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itaewonguy
Joined: 25 Mar 2003
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 Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 11:47 pm Post subject: Iraqi shoe hurler inspires art in Saddam hometown |
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talk about spitting on the man who freed you!!!!
what happened here??? did the iraqis learn from the koreans!!
wont be long before they start holding vigils and demanding America to leave!! YANKEE GO HOME!!
didnt the koreans wont the statue of mcarthur pulled down at incheon or it has been pulled down... jeeezz I don't know.. I would be grateful if another country came and saved my country..
political agenda or not.. Im free thats all I care about it...
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BAGHDAD � When an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at George W. Bush last month at a Baghdad press conference, the attack spawned a flood of Web quips, political satire and street rallies across the Arab world.
Now it's inspired a work of art.
A sofa-sized sculpture � a single copper-coated shoe on a stand carved to resemble flowing cloth � was formally unveiled to the public Thursday in the hometown of the late Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein.
Officials and visitors walked around the outdoor sculpture during the brief ceremony, pondering on its eccentricities � such as a tree poking up from the shoe's interior.
Its sculptor called it a fitting tribute to the shoe hurler, Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi, and his folk hero reputation in parts of the Muslim world and beyond.
The Baghdad-based artist, Laith al-Amari, said the work honors al-Zeidi and "is a source of pride for all Iraqis." He added: "It's not a political work,"
But its location in Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, about 80 miles north of Baghdad, is a point of reference for prewar nostalgia among some Iraqis.
The sculpture also includes an ode to al-Zeidi and mentions the virtues of being "able to tell the truth out loud."
Al-Zeidi had shouted in Arabic as he pulled off his shoes and heaved them at Bush during the news conference. "This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq," screamed al-Zeidi, who was working for a Cairo-based television station.
Bush dodged both shoes, but the image was extremely powerful in Arab culture, where throwing shoes at someone is a sign of extreme contempt. Iraqis whacked a toppled statue of Saddam following the U.S.-led invasion with their shoes and slippers.
"This monument ... will remain a present for the forthcoming generations," said Fatin Abdul-Qadir al-Nasiri, director of a Tikrit orphanage whose children helped fashion the sculpture. "(They) will remember the story of the hero (al-Zeidi) who bid farewell to the U.S. president ... in such a way.
Al-Zeidi was scheduled to face trial last month on a charge of assaulting a foreign leader, but the court date was postponed after his attorney filed a motion to reduce the charges.
On Monday, Swiss lawyer Mauro Poggia said al-Zeidi planned to seek political asylum in Switzerland, but one of al-Zeidi's brothers denied the report.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ml_iraq_shoe_sculpture |
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Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 12:15 am Post subject: |
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Since when is making your opinion known a bad thing?
At least it opens up debate. |
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On the other hand
Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Location: I walk along the avenue
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 12:52 am Post subject: |
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wont be long before they start holding vigils and demanding America to leave!! YANKEE GO HOME!!
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Back when it was first becoming apparent that the American soldiers were not being greeted with flowers and candy, some right-wing war-spologist wrote an op-ed saying that, in the future, when Iraqis study their history in school, the war against Saddam will be given little attention, whereas the war against American occupiers will be treated like the most glorious chapter in Iraqi history.
Of course, the guy's agenda was rather dubious, ie. he was trying to reassure Americans that the insurgency was no big deal; so what if they end up hating us, the war was still justified, etc. Nevertheless, I think there was a basic truth to what he said: people don't like foreign troops marching around their country. And in a lot of cases, it probably is easier for people to feel resentment against stronger powers than against their own homegrown dictators, even if the dictators weren't exactly great humanitarians.
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I would be grateful if another country came and saved my country..
political agenda or not.. Im free thats all I care about it...
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Given the death toll from the Iraqi war, I think it is likely the case that most Iraqis would know someone who died either as a direct or an indirect result of the invasion. Couple that with their knowledge that the US did not conduct said invasion on humanitarian grounds, and you can maybe imaine why their gratitude would be somewhat limited in its scope. |
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