protesters threw eggs, bottles and shoes at the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
at a book signing event in Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
On 11 September 2010, an angry protester threw a shoe at the Greek Prime Minister Giorgos Papandreou just moments after he had left the opening of the Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
International Trade Fair in Thessaloniki, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
On 25 October 2010, former Australian Prime Minister John Howard dodged shoes thrown at him live on Australian television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
Q&A from anti-war protester and environmental activist Pete Gray
Pete Gray (activist)
Peter Robert Gray was an Australian environmental activist, notable for two "landmark" court cases, and for having thrown his shoes in public at former Prime Minister of Australia John Howard in protest over Australia's participation in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.He was described in an obituary in...
. This is Howard's second experience with a shoe-throwing protester.
Trial
Al-Zaidi appeared before a judge (not in court but in jail over fears that his injuries could cause anger amongst the public if he was to appear in court) on December 16, 2008, and admitted "aggression against a president." The court decided to keep him in custody. A spokesman for the Iraqi court said that al-Zaidi would face charges of attacking a head of state. Dheyaa al-SaadiDheyaa al-Saadi
Dheyaa al-Saadi is an Iraqi lawyer. As leader of the Iraqi Bar Association, he protested against the Iraqi government's dissolution of the association's elected council in March 2006...
, the head of the Iraqi Bar Association
Iraqi Bar Association
The Iraqi Bar Association , created in 1933, is the biggest lawyers' association in Iraq, with tens of thousands of members as of 2007...
and one of its most high-profile attorneys, said that he had volunteered to defend al-Zaidi. Judge Dhiya al-Kenani said the court had refused the journalist's request for bail "for the sake of the investigation and for his own security". According to Abdul Satar Birqadr, spokesman for Iraq's High Judicial Council, al-Zaidi is charged with "assaulting a foreign head of state visiting Iraq."
On December 30, 2008, an Iraqi court said al-Zaidi's trial had been postponed pending an appeal over whether the incident amounted to assault or only insulting a foreign leader. A charge of assault would carry a maximum sentence of 15 years, while charges of insulting a foreign leader carry a maximum sentence of only 3 years. One of al-Zaidi's lawyers said he expected a lengthy trial and a sentence of no less than three years if al-Zaidi is convicted. Dhargham al-Zaidi, said his family would turn to an international court if they found the Iraqi jurisdiction system "biased and unfair." In January 2009, al-Zaidi's lawyers petitioned Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
authorities for political asylum, arguing that his life is at risk in Iraq.
The trial began before the Central Criminal Court of Iraq
Central Criminal Court of Iraq
The Central Criminal Court of Iraq, or CCCI, is a criminal court of Iraq. The CCCI is based on an inquisitorial system and consists of two chambers: an investigative court and a criminal court...
on February 20, 2009, which only lasted 90 minutes before being recessed. In testimony before the court, al-Zaidi described his growing frustration as Bush spoke about his victories and achievement at the press conference where the shoe was thrown. As Bush listed the gains made in Iraq during the mid-December news conference, al-Zaidi said he was thinking about the sanctity of mosques being violated, the rape of women, and daily humiliations. Al-Zaidi said Bush's "bloodless and soulless smile" and his joking banter provoked him. "I don't know what accomplishments he was talking about. The accomplishments I could see were the more than 1 million martyrs and a sea of blood. There are more than 5 million Iraqi orphans because of the occupation.... More than a million widows and more than 3 million displaced because of the occupation." al-Zaidi said."I wanted to restore the pride of the Iraqis in any way possible, apart from using weapons." al-Zaidi said he was tortured, beaten and given electric shocks during his interrogation. Supporters who rallied in front of the court said al-Zaidi should be praised for standing up to Bush rather than punished for his actions. The trial resumed briefly on March 12, 2009 after which sentence was imposed.
Sentencing
On March 12, 2009, al-Zaidi was sentenced to three years of prison for assaulting a foreign leader; under the law he was charged under, he could have faced up to 15 years in prison for assaulting a visiting head of state during an official visit. His lawyers indicated they expect to appeal the sentence. Dhia Al Saadi, the head of Zaidi's defense team and the Iraqi Lawyers Syndicate, argued that "the court sessions should be made public according to the Iraqi penalties law. "This sentence is harsh and is not in harmony with the law, and eventually the defence team will contest this in the appeals court," Dhia Al Saadi further said. Court spokesman Abdul-Sattar Bayrkdar said al-Zaidi received the minimum prison sentence possible under the Saddam Hussein-era law he was charged under and that al-Zaidi could appeal the court's decision.Upon reading of the sentence, al-Zaidi shouted "long live Iraq." "This judiciary is not just," al-Zaidi's brother Dargham said. Zaidi's sister shouted "Down with Maliki, the agent of the Americans." Zaidi's brother Uday said he scorns "those who say Iraqi justice is independent" and that the "court was set up according to Paul Bremer decisions." Several family members screamed: "It's an American court... sons of dogs." The family said they would not only appeal but also press ahead with plans to bring torture charges against Bush, Maliki and his bodyguards at a human rights court abroad.
A poll of Iraqis suggested 62 percent of Iraqis regarded al-Zaidi as a "national hero". Maha al-Dori, an Iraqi parliament member, said he felt the ruling showed the judges may have been motivated by political concerns. Iraq's Journalistic Freedoms Observatory said "it is now left to wait for a presidential or prime ministerial pardon, because we cannot accept an Iraqi journalist behind bars."
On April 7, 2009, the sentence was reduced to one year from three years. Judge Abdul Sattar al-Beeraqdar, spokesman for Iraq's Higher Judicial Council, said the court reduced al-Zaidi's sentence because he is young and had no previous criminal record. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki argued al-Zaidi could have faced 15 years in jail or even execution for insulting a visiting head of state.
Release
Defense attorney Karim al-Shujairi said al-Zaidi would be released on September 14, 2009 after spending nine months in jail, he would be freed early for good behavior. He was released on September 15, 2009 claiming that he had been systematically tortured during his time in jail and one of his front teeth was seen missing. Al-Zaidi said that he had been beaten with electric cables and iron bars and immersed in cold water. On 19 October 2009, while in Switzerland where he expected to have medical treatment for his injuries, he stated, "I suffered a great deal. I still have problems with my teeth, back and other parts of my body where I was tortured." Al-Zaidi also declared, "I am free again, but my homeland is still a prison." On September 15, 2009, al-Zaidi stated "I am not a hero, and I admit that ... I am a person with a stance. I saw my country burning."Statements following his Release
In an interview which aired on Dream 2 TV on June 12, 2010, Al-Zaidi stated that it was because of "Bush's bloodthirsty nature" that the former president visited Haiti following a massive earthquake2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
. Al-Zaidi claimed that "Bush did not go there for the sake of human rights or for the victims. He went there because he missed the smell of blood, and the stench of destruction that he wreaked on Iraq. So he went there to get a whiff of that smell, because he is a sick man."
Regarding the election of Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
as President of the United States, Al-Zaidi stated in the same interview that:
"We have a saying in Iraqi Arabic – and I'm sure the Egyptian brothers living in Iraq know it. "Away goes a white dog, and along comes a black dog." They are the same, except for the color. Away goes a white US president, and along comes a black president. They are no different."
Al-Zaidi humanitarian foundation
Following his release, al-Zaidi went to Geneva and announced that he had started creating a humanitarian agency/foundation. The aim of the agency would be to "build orphanages, a children's hospital, and medical and orthopaedic centres offering free treatment and manned by Iraqi doctors and medical staff." His lawyer said that al-Zaidi "hopes to surf on the wave of support he has gained to do some good."Theatre & Film
Mahesh BhattMahesh Bhatt
Mahesh Bhatt , is a prominent Indian film director, producer and screenwriter.Bhatt's early directional career consisted of acclaimed films, such as Arth, Saaransh, Janam, Naam and Zakhm....
produced a play entitled "The Last Salute", directed by Indian director Arvind Gaur
Arvind Gaur
Arvind Gaur , Indian theatre director, is known for his work in innovative, socially and politically relevant theatre. Gaur's plays are contemporary and thought-provoking, connecting intimate personal spheres of existence to larger social political issues...
and starring Imran Zahid
Imran Zahid
Imran Zahid is an Indian actor in both theatre and Bollywood. He has acted in Mahesh Bhatt's The Last Salute, based on Muntadhar al-Zaidi's book of the same title.-Early life:He began acting while at school in Bokaro...
. It was written by Rajesh Kumar and based on Muntadhar al-Zaidi's book. Pooja Bhatt and Mahesh Bhatt announced the making of a film based on the play.
See also
- Casualties of the Iraq War
- U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces AgreementU.S.-Iraq Status of Forces AgreementThe U.S.–Iraq Status of Forces Agreement is a status of forces agreement between Iraq and the United States. It establishes that U.S...
- ShoeingShoeingShoeing, throwing shoes, showing the sole of one's shoe or using shoes to insult are forms of protest in many parts of the world.Incidents where shoes were thrown at political figures have taken place in Australia, India, Ireland, Israel, Hong Kong, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and most notably,...
External links
- Shoe Thrower Jailed for Attack on Bush by Tim Albone, The National, March 13, 2009
- Where's al-Zaidi's Pulitzer ? by John Ross, Counterpunch, December 24, 2008
- Shoe-thrower Journalist, A Hero to Many