“The flying shoe speaks more for Arab public opinion than all the despots/puppets that Bush meets with during his travels in the Middle East,”
Asad Abu Khalil (angryarab.blogspot.com) Professor at Stanislaus University in California
The journalist who threw his shoes at Bush has not only been arrested but beaten. However much fun the shoe spectacle might be, one man actually stood up and showed Bush what the world thinks of him. So now let’s show our appreciation and ensure he does not end up in jail and tortured. Raed Jarrar has a petition link, you can sign here. He will- print the petition and hand it over to the Iraqi embassy in DC in case he was not released this week.
[Update: There is also this petition @ Uruknet Free Muntather al-Zaidi: The 50,000 Signatures Campaign for Muntather al-Zaidi here.]
The journalist Montather Al-Zeidi/Muntadar al-Zeidi/Muntader al-Zaidi, (depending on who you want to read) was kidnapped last year and held, Reporters Without Borders called for his release. Contact them again and make sure they look after his welfare.
The journalist’s exact whereabouts were unclear, although one Iraqi official said that he was being held for questioning at Mr al-Maliki’s residence, his shoes having been kept as evidence.
The Iraqi government however branded al-Zaidi’s actions as “shameful” and demanded an apology from his Cairo-based employer, which in turn called for his immediate release from custody.
“Al-Baghdadia television demands that the Iraqi authorities immediately release their stringer Muntazer al-Zaidi, in line with the democracy and freedom of expression that the American authorities promised the Iraqi people,” it said in a statement. “Any measures against Muntazer will be considered the acts of a dictatorial regime.”
An Iraqi lawyer said that al-Zaidi risked a miminum of two years in prison if he is prosecuted for insulting a visiting head of state, but could face a 15-year term if he is charged with attempted murder.
Update again: Thanks to Pete in comments there is this 7 minute account by an Iraq journo at the NYT
and also this interview with Muntader al-Zaidi’s brother with details of what led him to his shoe throwing epiphany.
15 December, 2008 at 4:12 pm
[...] And he needs our help, petition here, more details here. Posted in Iraq. Tags: War [...]
15 December, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Al-Zeidi is a hero in my book. Braver than I.
How can I tell him this?
Give me his e-mail address
15 December, 2008 at 5:49 pm
[...] que os seus contactos em Bagdade lhe asseguram que Muntadar al-Zeidi foi «preso e espancado». Não é o único a garanti-lo. O canal de televisão onde trabalha o jornalista não conseguiu contactá-lo e lançou um [...]
15 December, 2008 at 6:24 pm
This Iraqi reporter did what ought to have been done.
The fact that Bush fails to understand the enormity of the crimes that rest on his head is to be expected perhaps. The man is truly below contempt.
One can only hope that in his retirement, he grows in wisdom and becomes contemplative: Then his life will become an inescapable living hell as he considers the horrible consequences of his reckless idiocy in so many arenas.
15 December, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Hey Dick, well he’s in custody right now, so sign the petitions for now.
Hello Mr Twain, (rumours were greatly exaggerated!) you’ve put it perfectly, justice would be served by him growing an awareness and a conscience and living a long time in the hell of his own making. And no harm in that also being behind bars.
15 December, 2008 at 8:43 pm
How about letting ‘every dog have his day’….at the Hague. Necktie party for Dubya and the whole crew. Cheney, Rumsfield, Connie Rice, Alby Gonzalez, and I bet even a few Pentagon Goons could get free tickets, too. I think I can spare an old pair of shoes for the cause….
15 December, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Leave him alone; it was a desperate action to create awareness of whole Iraq’s sufferings.
15 December, 2008 at 9:14 pm
[...] Rick’s blog there is more information including a petition to [...]
15 December, 2008 at 9:38 pm
I suggest that people around the world, where ever they are they must try their best to make sure that the journalist Muntadar al-Zeidi would be free and unharmed. This is unlikely as you know all those secret forces and wild animals who wear suits and serve the corrupt leaders like a dog who watches his owner. So, please sign any petition and follow it if you can to free this brave journalist. You could see how those wild animals grabbed his hairs in front of the cameras. So what will they do with him later out of sight? You know better than me. So, we should try our best to free him unharmed … you saw that bush was smiling while they grabbed him out and he was screaming … all people who seek the justice should help him now …
15 December, 2008 at 9:45 pm
please tell any one and me that how I can help or where I can sign a pettition for freeing the brave journalist.
thanks
15 December, 2008 at 9:46 pm
I hope a pettition could help to free this brave journalist how deserve a prize …
15 December, 2008 at 9:55 pm
wyamarus- Oh I could spare more than shoes for that.
kor- links are in the post, here they are again-
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/montather/
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/iwffomuntatharalzaidi/
15 December, 2008 at 11:29 pm
attempted murder????????? thats bs. i say let the man go and then buy him a drink
16 December, 2008 at 1:55 am
If this was done to by a person angry with the hundred of thousands of people killed, beaten, raped, tortured, those afflicted with disease by biological weapons that Saddam Hussein had done, he would have been dead.
No one would of dared any such or lesser “freedom of expression” under Saddam Hussein.
16 December, 2008 at 2:01 am
Release al-Zeidi! End the illegal occupations of Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestinian Territories, Golan Heights and Sheba Farms.
16 December, 2008 at 2:09 am
thetruthshallsetyoufree- well I hope the truth does set you free as that whole thinking thing is clearly not working out.
16 December, 2008 at 2:33 am
RickB- when one lacks an argument one should give up, what you are doing is not accepting the fact and so are creating a personal attack that has nothing to do with the subject matter at hand
16 December, 2008 at 2:38 am
como dice ehutch, a este carajo yo lo invitaría a los tragos que quiera, después de abrazarlo y darle un beso.
ehutch is right, i would buy this guy as many drinks as he wants, right after I kiss him and give him a big hug
16 December, 2008 at 3:32 am
why was my post erased-
i am writing it again-
to RickB- it is obvious you can’t argue my statement so you decide on a personal attack. This is very childish of you. Since, I’m right either acknowledge it or don’t say anything. Personal attacks only prove your own ignorance.
16 December, 2008 at 3:32 am
I don’t appreciate my comment being erased
16 December, 2008 at 4:59 am
[...] este blog -Ten Percent- se encuentran links para firmar peticiones de libertad para [...]
16 December, 2008 at 7:40 am
thetruthshallsetyoufree
Erm, interesting, erm…. logic…. So imperialism has liberated the Iraqi people? Occupation has set them free. Death squads roaming around, the infrastructure of Iraq totally destroyed, war crimes, Iraqi refugees destitute in other part of the middle east, depleted Uranium in the environment….and that’s just for starters… But hey, so what, those darn imperialists they really know how to liberate, don’t they!
16 December, 2008 at 9:54 am
Oh and another thing, thetruthshallsetyoufree…. ask yourself, who propped up the Ba’thist Party during the reign of Saddam..? And what wonderful photographic documentation in the form of Donald Rumsfeld shaking his hand. Who sold the weapons to prop up his regime? And when Saddam bit the hand that fed him, gangster imperialism attacked back. It’s all about vested interests and who gains from what and of course making alliances when it suits the liberal interventionists.
And lets steal the oil while we are here as well!
16 December, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Well done! It’s time to reveal and to fight against the evil and criminal ones! Congretulations!
16 December, 2008 at 4:39 pm
i love hik zeidi he is hero….i hate bush….he done great job….bush deserve it…BUSH DOG AHAHAHHAHA>>>BUSH MONKEY….THE WHOLE WORLD HATE U BUSH….PPLZZZZZZZZ FREE BRAVE JOUNALIST…
16 December, 2008 at 4:43 pm
I think that he should be killed for disrespecting the president
16 December, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Bravo for someone brave enough to denounce the rape of Iraq’s oil fields by Bush, Cheney and the lackeys of mercantile imperialism. At least this journalist knows that words and protests are better than bombs. He’s made Bush look like a fool and expressed the feelings of the Iraqi people, without creating sympathy for his occupier.
16 December, 2008 at 4:54 pm
thetruthshallsetyoufree- it’s called moderation, once you are approved and provide email/url it goes through automatically, as you provide neither the system catches you until I can get online and approve which I have done. As to your argument it is not worth engaging with, the invasion and occupation has killed more than Saddam, torture continues, but with the added aspect of Iraqi infrastructure has been destroyed. 5 million refugees, 1 million dead. So even if we are to take your rationale of- as long as Bush is not as bad as Saddam the invasion was a good thing- that also fails. Free speech is not allowed in Iraq, Al Zeidi has been beaten even as Bush laughed it off.
16 December, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Really Heaven? Death for disrespect? Big fan of Saddam were you?
16 December, 2008 at 6:47 pm
he shouldn’t go unpunished and ought to apologize. A time-out is in order.
16 December, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Al-Zaidi is a HERO
the ancient land of Mesopotamia been destroyed.. Genocide against the Christians of Iraq the Chaldean, Assyrian, Armenian destruction of Churches by fanatics that were allowed into the country by this invasion ,countless lives been lost by the action of one ignorant person sitting in a position of power
may the rest of his days be bleak like iraq is now..
history is the best judge of all
God bless you Al Zaidi
16 December, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Muntadar al-Zeidi also expressed the sentiments of many Americans. This brave and honest man should be freed immediately.
17 December, 2008 at 3:06 pm
This guy is just the action of the voice of the Iraqi people that is suffering. He voiced out also the families of the soldiers that are risking their life’s due to the lack of vision of Bush. This guy should be freed upon and heard… i bet he has things to say.Now lets all hope he gets freed and alive.
17 December, 2008 at 11:36 pm
First of all, MY LOVE TO Muntadar al-Zeide. Bush do not have an honer, no pride, no soul, moste of all no RESPECT.How long thet american govermant gona macke idiots of holl world. Thay literary destroing every thing in every place they puth thar shoo on its to much and egnofe to be licimer and smile.
Thet same govermant done genocide on Irak Iran Israel Srbija and thay say thay came in Peace.
Same thay sead to Indians and tock thay land.
So FREE FIRST MAN THET SHOW WHAT HOLL WORLD THINK
20 December, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Show your support for Muntadar al-Zeidi and NO MORE WAR:
http://www.thankyouforthrowingyourshoe.com/
20 December, 2008 at 11:48 pm
Thanks Karl, I hope you can send links to that to aid his case, to show support.
21 December, 2008 at 6:16 pm
January 19.
I imagine thousands of people gathering at the White House fence and throwing their shoes at the White House.
Thousands.
Some carrying placards proclaiming solidarity with Muntazer al-Zeidi, demanding his release, etc.
I fear that al Zeidi will be whacked in the middle of the night regardless of his legal standing. I wish that I had the courage to do as he did.
Peace,
Bill
21 December, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Hey Bill, Yes that would be good and I share your fear for Al Zeidi, even as it stands it looks like they are going to make an example of him, very Saddam.
21 December, 2008 at 9:37 pm
RickB please look at a map of the middle east for me and name atleast one of the “Arabic” countries that has freedom of speech, and when did freedom of speech start to mean harming another human being or trying to with your shoe. I am not the type of person to compare the deaths of people by assigning a number of deaths to before and after Saddam.
the fact is he killed hundred of thousands of people just because they were Kurds, Shiites, etc. The US forces are not there killing these civilians. The killings you talk about are due to ethnic and religious conflict (shiite, sunni). Those conflicts existed even before the “New World” was discovered. I am sad to say that we like blaming the US for everything. Look at the genocide in Sudan. Arab moslems are killing African moslems. This problem wasn’t created by the west. If you read about the history of Iraq and the Ottoman Empire you would know that this issue of ethnic conflicts was there from the beginning. Yet you want to hold the US responsible for an issue that was there well before the US. After the Ottoman empire was defeated thoses countries you currently know of in the Middle East were created. Those political entities never existed before. The current Iraq never existed before the break up of the Ottoman empire. When Iraq was created it was a struggle to get all the ethnic tribes to work together. Well before Saddam was in place there rulers of Iraq had a strong internal security apparatus to control the people. Saddam used that to the best of his abilities after he took over. And started to kill those he felt were a threat to him and his power. Sure the execution of Bush’s plan wasn’t the best. But for Saddam to be allowed, by the international community, to go on with the genocide of women, children and men simply because they were Kurdish or Shiite is simple wrong. The international community simply didn’t care as long as Saddam was supplying them with oil. All the international community wants to do is recognize a genocide after the fact. Like Rawanda and Sudan. So many people died. Then Europe sends its delegations to simply say we will never forget. Everyone is happy until the next time Europe sends its delegates after another genocide to say it is ok. We will take those responsible and have them appear in our court after they kill another million.
21 December, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Occupation forces are killing civilians, how you can be unaware of this is astonishing. As for ethnic conflict, research the ‘Salvador option’ in Iraq.
Saddam was supported and supplied by America under Reagan and Bush 1 even as he gassed villages and attacked Iran, that the US chooses to paint him as an enemy is not because of human rights, it is for geopolitical reasons bereft of morality. Iraq was created by British imperialists on the back of massive slaughter, the biggest first deployment of troops for WW1 was in Iraq.
Only one force this millennium has been responsible for a million plus deaths in an invasion & occupation- The US and it’s allies. A number greater than Darfur or Rwanda, the truth is all nations ignore genocides especially when they are doing the killing. The US is not uninvolved in the Sudan, or Somalia, such connections though are not commonly dwelt on by corporate media because corporations make money off of the same situations. Resulting in citizen’s of an Empire being entirely uninformed of their ruling class’s imperial bloodletting, it was like that in Britain in the past, now the US is experiencing it. The truth shall set you free but you have not been given the truth, seek it out.
22 December, 2008 at 2:45 am
This is a photo project devoted to letting al-Zeidi know that people from all over the world share in his outrage over the war in Iraq.
http://www.thankyouforthrowingyourshoe.com
22 December, 2008 at 5:29 am
Talk about not knowing your history. I guess he never heard of the “British Mandate” or the no-fly zones or the 1991 war or how Cheney and other defended not going to Baghdad in 91-92 then changing their minds a decade later.
Listen, the truth is that it was never about how many people Saddam killed, Washington could care less about that. It was about a rebellious proxy could be brought back in line or a new one installed. What do you think “regime CHANGE” means? Most of that genocide occurred during the 1980s, when Saddam was getting money and weapons from the U.S. and the Soviets (and everybody else that wanted to beat up on the Iranians, like the Kuwaitis and the Saudis). Had Saddam not bit the hand that fed him by invading Kuwait (and he asked nicely to the lady ambassador if he could do just that, she said she didn’t care) he probably be still in control of his country and be considered the U.S. biggest ally.
So don’t give me this genocide B.S. because it was never about that. It was, and still is about conquest and Empire. Iraq was a rebellious province that was an easy target. And as for the rest of the map, guess on which side are those dictatorial regimes on? How come Egypt flies American made F-16s and Saudi Arabia flies F-15S along side British Tornadoes and soon Typhoons?
In order to have truth, ya got to get your facts straights.
25 December, 2008 at 7:10 pm
God bless you Muntadar el-Zeidi !
1 January, 2009 at 7:06 pm
ماشاءالله Muntadar el-Zeidi…you are hero!I am your fan.
5 January, 2009 at 10:52 am
El zeidi should be freed. He did nothing illegal. He did his duty against the commander-in-chief of an occupation army which flouted international law, including the UN Charter and the Geneva Convention. He should be awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. His protest was genuine even if symbolic and has caught the imagination of all peace-loving peoples. When all democratic space is snuffed out, it was the most democratic act, which shunned the violence of bombs and arms. Gandhiji would have applauded him. Free El zeidi and bring bush before the international criminal court for his crimes against humanity.