The Shoe Thrower

**Latif Nasser** (0:02)
Just before we start, this episode discusses war, casualties of war, and torture. It may not be suitable for young or sensitive listeners.

**John Quill** (0:12)
Wait, you're listening?

**Jamila Raqib** (0:13)
Okay.

**SPEAKER_4** (0:14)
All right.

**John Quill** (0:18)
You're listening to Radiolab.

**Latif Nasser** (0:21)
Radiolab.

**Jamila Raqib** (0:21)
From?

**John Quill** (0:22)
WNYC.

**Latif Nasser** (0:30)
This is Radiolab. I'm Latif Nasser. And today we have a story from our reporter, Sarah Qari.

**Sarah Qari** (0:36)
Okay. So a couple months ago, I got in the studio to do this interview that I'd been trying to make happen for close to a year. Hello.

**Mais Al-Bayaa** (0:45)
Hi, Sarah. Can you hear me?

**Sarah Qari** (0:47)
Yes.
I'd been trying to connect with this Iraqi guy in Baghdad. But things were not really going to plan.

**Mais Al-Bayaa** (0:56)
So we are waiting.

**Sarah Qari** (0:58)
It turns out my interviewee was taking his time having a little tea after his lunch. And then after about 45 minutes, he shows up.
Hello, Muntadhar.

**Muntadhar Al-Zaidi** (1:10)
Sarah, did you speak Arabic? You don't speak Arabic?

**Sarah Qari** (1:15)
Only a little bit. We fumbled through, mostly me doing the fumbling.
With the help of Sarah and Mais. Iraqi journalist, Mais Al-Baya.

**Muntadhar Al-Zaidi** (1:27)
But then. We have one hour, right, Sarah?

**Sarah Qari** (1:32)
So I was hoping to talk to you for longer because I want to get lots of details about your life and tell your story. And I don't want to miss any details. Okay.

**Muntadhar Al-Zaidi** (1:40)
I hope you have another question or new questions. Yeah.

**Sarah Qari** (1:45)
New questions. It was pretty clear that he was sick of talking about the one thing that I really wanted to ask him about. And if you're feeling frustrated, just tell me.

**Muntadhar Al-Zaidi** (1:54)
Don't worry. I will tell you.

**Latif Nasser** (1:56)
Which is what?

**Sarah Qari** (1:58)
Well, okay. So maybe let's just start with, introduce yourself and tell me why you're famous.

**Muntadhar Al-Zaidi** (2:07)
My name is Muntadhar Al-Zaidi.

**Muntadhar Al-Zaidi** (2:09)
And I threw my shoes at George W. Bush.

**Mais Al-Bayaa** (2:15)
And I threw my shoes at George W. Bush.

**Latif Nasser** (2:20)
Oh, yeah.

**Sarah Qari** (2:22)
Do you remember him?

**Muntadhar Al-Zaidi** (2:23)
Yeah.

**Latif Nasser** (2:23)
I remember that guy.

**Mais Al-Bayaa** (2:24)
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

**Muntadhar Al-Zaidi** (2:25)
Okay.

**Sarah Qari** (2:25)
Well, just in case, for anyone who doesn't remember, let me just do a quick refresher.

**George W. Bush** (2:30)
Okay, yeah.

**Sarah Qari** (2:31)
It's December 14th, 2008, more than five years into the war in Iraq. And George W. Bush makes a surprise visit to Baghdad, where he's giving a press conference.

**George W. Bush** (2:43)
Thank you for your kind invitation.

**Sarah Qari** (2:45)
Next to him is Nouriel Maliki, the Prime Minister of Iraq.

**George W. Bush** (2:48)
And I'm looking forward to some food.

**Sarah Qari** (2:51)
Now, officially, Bush is there to sign an agreement, shake some hands.

**George W. Bush** (2:56)
Leaving the next president with a stable foundation for the future.

**Sarah Qari** (2:59)
He's on his way out at the end of his second term.

**George W. Bush** (3:01)
But he's also clearly trying to make this point that in his eyes, but with the conclusion of these agreements, it is decisively on its way to being one.

**Sarah Qari** (3:11)
The war has been a success. At the end, he says thank you in Arabic. And then...
Holy. So you see this guy just sort of pops out of the crowd out of nowhere and throws a shoe and George Bush dodges it. And then he throws a second one and Malikid tries to swap that one out of the way.

**Latif Nasser** (3:39)
Yeah.

**Sarah Qari** (3:40)
And then it's just chaos. He's tackled to the ground, they're dragging him out and then the clip ends.

**SPEAKER_14** (3:47)
Yeah.

**Latif Nasser** (3:48)
It's so quick.

**Sarah Qari** (3:51)
And it blows up, I mean.

**SPEAKER_13** (3:52)
Extraordinary things took place.

**Sarah Qari** (3:55)
It's basically top of the news across the globe.

**SPEAKER_14** (3:57)
George W.

**SPEAKER_12** (3:58)
Bush, Muntadhar Al-Zaidi and the clip is all over the internet.

**SPEAKER_10** (4:07)
Paul, the shoe heard around the world.

**Sarah Qari** (4:09)
It's really as viral as something can be in 2008

**Latif Nasser** (4:12)
Yeah.

**Sarah Qari** (4:13)
But even today, I feel like with most people, if you're like, hey, that shoe-thower guy, they're like, oh, yeah.

**Latif Nasser** (4:20)
I remember it feeling silly.

**Sarah Qari** (4:22)
Right. I mean, and definitely, there were some like, how dare he kind of reactions, but generally, Shoop out. here in the US.