The Shoe Thrower
RadioLab's 'The Shoe Thrower' tells the story of Muntadhar Al-Zaidi, an Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush during a 2008 Baghdad press conference as a culmination of years documenting civilian casualties from the Iraq War. The act became a global symbol of protest, sparking copycat incidents worldwide, though it came at tremendous personal cost to Al-Zaidi, including imprisonment, torture, and the destruction of his journalism career.
Summary
RadioLab reporter Sara Khari investigates the motivations and aftermath of the December 14, 2008 shoe-throwing incident in Baghdad. She interviews Muntadhar Al-Zaidi, an Iraqi journalist who had spent years covering the human toll of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, including the story of an 8-year-old girl named Zahra killed by American soldiers. Al-Zaidi's frustration stemmed from feeling that his journalism—his reports on civilian deaths, torture, and sexual violence—was being ignored by the international community while American media perpetuated the narrative that Iraqis welcomed U.S. forces as liberators.
Al-Zaidi conceived the shoe-throwing idea around 2005 but didn't execute it until Bush's surprise visit to Baghdad. He chose shoes specifically because in Arab culture, showing someone the sole of your shoe is a profound insult—the opposite of offering roses, which represents the highest gift. The act was meticulously planned: Al-Zaidi drove home to get his ugliest, heaviest shoes, wore them as slippers during security screening, positioned himself in the third row to avoid being shot immediately, and recited Quranic verses beforehand, believing he would not survive.
When Bush concluded his speech, Al-Zaidi shouted in Arabic that the shoes were his 'goodbye kiss' and threw both shoes, neither of which connected. He was immediately beaten by security, arrested, and sentenced to three years in prison, where he was tortured with electricity, cold water, and beatings. During solitary confinement, he experienced a vision of Zahra.
Outside the prison, the moment sparked global protest. Crowds in multiple countries waved shoes in the air; activists threw shoes at effigies of Bush outside the White House. The incident launched a wave of copycat shoe-throwings at world leaders including Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hillary Clinton, and various prime ministers. However, Al-Zaidi's career as a journalist was destroyed—no Iraqi television station would hire him due to pressure from governments allied with the U.S. When he attempted to run for parliament years later, his fame as 'the shoe thrower' didn't translate into electoral success.
Sara reflects on how the shoe-throw occupies a unique space between nonviolent protest and violence—a tactic with historical precedent (Roman turnip-throwing, egg and tomato throwing). She considers whether the act actually changed anything substantive about the war or Iraqi governance, concluding it primarily succeeded in its stated goal: forcing the world to ask questions about Iraq and stop accepting the liberation narrative. Muntadhar now works in social media commentary and studies interior design while acknowledging that his sacrifice—his career in journalism—was 'worth it' because Zahra's mother felt her daughter received justice through his act.
About this episode
The world around you is falling apart, and no one is listening. How far do you go to be heard?
Key Insights
- Al-Zaidi chose to throw a shoe specifically because in Arab culture the sole of a shoe is the most degrading insult possible, making it symbolically the opposite of the roses that represent the highest honor.
- Despite years of reporting on documented civilian deaths, torture, and sexual violence, Al-Zaidi felt the international media ignored his stories while perpetuating the false narrative that Iraqis welcomed American forces as liberators.
- Al-Zaidi deliberately positioned himself in the third row during the press conference rather than the front row because he calculated that security would hesitate before shooting someone further back, increasing his chances of survival.
- Al-Zaidi spent approximately three years developing the idea of throwing a shoe at Bush after having it in 2005, repeatedly trying to attend Bush's press conferences in multiple countries before finally getting the opportunity.
- The shoe throw was meticulously premeditated—Al-Zaidi went home to change into his ugliest, heaviest shoes, wore them as slippers during security screening for easy removal, and recited Quranic verses, believing he would be shot and killed.
- Iraqi security forces and American allies systematically blacklisted Al-Zaidi from all Iraqi television stations after his release from prison, effectively ending his journalism career despite his prominence as a reporter.
- Al-Zaidi experienced a hallucinatory vision of Zahra, the 8-year-old girl he had reported on being killed by American soldiers, while in solitary confinement during his three-month imprisonment.
- The shoe throw sparked a global wave of copycat incidents targeting world leaders across multiple continents within years, creating a new protest tactic that persists in contemporary politics.
- According to protest expert Jamila Rakib, the historical use of throwing objects at political leaders—including turnips in ancient Rome, eggs, tomatoes, and pies—occupies a specific niche space between nonviolent and violent resistance.
- Iraqi journalist Maise Al-Bayat initially thought Al-Zaidi was 'absolutely crazy' but changed her assessment after learning his detailed thought process, recognizing his frustration as similar to her own experience of having important stories about casualties become background noise.
- Al-Zaidi's act succeeded primarily in undermining the U.S. government's narrative that Iraqis welcomed the occupation as liberation, forcing global attention to the actual experience of ordinary Iraqis under invasion.
- Zahra's mother told Al-Zaidi that when he threw the shoe, she felt her daughter received 'thaar'—a word meaning both revenge and justice—suggesting the act provided psychological restitution to the families of casualties even if it didn't change military policy.
Topics
Transcript
Radio Lab is supported by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try it at Progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. Just before we start, this episode discusses war, casualties of war, and torture. It may not be suitable for young or sensitive listeners. Wait, you're listening? Okay. All right. Okay. All right. You're listening to Radiolab. Radiolab. From WNYC. WNYC. Yep. Radio Lab. Radio Lab. From. W-N-Y-C. C. C? Yeah. This is Radio Lab. I'm Latif Nasser. And today we…
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