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A statue built for Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi, who hurled his shoes at former US president George Bush, is seen in Tikrit, 150 km (95 miles) Baghdad, January 27, 2009. An Iraqi town has unveiled a giant monument of a shoe in honour of the journalist who threw his footwear at former US President George W. Bush. The letters on the sign reads "Muntazer is fasting until the sword breaks his fast with blood, silent until our mouths speak the truth". Picture taken January 27, 2009. [Agencies]
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For the war-beaten orphans of the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, this big old shoe fits.
A huge sculpture of the footwear hurled at President Bush in December during a trip to Iraq has been unveiled in a ceremony at the Tikrit Orphanage complex.
Assisted by children at the home, sculptor Laith al-Amiri erected a brown replica of one of the shoes hurled at Bush and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki by journalist Muntadhir al-Zaidi during a press conference in Baghdad.
Al-Zaidi was jailed for his actions, and a trial is pending. But his angry gesture touched a defiant nerve throughout the Arab and Muslim world. He is regarded by many people as a hero. Demonstrators in December took to the streets in the Arab world and called for his release.
The shoe monument, made of fiberglass and coated with copper, consists of the shoe and a concrete base. The entire monument is 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) high. The shoe is 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) long and 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) wide.
The orphans helped al-Amiri build the $5,000 structure -- unveiled Tuesday -- in 15 days, said Faten Abdulqader al-Naseri, the orphanage director.
"Those orphans who helped the sculptor in building this monument were the victims of Bush's war," al-Naseri said. "The shoe monument is a gift to the next generation to remember the heroic action by the journalist."
"When the next generation sees the shoe monument, they will ask their parents about it," al-Naseri said.
"Then their parents will start talking about the hero Muntadhir al-Zaidi, who threw his shoe at George W. Bush during his unannounced farewell visit."
Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi leader toppled by the United States in 2003, was from the Tikrit region.
Al-Zaidi marked his 30th birthday in jail last month. One of his brothers said he is "in good health and is being treated well."
Al-Zaidi's employer, TV network al-Baghdadia, keeps a picture of him at the top left side of the screen with a calendar showing the number of days he has spent in detention. The network has been calling for his release.
By tradition, throwing a shoe is the most insulting act in the Arab world.
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(Agencies)
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對于伊拉克北部城市提克里特飽受戰(zhàn)亂之苦的孤兒們來說，這個巨大的“鞋形雕塑”建在這里再合適不過了。
美國前總統(tǒng)布什去年12月訪問伊拉克期間遭到飛鞋襲擊，以這只鞋為原型的一座巨大雕塑日前在提克里特孤兒院的落成儀式上亮相。
在孤兒院兒童的幫助下，雕塑家雷斯?艾爾-阿米利以一只飛鞋為原型，創(chuàng)建了一個棕色的鞋形雕塑。飛鞋事件發(fā)生在巴格達的一個新聞發(fā)布會上，當時記者蒙塔茲?扎伊迪將鞋子砸向了布什和伊拉克總理馬利基。
扎伊迪因此被捕，目前仍在等待判決。但他表達憤怒的舉動激發(fā)了阿拉伯和穆斯林世界人們的反抗精神。很多人視他為英雄。去年12月，阿拉伯國家的示威者紛紛走上街頭呼吁將他釋放。
“飛鞋雕塑”由鞋型和混凝土基座構(gòu)成，鞋雕塑的材料為玻璃絲，外面鍍有一層黃銅。整個雕塑高3.5米（合11.5英尺）。鞋長2.5米（合8.2英尺），寬1.5米（合4.9英尺）。
孤兒院院長納歇里稱，在孤兒院孩子們的幫助下，阿米利在15天內(nèi)建成了這個雕塑，造價5000美元，已于上周二正式亮相。
納歇里說：“幫助建造雕塑的孩子們都是布什所發(fā)動的伊拉克戰(zhàn)爭的遺孤。這座雕塑是留給下一代人紀念扎伊迪記者英勇事跡的禮物。”
他說：“當下一代人看到這座鞋形雕塑時，他們會問父母它是怎么來的。”
“接著父母就會給他們講英雄扎伊迪在布什的告別之旅時向他扔鞋的故事。”
2003年被美國推翻的伊拉克前領(lǐng)導人薩達姆?侯賽因就來自提克里特地區(qū)。
扎伊迪于上月在看守所度過了他30歲的生日。他的一個弟弟稱他現(xiàn)在“健康狀況良好，待遇也不錯。”
（扎伊迪被捕后，）他所在的巴格達迪亞電視臺在電視屏幕的左上方打出了他的一張照片，并在旁邊附上日歷注明他被拘留的天數(shù)。該電視臺一直呼吁釋放扎伊迪。
按照阿拉伯世界的傳統(tǒng)，向人扔鞋是極具侮辱性的行為。
（實習生許雅寧 英語點津姍姍編輯）
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