‘Honestly, who throws a shoe…?’

I had a great chuckle when I heard about the Iraqi journalist, Muntader al-Zaidi, who threw a shoe at President Bush. Oh my. Turns out that this is actually much more than just a shoe throwing. Calling someone the “son of shoe” is one of the worst insults in Iraq. It means that the person is worse than the scum that’s underneath your shoe. As Zaidi threw his shoe he said, “This is a gift from the Iraqis; this is the farewell kiss, you dog!” Bush was able to dodge the shoe, but he can’t dodge the attention this incident brings about.

The Arab world has – surprisingly – had mixed reactions to the sole slinger. Someone offered $10 million to buy just one of the shoes that was hurled at Bush. Zaidi was also awarded with a medal of courage.

Some Arabs, however angry they are at President Bush, called the act a breach of respect of traditional Arab hospitality toward guests. Technically, Bush is a guest, but does that really still count since he started the war with them?

Even though there was some initial disagreement about whether Zaidi was right to through the shoe, it brought about an eventually overwhelming sense of unity. Al Baghdadia, the network Zaidi is a correspondent for, did not put out an apology for Zaidi’s actions and actually had his picture up for most of the day. Al Baghdadia took calls from viewers with their reactions and most were supportive of the shoe throwing.

If you haven’t seen the footage of the news conference, check it out here.