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| Iraq |
| Iraqi Shoe-Thrower Defiant, His Brother Says After Visit |
| 2008-12-24 |
| Muntadar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who became an overnight sensation in the Middle East last week after throwing his shoes at President Bush during a news conference here, spent his first days behind bars believing his family, co-workers and tribe would forever shun him, the man's brother said. The men guarding Zaidi, 29, at a detention center in the Green Zone forced him to watch a television channel run by Sunni extremists loyal to Saddam Hussein and told him that was the only news outlet in the world that was applauding his act, Oday al-Zaidi said Monday, a day after he was allowed to visit his brother. "They told him, 'Your tribe and your family reject you,' " Oday al-Zaidi said. Pointing toward the television set tuned to the Al-Raee channel, the guards added: "This is the only channel that supports you." In fact, his employer, al-Baghdadia channel, his relatives and people across the Arab world have praised him. Oday al-Zaidi, 32, said his brother was gaunt, devastated and bruised -- but unrepentant. " 'If I had the same opportunity again, I would throw my shoes,' " at President Bush, Oday al-Zaidi said, quoting his brother. Oday al-Zaidi said his brother told him guards beat him with a metal pipe after the Dec. 14 incident. He said his brother had a bruised eye, is missing an upper canine tooth and has cigarette-burn marks on the backs of his ears. "I didn't recognize him when I first saw him," Oday al-Zaidi said. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #7 Sounds to me that the shoe thrower is NOT defiant, and the brother is? |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2008-12-24 13:24 |
| #6 The ZANU-PF shoe-thrower, nope, never heard a-him, break my last remaining arm, Bob, will ya. |
| Posted by: rhodesiafever 2008-12-24 13:22 |
| #5 maybe another ass whoopping would quell some of that defiance |
| Posted by: rabid whitetail 2008-12-24 11:41 |
| #4 Iraqi Shoe-thrower defiant, will work to improve aim. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2008-12-24 11:24 |
| #3 Muntadar, if he could speak through the ballgag taped in his mouth, would prolly tell his brother to "cool it, jerk. You're gonna get me killed" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-12-24 07:56 |
| #2 Iraqi Shoe-Thrower Defiant, His Brother Says After Visit Stupid, but defiant. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2008-12-24 05:12 |
| #1 If you listen closely to the press conference you can hear the shoe thrower saying "Dubya, phone home". |
| Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2008-12-24 01:06 |