Yesterday, an Iraqi "Journalist" threw his shoes on President Bush in Baghdad. The latter was conducting a news conference with Nur Almalky; the Iraqi PM inside the fortified green zone in Baghdad. The "Journalist" was instantly called a "hero" for his courageous act by Arab people from Moroco to Jedda and the incident drew tens of thousands of Iraqis to the street today demanding his release.
The story also drew attention on all Arab media networks. On Monday, al-Baghdadiya, the network where Mr. Zubidi works, suspended its normal programming and played messages of support from across the Arab world. Aljazeera recieved more comments on the Journalist story than any time before. "Iraq considers Sunday as the international day for shoes," said a joking text message circulating around the Saudi capital Riyadh.
Palestinian journalists in the West Bank town of Ramallah joked about who would be brave enough to toss their shoes at Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, another U.S. official widely disliked in the region
Personally, I have never been a fan of President Bush. I actually criticized his administration continuously on this blog; however I think that the incident is childish and regretable to say the least. I wish the "Journalist" used his words as an adult instead of his hands. Unfortunately, I also believe that the incident will continue to reinforce the "angry Arab" image around the globe.
From a logistical point of view, I do not know if the incident will change the way that news conference will be held in the future; not that we had many of those. May be from now, we will see foreign visitors or even governmental officals standing behind a wall of glass when they answer questions from Journalists. One more barrier for free speech and democracy.
