United Liberty
Shoe Throwing Iraqi Journalist Charged With “Insulting A Foreign Leader”
Wed, 12/17/2008 - 1:04pm | posted by Michael O. Powell
The journalist who threw a shoe at President Bush is being charged:
He was held Monday in Iraqi custody for investigation and could face charges of insulting a foreign leader and the Iraqi prime minister, who was standing next to Bush.
Conviction carries 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.
Assaulting a foreign leader I can understand being a crime, but “insulting a foreign leader?” That doesn’t sound like something people get charged with in court in a free society.
This news makes people laugh because of what the journalist did to the President. It also gives people an idea to make a new online game. An Iraqi journalist decided that he was none too happy with Bush’s performance, and set himself on making a statement of protest by throwing his shoes at the President. In America, we’d think a person was nuts for doing this, but in Muslim culture throwing your shoes at a person is the greatest of insults. The name of the journalist is Muntadhar al-Zeidi, and as he hurled his footwear he said, “This is your farewell kiss, you dog!” The statue of Saddam that was toppled a few years ago had numerous shoes thrown at it, to give you an inkling of how serious they take the insult. Bush dodged both loafers, and laughed it off as a “sign of a free society,” like financial options like payday loans are. The man was promptly subdued and jailed. Many people across the Muslim world praised the man for his actions, as President Bush’s image is not a very popular one in the Middle East. The shoes are currently being held as evidence, and the man awaits trial as he could receive up to two years for the offence. Click to read more on c the payday loan blog.
President Bush made an unannounced visit in Iraq last December 14, Sunday, and while he is having his news conference with the prime minister, an Iraqi journalist who was none too pleased with the lame duck president’s treatment of his country made an informal protest by throwing his shoes at W. The man’s name is Muntadhar al-Zeidi, and in Muslim culture, his footwear fling is an insult of the highest magnitude. That is a sign of disrespect. Good Muslims remove their shoes before taking sanctuary in a mosque. Beleaguered Iraqi citizens threw shoes at the toppling statue of Saddam Hussein during liberation, so that should tell you more about what an insult it is. “This is your farewell kiss, you dog!” screamed al-Zeidi. Bush laughed this off and referred to it as a “sign of a free society,”. The journalist was then promptly jailed. Protestors burned American flags and threw shoes at a tank in Najaf, apparently because they feel that al-Zeidi’s insult of the American president were more than justified. As for the infamous footwear, they are currently sitting in evidence, as Iraqi police wish to determine if the man was paid to throw them at Bush.
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