BAGHDAD — In the few seconds it took Iraqi journalist Muntather Zaidi to wing a pair of shoes at President Bush, the Middle East got its own version of Joe the Plumber.
Just as Joe Wurzelbacher's gripes to Barack Obama during the U.S. presidential election catapulted him to fame, Zaidi's burst of rage toward Bush during a Baghdad news conference Sunday has made him a household name across the Middle East.
To many, Zaidi is a hero for engaging in the ultimate Arab world insult to Bush -- hurling his shoes at the American leader, who ducked to avoid being slammed in the head. To others, Zaidi is an embarrassment for a society that prides itself on being hospitable to guests, even those who are not much liked. However his act is viewed, there's no question that Zaidi, like Wurzelbacher, is no longer just another Joe.
That is likely to create headaches for Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's government as it decides what to do with the 29-year-old satellite TV correspondent, who remained in custody Monday night. To throw the book at the shoe tosser would fuel anger toward Maliki and elevate Zaidi to martyrdom among many in Iraq and the Middle East; to drop the case would amount to ignoring a security and social breach committed on international TV -- and shown seemingly nonstop since -- not only against Bush but also his host, Maliki.
"For anyone to behave that way . . . is just too humiliating and unbelievable," said Tariq Harb, a leading Iraqi lawyer. He said there were laws against assaulting a foreign leader who is a guest in Iraq that would apply in Zaidi's case.
By Monday, the burgeoning Arab online community was bursting with positive commentary and even poems. An online fan club on Facebook, "Brave Iraqi Journalist Throws Shoes at Bush,' drew hundeds of members. Other clubs that sprang up allowed members to throw virtual shoes at Bush.
"The famous shoes should be exhibited in a museum, as they resembled a rocket that talks on behalf of all Iraqis," a user named Zahraa wrote on another website.
Baghdadiya, the Cairo-based TV channel that employs Zaidi, demanded his release from custody and urged other media outlets to do the same. Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's lawyer, Khalil Dulaimi, called Zaidi a hero during an interview on the satellite news channel Al Jazeera and offered to defend him in court. A charity group run by Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi's daughter Aicha said it planned to give Zaidi an award for bravery. "Because what he did represents a victory for human rights across the world," Aicha Kadafi said.
