If you watch the news, you’re probably well aware of the news conference in which the Iraqi journalist hurled shoes at President Bush. When I first saw the footage (ha ha), I figured the guy was just trying to bean Bush. He didn’t have any rocks, so he found the next best thing.
Then, I remembered my co-author for Cross-Cultural Selling For Dummies, Michael Soon Lee, explaining, during the writing of the book, that in some cultures, it is considered an insult to show someone the sole of your foot or even your shoe. I began to wonder whether there was more to this shoe-throwing incident than what I had assumed, so I wrote to Michael asking him about it. Here’s what he had to say:
As we state in Cross-Cultural Selling For Dummies, the foot is the lowest part of the body and considered the dirtiest by Muslims when walking barefoot. When not barefoot, the shoes get covered in dirt, mud, and dung, so must be removed before entering a home or mosque. If you must carry them, they are carried with the left (unclean hand) with the soles pressed together to avoid pointing them at anyone.
When Saddam Hussein was overthrown, his image on posters and his statue were hit with the sole of shoes as a symbolic gesture of disdain.
As I was writing this, I noticed several other stories online that point out the cultural significance of shoe-throwing among Muslims, such as BBC NEWS ”Bush Shoe-ing Worst Arab Insult.” I would never have guessed.
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I just recently watched the video. I gotta say, I was most impressed with Bush’s reflexes! That was some quick ducking on that first shoe.