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The Shoe Thrower

July 31, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In December 2008, the world watched a clip that felt almost like slapstick: a journalist in Baghdad stood up during a press conference with President George W. Bush, shouted an insult, and hurled his shoes at the president’s head. Bush ducked both throws, and the man was tackled to the ground. The footage looped endlessly on news channels and late-night shows, where hosts joked about Bush’s reflexes. For most viewers, it was a bizarre, fleeting outburst—a crazy guy doing a crazy thing. But reporter Sarah Kari, revisiting the moment nearly two decades later, found that the story behind the shoe throw was far more deliberate, layered, and painful than the viral clip ever suggested.

The journalist who couldn’t make himself heard

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:48) **Episode Introduction** - Lulu introduces the episode and reporter Sarah Kari, who has been trying to interview the infamous shoe-thrower for nearly a year.
  • 2 (03:37) **The Shoe-Thrower's Viral Moment** - Sarah refreshes listeners on the December 14, 2008 incident, where Bush dodged two shoes during a Baghdad press conference.
  • 3 (08:05) **Journalist's Dilemma: Anger vs. Neutrality** - Sarah reveals her personal conflict as a journalist feeling handcuffed by neutrality while witnessing atrocities, which drives her to understand Montazer's choice.
  • 4 (09:07) **Montazer's Early Life and the Seeds of Anger** - Montazer's childhood love of stories and exposure to political poetry under Saddam Hussein's dictatorship laid the groundwork for his journalistic ambition.
  • 5 (11:13) **The 2003 Invasion and a Turning Point** - The US invasion of Iraq under false WMD claims shattered Montazer's hopes and ignited his desire to document the truth.
  • 6 (13:57) **Reporting on Atrocities: The Story of Zahra** - Montazer risked his life to report on the killing of an eight-year-old girl by American soldiers, a story most journalists were too intimidated to cover.
  • 7 (17:04) **Context of Widespread Abuses and Montazer's Kidnapping** - Sarah confirms that stories like Zahra's were common, with rampant US abuses including raids, torture, and indiscriminate killing, while Montazer himself was kidnapped and detained.

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Show Notes

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 Elorbany

LATERAL 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:

  • 60 Words (https://radiolab.org/podcast/60-words),
  • or our series The Other Latif (https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/other-latif)

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