Iraqi hero

[Jaz66]

Well hero or zero, does it really serve any purpose to jail him for 3 years.

As i see it, he wasn't planning or supporting roadside bombs or shooting of coalition forces, simply a man frustrated with the american post war rebuilding of iraq.
And who can blame him, it has been a catastrophy.
Little or no planning for what to do after victory, turning iraq from a dictator state into a failed state in weeks.....

If he had of done that in a western state, would he still have got 3 years for throwing shoes at a member of state? (and he missed by the way)

Can't see how reverting to type (and yes i know under saddam he would now have his innards strewn across victory square, and his families) we in the west, show ourselves in a good light to the iraqis, surely if we want them to follow our type of democracy, we should have been a bit more understanding and lenient.
(Wouldn't you have been as frustrated ?)


news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7938947.stm

[McF]

My first reaction was "good, he deserves it", but then I thought of the photo I saw earlier this week of Peter Mandleson wearing a new coat of green slime.

Politicians should see things being thrown at them as an occupational hazard. Ann Widecombe in the "Daily Express" wrote about this and said she often travelled with spare clothing for this kind of eventuality. She bemoaned the fact that the public are now seperated from MPs in the house of commons by a glass screen following the Father's for Justice flour throwing several years ago.
We've seen John Prescott get slapped - and punch back (don't like the man, but good for him!)

In arab culture it is a significant insult to be hit with the sole of a shoe; it is insulting to even show someone the soles of your shoe. What the journalist did therefore was a great insult, but nothing more.

On reflection therefore, I'd say "free him" and concentrate on bigger issues.

[Buzzin (^_^)]

Well, having had this discussion somewhere before, let me add a few points:
1. If the world/US were to step in now to ask for a different verdict, the new iraqi government/judicialsystem would loose credit. (not to mention the upset it would cause in the arab world)
2. The insult was a very large one, and throwing the shoe is almost as bad there, as someone walking up here and threatening to kill you
(Typing this while I just hit the 'reboot' button on the second pc ;D )
3. It is still assault if you want to hurt someone.....whether it's for political reasons or not...

3 years might be a bit much, but yes, I believe the man should be punished after considering the consequences if he won't be, and well, because it's just wrong

ps. I wouldn't have minded if he did hit....I wasn't/am not exactly a fan of Bush....but laws are laws...

[Jaz66]

Points taken lads.

The whole shoe thing i don't get, but i do know it's a real insult.

3 years. mmhh. have a sneaky feeling that the americans still have a pretty big say in what happens and not too sure that the 'Host' iraqi's wouldn't have been trying to prove themselves to the US administration, so gave a harsher sentence then was really necessary.

I would have thought that any force trying to maintain the peace in a foreign country would do their best not to antagonise one of perhaps the more important sections of that community, journalist.

How do they put a positive spin on news stories when they feel one of their own has been unfairly treated?

More muddled thinking from the US Admin i am afraid..

6 months jail time for attempted assault (suspended) IF journalist writes a fulsome apology to the American people, outlining why he did it.

The Law is the Law, but how we interpret it can be different..
I believe in some states buying your way out of jail for some offences is common? so this would have been a more practical solution.

Sure many Iraqi's would understand how he felt and it might make the job for the troops on the ground less hazardous than it already is.