BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) - For the war-beaten orphans of the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, this big old shoe fits right in their hearts.
A huge sculpture of the footwear hurled at President Bush last year during a trip to Iraq has been unveiled at the Tikrit Orphanage complex during a ceremony.
Assisted by kids at the home, sculptor Laith al-Amiri erected a brown replica of one of the shoes hurled last month by journalist Muntadhir al-Zaidi during a press conference in Baghdad at Bush and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
Al-Zaidi was jailed for his actions, and a trial is pending. But his angry gesture touched a defiant nerve throughout the Arab and Muslim world. He is regarded by many people as a hero and demonstrators last month took to the streets in the Arab world and called for his release.
Made of fiberglass and coated with copper, the monument consists of the shoe sitting on a concrete base. The entire monument is 3.5 meters high. The shoe is 2.5 meters long and 1.5 meters wide.
The orphans helped al-Amiri build the $5,000 structure in 15 days, said Faten Abdulqader al-Naseri, the orphanage director.
"Those orphans who helped the sculptor in building this monument were the victims of Bush's war," Al-Naseri said. "The shoe monument is a gift to the next generation to remember the heroic action by the journalist."
"When the next generation sees the shoe monument, they will ask their parents about it," al-Naseri said.
"Then their parents will start talking about the hero Muntadhir al-Zaidi who threw his shoe at George W. Bush during his unannounced farewell visit."
Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi leader toppled by the United States in 2003, was from the Tikrit region.
Al-Zaidi marked his 30th birthday in jail earlier this month. One of his brothers told CNN he "in good health and is being treated well."
Al-Zaidi's employer, TV network al-Baghdadia, keeps a picture of him at the top left side of the screen with a calendar showing the number of days he has spent in detention. The network has been calling for his release.
By tradition, throwing a shoe, is the most insulting act in the Arab world.
– CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq and Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report
From CNN Politics
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I guess they don't realize that Bush was instrumental in removing Saddam Hussein, who, if you three a shoe at him, would have had you tirtured and killed.
Kind of ironic.
We lose American lives and shed American blood for THEM, and yet they teach their children to hate us?
this is honestly the most shocking thing i've seen in a while.
it certainly does make you wonder why we didn't leave them to be slaughtered by their ex-dictator.
Ha ha ha ha ha
Ha, ha, ha....too funny! Can we have a copy to put in our national mall with the rest of the monuments in DC!
He is also regarded as an enemy of democracy by many in Iraq. In fact, he has request asylum out side of Iraq in fear for his life..
Lovely. Teaching children to hate. Do you GOPers get it NOW? hmmm? That the whole Iraq fiasco has made us LESS SAFE??? What better symbol could there be than this sculpture IN FRONT OF AN ORPHANAGE!!!!! WAKE UP!
Many people view this man as a hero – and not just in the Arab world. I'm glad that the orphanage has thier monument of distain towards Bush for all to see. These children have suffered a huge loss for Bush and Chaney to have thier illegal, immoral & corrupt war.
Shame on them for teaching their kids this. They don't deserve the rights and democracy the Men and women of the US armed forces have given them.
Lets make sure the next generation never sees the shoe monument, nothing a 500 lb bomb cant take care of.
Any truth to the rumor that, if he goes free, he will be the new spokesman for Foot Locker?
The shoe thrower is seeking leniency from the Iraqi court.
Apparently the shoe is now on the other foot.
"Greeted as Liberators."
"I don't even think this is newsworthy. The Muslims and Arabs should be thanking Bush for helping protect them."
I agree that it is a dichotomy when we go to war to liberate a country, then they call it 'Bush's War', and teach (also like Pakistan and Iran) their children that we are aggressors....
I wonder what they teach in Baghdad elementary schools about Sadaam?? Hero? Villian?
Honestly, at this point I'm with the Iraqi's. The gesture was well founded and I applauded that guy when he threw the shoe. He should have thrown something alot more hurtful. They should release him. He didn't do anything that bad.
Btw, I'm a Canadian living in the US. I find the Shrub to be despicable.
>it certainly does make you wonder why we didn't leave them to be slaughtered by their ex-dictator.
We figured we could do a better job at it.
20 years from now when their country is a thriving democracy I wonder who they will thank? The idiot who threw a flip flop or the man that started their country down a democratic path. If my history is correct, I don't believe the US effortlessly and without pain became the free country it is today.
hello, you're a cold SOB. They're angry with an unnecessary war. They're not necessarily mad at Americans, they're mad at Bush.
Their ex dictator didn't kill as many as this illegal war did. If the head of the country that invaded mine and killed my fellow citizens, stood in front of me, I'd be trying to throw more than just my shoe at him. How many war refugees from Iraq have been admitted into the U.S. since this war began? You can count them on one hand.
US soldiers have fought for the Iraqis, did construction works, trained their security, and protected them from al-qaeda's onslaught. If it is difficult for those ungratefuls to show gratitude, they can atleast keep quiet. No wonder serving in the defence is quite a thankless job.
@hello: "We lose American lives and shed American blood for THEM, and yet they teach their children to hate us?"
Another reason why we shouldn't have gone in to begin with. You can never win the hearts and minds of a nation by invading them, even if they were ruled by a dictator. The neo-cons should have done their homework before Bush led us into an illegal war.
Will kill them like flies and they we expect them to like us. We have some self image.
To hello:
They didn't exactly invite us to come on over and invade their country and kill thousands upon thousands of their friends and family. You don't think everyone we kill is a 'terrorist' do you? We didn't exactly leave when we caught Sadam. We didn't leave after they strung him up. Odds are, we aren't very welcome to be there.
Honestly, If China came over here and kicked Bush (a name attached to an administration I loathe) out of power, I would still be angry that they were here and I would stop at nothing (or until death) to see that they were out of my homeland. You would do the same if you had any pride. Don't you agree?
herbert and barbie needed to beat little georgies a$s with a shoe more often.
When we first went over there, they showed murals dedicated to the destruction of 9/11 on the school walls drawn by the children. How are you people shocked by this?
I think part of the problem is that when we originally went over to liberate Kuwait, Bush 1 didn't get rid of Saddam based on bad advice- which he now regrets. Clinton followed suit by doing nothing as well. People got slaughtered in the meantime. Bush 2 finally comes in and does the job and many are grateful but a lot of them still harbor poor feelings and of course that gets handed down to the next generation.
Pretty simple really. And for all their hatred (any of these countries actually), they ALL still hold their hands out looking for help. We should let them all rot.
The perfect homage to Bush !
Here is a good reason why we Americans need to stop helping the rest of the countries and let them be...instead, we need to look out for the welfare of the americans. Helping these people does not get us anywhere...all they do is to teach hatred.
What about being the victims of Saddam Hussein's reign of power? Amazing how we forget history sometimes. Hey, at least the government there now isn't using chemical weapons on their civilian population.
I want to see a picture.
Bush wrecked their country, and now Americans are mean-spirited enough to speak of bombing them for commemorating the man who showed Bush what most Iraqis are feeling. Are you starting to get a clue why these people don't like Americans like Bush?
@hello....
ever gone to someone's neighborhood, didn't like the way their trees lined the streets and then had them cut down without asking the people living there? Maybe, just maybe the Iraqi's DIDN'T ask us to come "liberate" them. Don't forget, the war was initially about WMD's that didn't even exist. It wasn't until after they couldn't find weapons that we started acting like we invaded to "free" the people of Iraq.
I personally love the shoe monument. Where can I get one of those autographed by the guy who threw it? It would sell on ebay for millions.
@ hello
It shouldn't be shocking at all. It happens EVERY time we do something like this (pick up a history book). What's shocking is that when Republicans push the idea that if we try it again we'll get a different result, people actually believe them.
The citizens of Iraq don't want us there. The only thing that we have managed to do in the middle east is make more enemies than when we started. Pull the troupes out and let them kill each other instead of us. If we spent as much money improving our National security at home as we have spent rebuilding Iraq we would not be seeing record highs in the number of people filing for unemployment insurance.
A giant, shining example of why the whole thing made us less safe. Do you GOPers get it now?? Do you?? This happens EVERY SINGLE TIME we do something like this. This is NOT a suprise. There are plenty of people who can say "I Told You So" about this.
If this is how Iraq feels towards the then sittting President of the United States, then Iraq does not deserve the protection that we provide them. We would leave the country as fast as humanly possible, and leave the sunnis, shiites, and kurds to battle among themselves for another 100 years. Iraq does not deserve the United States. I wish we could dump 1 shoe from every US man, woman, and child, on the capital of Iraq to show them how we feel here at home
Hello: It s not shocking when you rage war on other people,look at your country and at the disgraceful shambles your dictator left it in(Bush).I have a lot of sorrow for the young americans and all the chidren and parents that died because your president wanted the OIL.Your president lied to the american people so I would not trow one shoe but both of my boots at him.
will those children throw shoes at terrorists when we leave that backward nation ?
Let's see how happy any American would be if another country invaded, no I mean, liberated America?
I'M SOOOO HAPPY WE SPENT SO MUCH BLOOD AND TREASURE FOR THESE IN GRATES MAKES ME PROUD. I THINK WE NEED TO START THROWING GI BOOTS AT THEIR FOLKS AND MAYBE THEY WILL UNDERSTAND HOW INSULTED WE FEEL. WHO CARES ABOUT BUSH , THIS IS A MATTER NATIONAL PRIDE AND SACRIFICE.
Now all they need to do is make a butt-pyramid monument in honor of that Abu prison. No doubt every liberal idiot in this country would take it upon themselves to make a holy pilgrimage to it, elevating it to the level of a sacred shrine.
Dan January 29th, 2009 2:36 pm ET
Lets make sure the next generation never sees the shoe monument, nothing a 500 lb bomb cant take care of.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is dropping a 500lb on an orphanage putting 'Country First'? Or does it depend on how many Non-Christian/Conservative women and children you kill?
With a global perspective like this, you put Secretary of State Clinton's job is in jeopardy!
oh come on-
wrong. Saddam killed many more citizens of Iraq than "this war did". Another example of libs spouting off about things they no nothing about. Saddam killed 200,000 kurds in one day, with one chemical weapons attack. This was not an "illegal" war. It was approved of by the senate and many liberals voted for it. Please exolain how it was illegal? The UN. . . . when have we ever gotten UN approval. Did Clinton when he went into Somalia? Of course not. Or, when he bombed Iraq? Of course not. But libs have no problems when a liberal is doing it. Let me spell it for you libs, H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-T-E-S
to hello American lives have been lost along with countless Iraqi lives because of Bush's folly and the neocon's greed. They thought it an aeasy way to get hold of Iraq's oil.
A shoe is a very minor thing to throw when you consider what we have thrown at them.
This is the only monument needed to honor the monumental failure that was the Bush presidency. Please cancel the presidential library, don't name any high schools after him. At the most, rename whatever Federal penitentary he ends up at "Bush Prison."
@hello:
I agree. The Americans are trying to free the Arab world of the kinds of
tyranny led by the people from their own country. Then try to instill the
same kind of hatred in their young for America ? America needs to
protect the U.S. borders and let them solve their own problem.
This is not a true story – check your facts...
"hello. January 29th, 2009 2:21 pm ET
We lose American lives and shed American blood for THEM, and yet they teach their children to hate us? this is honestly the most shocking thing i've seen in a while. it certainly does make you wonder why we didn't leave them to be slaughtered by their ex-dictator."
THEY never asked your country to "lose American lives or shed American blood". So you can let your oh so wonderful former president take all the glory for that! If roles were reversed and Iraq did to America what your country has done, it would be considered a crime. So if they want to protest what your illegitimate president did to their country, then I say let them!
Yes he is a hero please relase him and George Bush deserved that and you republicans you should know now how iraqis feel about the illegal war, they didn't invite you to go and spread your so called "democracy".
Throw a shoe at George W. Bush and get a heroic statue of a SHOE!
HA! HA! HA! HA! George W. Bush will be remembered by a shoe. That's priceless!
George Bush left a path of destrution in the white house
and they are trying to derail President Obama it will not happen
it is time for AMREICA to realize IF GOD IS FOR US WHO IN THE WORLD COULD BE AGAINST US?
Oh Come on ...
Really? We've killed more than the 600,000-plus that Saddam killed through genocide? I must have missed that cover story. Even the highest estimates are no more than 10 percent of that. Until you can produce indisputable facts on that, stop spreading shameless lies.
And unless you're some seriously deformed human being, the U.S. has let in nearly 8,000 Iraqi war refugees.
Do the world a favor and learn to think. Try to get your facts from some lying liberal talk show host. There are plenty of places for you to check your facts.
Wow what a picture...I am no fan of Bush but am quite impressed with his quick reflexes and the way he dodged those shoes, while keeping his composure.
They're a free country. Thanks to us. Let them express themselves freely.
The next generation of Iraqis will look back on the liberties secured by this generation with THANKS.
Wow, what a way to say "thanks for the 10 billion American dollars we receive each month."
Ten billion dollars a month; imagine want can be done with that amount of money during these tough economic times in this Country.
What does it say about this culture that throwing a shoe at somebody is an insult, but suicide bombing is not?
Despite what Obama thinks, these people ARE our enemy. They hated us before Bush, celebrated 9/11, hate us now, and will do anything to destroy us.
Interesting how the Bush-Bashers gloat about the incident.
I wonder how these folks would react if a cross were burned at one of Obama's speaking events?
To you Bush apologists puzzled and offended by anti-US Iraqi anger:
What did you THINK would happen after our invasion reduced their neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, and economy to rubble?
psalm 60 verse 8 speaks of casting a shoe, i don't know the meaning, i thought it interesting.
This is the most perfect, fitting tribute I've ever heard of. Made my day.
C. Wood
Instead of being shocked and offended by the actions of people you don't understand, maybe you guys should just take it as a lesson learned: next time there is an important decision to be made in the world, you will try to make a more thoughtful decision, rather than rushing into wars. The fact that you are suprised at how these people feel is all the more reason for you to to understand that you didn't make an educated decision.
He only did what every Iraqie and American would have loved to had the priviledge to do. My hat is off to him. Good for him.
To those you who claim Bush done such a great thing by trying liberate them; first of all he wasn't he was trying to get their oil, secondly he caused many Iraqies to get killed along with our soldiers. Let me see you go to one of our fallen soldiers members and say them Bush did the right thing. You probably would get a shoe slapped across your face. I would be one of the first to do it; since my husband had to endure that hardship twice.
What good has come out of it? Nothing!!!!
Iraqis never asked america to come and "liberate" them, so once we did Bush earned every measure of scorn for his ineptitude. meanwhile it doesnt matter to iraqis if they are dying at the hands of saddam or Blackwater–they are still dying.
Bush admits Iraq was invaded based upon false intelligence that Iraq has WMDs. More than 4000 US troops have died, thousands of troops have become handicapped, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians have died.
All this only because of one false, bogus and concocted intelligence report. I think this will go down in history as the worst atrocity of this century.
Liberals are such ridiculous human beings. They relate more with the mindsets of terrorists than with our brave soldiers. It is really sad and disturbing that they view our military as the enemy and do not see the Islamic jihadists as the true enemy that has forced our hand in the war on terror.
"Despite what Obama thinks, these people ARE our enemy. They hated us before Bush, celebrated 9/11, hate us now, and will do anything to destroy us."
Corrected for better accuracy:
"In agreement with what Obama thinks, some of these people ARE our enemy. They hated us before Bush, but now more of them hate us because of our policies the past eight years. Some of them celebrated 9/11, while others didn't. Some of them will do anything to destroy us."
Before you put them down you should try to get an idea of the amount of suffering they have done since we got there. They had nothing to do with 9-11 and not ite to al-Quida before we got there. The shoe slinger lost his family. Or perhaps he had Iraq-in-his-shore. Get it?
what do you expect at an orphanage where children's parents were killed by the US invasion and occupation? A tower of hearts?
Ah, I see, the Freedom Shoe!!
The only this more disgraceful than this occurance is that there are Americans (a small, pathetic minority, thank God) who actually support an attack on the dignity of the Presidency. They are called traitors.
To such people: the moslems who you want to love you so badly won't. They'll just hate you even more for your disloyalty to your own president.
"You are either for us or against us" said Bush. That has caused more harm than good. Having excellent reflexes alone does not empower you with leadership skills.
We had to kill Iraqis in order to liberate them
Sorta like the Vietnam version of "we had to destroy the village in order to save it" logic.
What a great message
just goes to show we should have NEVER STARTED THAT WAR.
This is an insult to the office of the President and they are spitting in our faces openly after all we gave them. Just proof that if people are given freedom without having to fight for it on their own...they'll never appreciate it. US citizens should be outraged no matter what their opinion of Bush is. Rediculous!!!!
Get the Facts: Thank you for saying something extremely intelligent. Just when I am about to give up on hope, someone like you steps in and makes me feel better.
You could not be more correct.
@ get The Facts
All true but the Bush lovers will never take the time to check out things before they open their big mouths. Bush went into office with the plan to attack Iraq. I hope that history some day shows how much he truly had to do with 9-11.
If I lived in Iraq I would hate him too. Whoops ! I live in America and I hate him for what he has done to our country.
To the Bush-bashers posting here,
It's true that this incident wouldn't have happened if we didn't invade Iraq. This guy would've been summarily shot for such a thing pre-2003; the fact that a monument can now be built to someone expressing a political view in the heart of the Arab world speaks volumes about why we went into Iraq in the first place.
@ Noah
NEWSFLASH: IRAQ IS NOT THE CENTRAL BATTLEGROUND FOR TEH WAR ON TERROR. IT HAS ONLY BECOME A BREEDING GROUND FOR TERRORISTS BECAUSE WE THREW IT INTO ANARCHY.
@ Mike, Syracuse NY
thank God I do not have to live in the same world you live in.
The Bush Legacy...
"We lose American lives and shed American blood for THEM, and yet they teach their children to hate us?"
THEY DIDN"T ASK US TO HELP.
If Russia decided to just come in and help us in the same way...you would be ok with it?
If Saddam was so horrible...WHY DID THE US GOVERNMENT SUPPORT HIM AT ONE TIME.
Noah January 29th, 2009 3:47 pm ET
Liberals are such ridiculous human beings. They relate more with the mindsets of terrorists than with our brave soldiers. It is really sad and disturbing that they view our military as the enemy and do not see the Islamic jihadists as the true enemy that has forced our hand in the war on terror.
______________________________________________________
Noah,
In case you have not noticed, we have created more terroroists with our policies.
Iraq does not deserve our protection January 29th, 2009 2:58 pm ET
If this is how Iraq feels towards the then sittting President of the United States, then Iraq does not deserve the protection that we provide them. We would leave the country as fast as humanly possible, and leave the sunnis, shiites, and kurds to battle among themselves for another 100 years. Iraq does not deserve the United States. I wish we could dump 1 shoe from every US man, woman, and child, on the capital of Iraq to show them how we feel here at home
____________________________________________________
Please speak for yourself Honey. You have no idea how I feel, as an American, about George Bush's illegal war!!!
HAHAHAHAHA!! Repugs suck, these orphans are orphans b/c Bush killed their families.