I wrote about shoes and their symbolic powers awhile back. Today, I read what Mutadhar al-Zaidi has to say about the shoe he threw, upon his release from prison. To him, the shoe he threw at Bush was a flower, his flower to Bush, the occupier. Below is one paragraph from his eloquent speech. For anyone who found his act courageous, reading al-Zaidi's The Story of My Shoe is a must:
"Do you know how many broken homes that shoe that I threw had entered because of the occupation? How many times it had trodden over the blood of innocent victims? And how many times it had entered homes in which free Iraqi women and their sanctity had been violated? Maybe that shoe was the appropriate response when all values were violated.
....
I wanted to defend a country, an ancient civilization that has been desecrated, and I am sure that history -- especially in America -- will state how the American occupation was able to subjugate Iraq and Iraqis, until its submission.
They will boast about the deceit and the means they used in order to gain their objective. It is not strange, not much different from what happened to the Native Americans at the hands of colonialists. Here I say to them (the occupiers) and to all who follow their steps, and all those who support them and spoke up for their cause: Never.
Because we are a people who would rather die than face humiliation."
2 comments:
America will NEVER conquer the Iraqui's soul. It is, indeed, a very ancient and intelligent civilization. I love reading ARABWOMANBLUES and understanding their terrible and very unjust situation. Hugs, M.
I wonder if we can ever really understand what we, as part of those who enjoy the fruits of the imperial racist West, have done, and continue to do, in places like Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan? I wonder, will someone from Afghanistan write a speech to tell us Canadians what misery we have caused in their land under the guise of NATO help?
If we did understand, surely we as a society would not be so arrogant and indifferent.
Post a Comment