Shoe Hurled at Bush Stokes Sales at Turkish Footwear Maker

[BanglaBhoot]

Dec. 19 (Bloomberg) -- The shoe hurled at President George W. Bush has sent sales soaring at the Turkish maker as orders pour in from Iraq, the U.S. and Iran.

The brown, thick-soled “Model 271” may soon be re-named “The Bush Shoe” or “Bye-Bye Bush,” Ramazan Baydan, who owns the Istanbul-based producer Baydan Ayakkabicilik San. & Tic., said in a telephone interview today.

“We’ve been selling these shoes for years but, thanks to Bush, orders are flying in like crazy,” he said. “We’ve even hired an agency to look at television advertising.”

Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zeidi hurled a pair at Bush at a news conference in Baghdad on Dec. 14. Both shoes missed the president after he ducked. The journalist was jailed and is seeking a pardon from Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

Baydan has received orders for 300,000 pairs of the shoes since the attack, more than four times the number his company sold each year since the model was introduced in 1999. The company plans to employ 100 more staff to meet demand, he said.

“Model 271” is exported to markets including Iraq, Iran, Syria and Egypt. Baydan said he received an order this week for 4,000 pairs from a company called Davidson, based in Maryland. He declined to provide further details.

Bloomberg.com: Europe

 

[BanglaBhoot]

Iraqi shoe thrower wins hearts in Iran

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush has won some hearts in neighboring Iran, where one cleric dubbed the act "the shoe intifada (rebellion)."

Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati -- leading Friday prayers in Tehran -- hailed journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi's now-famous fling last Sunday, when Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki were holding a news conference in Baghdad.

His remarks -- reported by Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency -- reflect the support many Middle East people have shown for al-Zaidi, an Iraqi correspondent for Egypt-based Al-Baghdadia TV.

"The shoe intifada in Iraq should not be overlooked easily," he said. "Well done to the Iraqi journalist for throwing the shoes at the U.S. president."

Speaking to worshipers at Tehran University, Jannati labeled the shoes "more valuable than crowns, medals and signs" and believes they should be place in an Iraqi museum.

The government of Iran and the United States have been bitter antagonists for decades. Video Watch Muntadhar al-Zaidi throw his shoes at Bush »

Iran has opposed the U.S. presence and policies in Iraq and the United States has accused Iran of backing militants in Iraq.

Jannati said the U.S. was trapped in a quagmire in Iraq and didn't know what to do about it.

"The shoe hurling by the Iraqi journalist had many messages which the world received and the Iraqi people, too, held demonstrations afterwards. People should support the Iraqi journalist," said Jannati, who believes shoes should be regular props in the anti-U.S. demonstrations in Iran and Iraq.

In the Indian capital of New Delhi, Iran's deputy foreign minister told reporters that the incident points to frustration in the elite levels of society with Bush's policies.

The minister, Mohammad Mehdi Akhondzadeh, said it was similar sentiments that led Americans to elect Barack Obama president.

Neither of al-Zaidi's shoes hit Bush, and the journalist was knocked to the ground, hustled out of the room and arrested by security officials.
advertisement

As he was pushed to the floor, the reporter shouted out that his shoe-throwing -- a traditional insult in Arab culture -- was a "farewell kiss" to a "dog" who launched the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Al-Zaidi faces time in an Iraqi prison. The Iraqi government on Thursday said he had written a letter to al-Maliki asking for leniency and calling his actions "ugly."

Iraqi shoe thrower wins hearts in Iran - CNN.com

 

[Imran Khan]

thank god its not any link in pakistan .if its pak made or ever leather from pakistan we have one more problim.may be india say close all shoes making units in pakistan or go UNSC for close them.