The Iraqi shoe-throwing is not comparable to the assault on Berlusconi

[JackRiddler]

Since the bludgeoning of Berlusconi has been compared to the throwing of shoes at Bush, let's review:

The shoes could not have killed Bush, and were unlikely to harm him.

The shoe-throwing told a story. The shoe-thrower did not act from mental illness. His act gave voice to the deeply-held and fully justified convictions of his people. He acted during a press conference broadcast live to the world. As he threw the shoes, he spoke truth with eloquence:

First shoe: "This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog."

Second shoe: "This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq."

The act was instantly comprehensible to all who saw it.

It was perfect that the shoes did not hit Bush, who deserves both to be commended for his agility and brought up before an international tribunal as a primary architect of aggressive war and crimes against humanity.

But the shoe-throwing, alas, is all he got. Rather than winning him any sympathy, his fast reaction assured that the shoe-throwing created a divine slapstick that reduced the man, brought a moment of laughter to the world, and gave a measure of pride to a nation.

Here is what the shoe-thrower said on his release:

The Story of My Shoe

By MUTADHAR al-ZAIDI

Mutadhar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi who threw his shoe at George Bush gave this speech on his recent release.

In the name of God, the most gracious and most merciful.

Here I am, free. But my country is still a prisoner of war.

Firstly, I give my thanks and my regards to everyone who stood beside me, whether inside my country, in the Islamic world, in the free world. There has been a lot of talk about the action and about the person who took it, and about the hero and the heroic act, and the symbol and the symbolic act.

But, simply, I answer: What compelled me to confront is the injustice that befell my people, and how the occupation wanted to humiliate my homeland by putting it under its boot. And how it wanted to crush the skulls of (the homeland's) sons under its boots, whether sheikhs, women, children or men. And during the past few years, more than a million martyrs fell by the bullets of the occupation and the country is now filled with more than 5 million orphans, a million widows and hundreds of thousands of maimed. And many millions of homeless because of displacement inside and outside the country.

We used to be a nation in which the Arab would share with the Turkman and the Kurd and the Assyrian and the Sabean and the Yazid his daily bread. And the Shiite would pray with the Sunni in one line. And the Muslim would celebrate with the Christian the birthday of Christ, may peace be upon him. And despite the fact that we shared hunger under sanctions for more than 10 years, for more than a decade. Our patience and our solidarity did not make us forget the oppression. Until we were invaded by the illusion of liberation that some had. (The occupation) divided one brother from another, one neighbor from another, and the son from his uncle. It turned our homes into never-ending funeral tents. And our graveyards spread into parks and roadsides. It is a plague. It is the occupation that is killing us, that is violating the houses of worship and the sanctity of our homes and that is throwing thousands daily into makeshift prisons.

I am not a hero, and I admit that. But I have a point of view and I have a stance. It humiliated me to see my country humiliated. And to see my Baghdad burned. And my people being killed. Thousands of tragic pictures remained in my head, and this weighs on me every day and pushes me toward the righteous path, the path of confrontation, the path of rejecting injustice, deceit and duplicity. It deprived me of a good night's sleep.

READ MORE
http://www.counterpunch.org/zaidi09152009.html

[ProgressiveProfessor]

1. It also has strong cultural significance in the Middle East.....nt

[JackRiddler]

2. Yes, sure. But as opposed to where?

Where was this act not understood? Is there a place where they throw shoes at your head as a compliment?

[David__77]

3. I hope this isn't meant to condemn Massimo Tartaglia.

The acts may be different in form, but they are both expressions of righteous popular indignation.

[JackRiddler]

4. As a matter of fact, yes.

Although that's secondary.

Smashing Berlusconi in the face with a blunt, heavy object is no way to make a point, or to express effective resistance.

And if he was making a point, Tartaglia's statement of apology is quite a contrast to al-Zaidi's defiant speech on leaving prison:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/15/massimo-tartaglia-berlusc_n_392414.html

[David__77]

7. It does make a point though.

A common man was driven to this, whether or not he apologized. He was rightly indignant with Berlusconi, though his response wasn't that of a seasoned political activist. I am advocating doing this; however, I do think the man was motivated by a sense of justice.

[elehhhhna]

5. Uh, he smashed a man in the face. Not cool.

I loathe SB and would probably giggle if, say Lieberman got smacked in the nose on tv, but it's jus not cool.

[David__77]

6. Was executing Mussolini "not cool?"

Just curious.