Region | Iraq
People want to help any which way
Iraqi shoe thrower Muntazer al-Zaidi inundated with offers and gifts.
- By Martin Chulov and Rory McCarthy, Guardian News and Media Limited
- Published: 23:13 September 13, 2009
Baghdad/Nablus: From his prison cell, Muntadar Al Zaidi has a sense of the gathering fuss, but not the full extent of the drama as benefactors and patrons prepare feverishly for his release.
A new four-bedroom home has been built by his former boss. A new car - and the promise of many more - awaits. Pledges of harems, money and healthcare are pouring in to his employers, the Al Baghdadia television channel reported.
"One Iraqi who lived in Morocco called to offer to send his daughter to be Muntadar's wife," said editor Abdul Hamid Al Saij.
"Another called from Saudi [Arabia] offering $10 million (Dh36.7 million) for his shoes, and another called from Morocco offering a gold-saddled horse. After the event, we had callers from Palestine and many women asking to marry him, but we didn't take their names. Many of their reactions were emotional. We will see what happens when he is freed."
From the West Bank town of Nablus, Ahmad Jouda, 75, saw the incident on television news and felt so moved that he called together his relatives for a meeting in a nearby reception hall. He convinced his relatives to contribute tens of thousands of dollars to support Al Zaidi's legal case.
Jouda himself decided to sell half his herd of goats.
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