When no one seems to be listening, how far do you go to be heard?
In December 2008, George W. Bush made a surprise visit to Baghdad for a press conference. And at the very end of his remarks, a shoe came flying past his head. 
It was “the shoe heard around the world,” and countless jokes and memes ensued. 
But in the pandemonium, many missed the story of the man at the center: Muntadhar Al-Zaidi, a weary journalist trying to get the world to see the Iraq War in a different light. Even fewer people know what happened to him after. 
Nearly two decades later, Radiolab reporter Sarah Qari tracked Al-Zaidi down to learn the story of his life. What she found was a story about grief, anger, and the line where journalism ends and protest begins.
Special thanks to Azmat Khan and Mustafa Salim.
EPISODE CREDITS:
 Reported by - Sarah Qari, with help from Mariam Dwedar
 Translation by - Mais Al-Bayaa and Mariam Dwedar
 Produced by - Sarah Qari
 Sound design contributed by - Sarah Qari 
 Mixed by - Jeremy Bloom
 Fact-checking by - Emily Krieger and Heba ElorbanyLATERAL CUTS:
 If you liked this episode and want to hear more fascinating deep dives we’ve done on The War on Terror, check out our episode:
<ul>
 <li><a href="https://radiolab.org/podcast/60-words" rel="noopener noreferrer">60 Words</a> (https://radiolab.org/podcast/60-words),</li>
 <li>or our series <a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/other-latif" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Other Latif</a> (https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/other-latif)</li>
</ul>
EPISODE CITATIONS:Collaborator’s Work - 
<ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.mariamdwedar.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mariam Dwedar </a>
 <ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.nowness.com/series/craft-work/made-in-palestine-hirbawi" rel="noopener noreferrer">Made in Palestine</a> (https://zpr.io/JBAuqi5zyZMT) - a documentary short</li>
 <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/mariamdwedar/" rel="noopener noreferrer">@mariamdwedar</a> - Instagram handle</li>
 </ul></li>
 <li><a href="https://icct.nl/people/mais-al-bayaa" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mais Al-Bayaa</a>
 <ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/iraq-uncovered/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Iraq Uncovered</a> (<a href="https://zpr.io/ebuUcjSFcUJp" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://zpr.io/ebuUcjSFcUJp</a>) - documentary</li>
 <li><a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/iraqs-secret-sex-trade/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Iraq’s Secret Sex Trade</a> (<a href="https://zpr.io/u9HnCWmnQggG" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://zpr.io/u9HnCWmnQggG</a>) - documentary</li>
 <li><a href="https://www.channel4.com/programmes/go-back-to-where-you-came-from" rel="noopener noreferrer">Go Back to Where You Came From</a> (<a href="https://zpr.io/J8rxafGCCgUA" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://zpr.io/J8rxafGCCgUA</a>) - documentary</li>
 <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/maisalbayaa/" rel="noopener noreferrer">@maisalbayaa</a> - Instagram</li>
 </ul></li>
</ul>
Journal Articles _
<ul>
 <li><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1750635209104655" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Art of Shoe-Throwing: Shoes as a Symbol of Protest and Popular Imagination</a> (<a href="https://zpr.io/6gmuuavLWuHu" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://zpr.io/6gmuuavLWuHu</a>),  by Yasmin Ibrahim</li>
</ul>
Films - 
<ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36580119/" rel="noopener noreferrer">The President’s Cake</a> (<a href="https://zpr.io/bjFeNa2qFYvD" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://zpr.io/bjFeNa2qFYvD</a>) - The story of life in Iraq under sanctions during the 1990s.</li>
</ul>
Inspired by the shoe throw - 
<ul>
 <li>Photos of <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/shoe-protests-around-the-world/" rel="noopener noreferrer">shoe protests around the world</a> (https://zpr.io/QsMGyWeK8MRR)</li>
 <li>This <a href="https://x.com/Gstaad_S/status/1964784249338482692?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer">music video</a> (<a href="https://zpr.io/Xi5XhHYmWFHv" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://zpr.io/Xi5XhHYmWFHv</a>)</li>
 <li>This <a href="https://x.com/UpdateTheGrids/status/1983920299939692656?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer">Halloween costume</a> (<a href="https://zpr.io/fH97iB4fjL9U" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://zpr.io/fH97iB4fjL9U</a>)</li>
 <li>This <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI6ztkEjwaA" rel="noopener noreferrer">play</a> (<a href="https://zpr.io/Naj7vWaYfzpv" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://zpr.io/Naj7vWaYfzpv</a>)</li>
</ul>
If you want more fun facts that didn’t make it into the story, follow Sarah at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bysarahqari/" rel="noopener noreferrer">@bysarahqari</a> on Instagram, where she’ll be sharing more in the coming weeks.
Sign up for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. <a href="https://radiolab.org/newsletter" rel="noopener noreferrer">Signup</a> (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!
Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of <a href="http://members.radiolab.org" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Lab</a> (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.
Follow our show on <a href="http://instagram.com/radiolab" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/radiolab" rel="noopener noreferrer">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://facebook.com/radiolab" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook</a> @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing <a href="mailto:radiolab@wnyc.org" rel="noopener noreferrer">radiolab@wnyc.org</a>.Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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