Iran: ATTACK OF THE SHOE!!!

On December 14, 2008, while attending a news conference in Baghdad, Muntazer al-Zaidi (Iraqi television journalist Muntadar) took off both of his shoes and launched them at US President George W. Bush. In Muslim eyes the throwing of a shoe is considered a deadly insult. Al-Zaidi was sentenced to three years in prison for his acts, but viewed as a hero throughout the Middle East.
This triggered a shoe throwing epidemic all over the world…including most recently Iran. The Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had a shoe hurled at him March 9, 2009 as he drove through the city of Urumiye in an open topped vehicle. The story never made media headlines; presumably because the individual who threw the shoe was never caught. The story did find its way out on the Iranian blogosphere. The blogs also reported a hat was thrown at the president also before the vehicle was able to pull off.
Many “pro-Ahmadinejad” bloggers reported that it was all just a “rumor spread by monarchists and anti-revolutionaries”, common terms for members of Iranian opposition.
It is funny this should happen in Iran, for after Zaidi threw his shoes at Bush in Baghdad, the Iranian officials held a public shoe throwing competition where people had the chance to throw apparel at posters and caricatures of George W. Bush.

Craig Walker(Iran)

CHINA: shoe? what shoe?

On February 2, 2009, a man threw a shoe at Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, muh like the infamous incident when an Iraqi reporter hurled a shoe a former President George W Bush. China ran the coverage of the shoe incident versus Bush, but the "disturbance" involving Mr. Wen was censored from all broadcasts and reports.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, did not explicitly address the shoes at a press conference - but rather referred to the "despicable disturbance" and "disruption" during his speech.  She assured the press that the incident would not interfere with friendly Chinese and British relations. 

Abiding by strict state regulation, state-run CCTV network and the official Xinhua News Agency made no mention of a shoe thrown at Wen.

"In the live broadcast of the speech on CCTV's Web site, the camera remains fixed on Wen, not showing the shoe or the protestor, although his remarks and the sound ofo the shoe hitting the stage can be heard."

This censorship is an idyllic example of how China continues to "keep a tight grip on its media, blocking any content deemed as a challenge or insulting to the ruling Community Party or the country's leaders."

Sidenote: The shoe was thrown on the third day of Wen's visit to Britain, which was soiled by demonstrations over human rights and policies in Tibet.  The man who threw the shoe was not Chinese and will appear before magistrates on charges of committing a public order offense.  The shoe was picked up quietly by one of Wen's aids, and Wen continued his speech after a pause and quick sideways glance. 

Samantha Mayer (CHINA)