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Iraqi Shoe-Thrower Defiant, His Brother Says After Visit
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 2008-12-24 |
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