Shoe Thrower Hailed by Iraqis as Hero

The shoe throwing incident by Muntadhar al-Zeidi, an Iraqi journalist to President Bush on his secret visit to Baghdad is now  the talk of the town in coffee shops, business offices and even schools — and a subject across much of the Arab world.
Al-Zeidi’s act of defiance Sunday transformed him from an obscure reporter of a minor TV station into a national hero to many Iraqis fed up with the nearly six-year U.S. presence here.

A charity run by the daughter of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi bestowed a medal of courage on al-Zeidi, calling on the Iraqi government to free him.

Several thousand people demonstrated in Baghdad and other cities to demand al-Zeidi’s release.

A geography teacher at a Baghdad elementary school asked her students if they had seen the footage of the shoe-throwing. “All Iraqis should be proud of this Iraqi brave man, Muntadhar. History will remember him forever,” she said.

Family members expressed bewilderment over al-Zeidi’s action and concern about his treatment in Iraqi custody. But they also expressed pride over his defiance of an American president who many Iraqis believe has destroyed their country.