Uruknet and al Jazeera news anchor portray journalist who hurled shoes at President Bush as hero

Within hours of an Iraqi journalist hurling his shoes and an insult at President George W. Bush as he was shaking hands with Iraqi premier Nuri Al-Maliki in his private Baghdad office, uruknet.info portrayed Muntather Al-Zaidi as a “hero”. As the two leaders were shaking hands, a journalist sitting in the third row suddenly jumped up, shouting: “It is the farewell kiss, you dog,” and threw his shoes one after the other towards Bush. Maliki made a protective gesture towards the U.S. president, who ducked and was not hit. Writing for uruknet.info, Layla Anwar, whose byline contained the words, “An Arab Woman Blues”, called Americans “dirty motherf---k--s”.

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Her diatribe may shed some light for security as Al-Zaidi arrived on the scene much later than the other journalists covering the event: “One of his colleagues confirmed that Muntather came to the press conference late, and his other colleagues from the same TV station had preceded him way before. This other colleague also confirmed that they had to stand for hours for stringent security checks before being allowed to enter the press hall.” Anwar also gave details about Al-Zaidi’s background. “And whilst Bush was pontificating from his #, Muntather Al-Zaidi, a 28 years (sic) old journalist, a leftist, from the independent anti-occupation, anti-sectarian TV, Al-Baghdadia, stood up and threw not one shoe but TWO pair (sic) of shoes at Bush, calling him at the top of his voice Ya Kalb-YouDog.” (uruknet.info, December 14, 2008). “Al Jazeera’s excellent news anchor the Iraqi Layla al-Sheikhly was the only one to report the slur and insult to the President of the United asses. His last visit indeed and a souvenir from a patriotic Iraqi. Subsequent news censored the insult-Ya Kalb-You Dog. “Let me tell you more about Muntather Al-Zaidi. Muntather was kidnapped, tortured and humiliated and when released he resumed his work as a journalist at the Baghdadia TV. He graduated from Baghdad University in Journalism and was active pre-2003 in the Iraqi Federation/Student Union and was/is known to be a vehement opposer to the dual occupation of my Beloved. “Muntather as a dignified Iraqi, used the only weapon available to him..HIS SHOES. “He threw the first one with such dexterity, Bush ducked and within seconds he threw the second one and aimed right above that bastard’s head and landed smash into the American flag. I think that Muntather was hoping to aim the other shoe at Maliki, the puppet. “Needless to say about 5 men or more, dressed in civil (sic) clothes and some of them were American dogs, threw themselves on this HERO Muntather. Amidst the stupor and the shouts, I could hear his screams while he was being kicked, his hair pulled, and his face scratched... “We all watched it and Mom and I burst into tears, tears of happiness and tears of grief. “Happiness because Muntather filled us with hope, hope that there are still brave heroes left in Iraq. Mom even called him the Salah El-Deen Al Ayubi/the new Saladin. “A historical moment in the Iraqi tragedy indeed and during Bush’s last visit! A historical moment that will be recorded as the ultimate humiliation to any American president and the “American Empire” hahahahahaha. “We were also filled with grief and recited the Fateeha, because we knew that Muntather Al-Zaidi signed his death warrant. This guy is finished. “Mom added that he will be tortured first, most probably with shoes before his execution. “Muntather Al-Zaidi was aware that the consequences of such an act will bring the wrath of the sectarian Shites and zionists Kurdish puppets and that of the Americans on his head. But he risked it anyway...like a TRUE IRAQI HERO giving his occupier the ultimate humiliation next to the military defeat of America--because America has been DEFEATED in Iraq. “Yes, you dirty motherf--k--s, NO VICTORY for you in IRAQ. No victory as long as people like Muntather exist... “I therefore urge all people of conscience, in particular Journalists without borders, any syndicate or union of journalists anywhere in the world, to mobilize themselves for the release of Muntather before he gets executed. Uruknet.info is self described as “a site gathering daily information concerning occupied Iraq”, and is located in Rome, Italy. On Feb. 25, Palestinian Free Voice credited a host of websites and bloggers for Google having reinstated Uruknet.info as a news source.