al-Zaidi

Nagkakaisang nagpahayag ng suporta ang kanyang online fans at prinotesta ang hatol na 3 taong pagkakakulong. Marami ang tumatawag sa kanyang bayani, o pinakamatapang na tao sa mundo. Meron din kumondena sa kanyang ginawa.

Kung nakalimutan nyo na, si Muntadhar al-Zaidi ay isang Iraqi journalist na pumukol ng mga sapatos nya kay George Bush noon nakaraang December. Na-sentensyahan sya ng 3 taong pagkakakulong.

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They've sung his praises on social networking pages, calling him a "hero," "the greatest man of our time," "a legend." They've said he deserves to be knighted and should be decorated with medals. They've cried out for his amnesty and have even proposed serving time for him.

To do this to an American president surrounded by Secret Service agents, no less, was as shocking to riveted viewers who watched the footage later as it was to the president himself.

"First of all, it's got to be one of the most weird moments of my presidency," Bush said later.

"Here I am getting ready to answer questions from the free press in a democratic Iraq, and a guy stands up and throws his shoe. ... I'm not angry with the system. I believe that a free society is emerging, and a free society is necessary for our own security and peace."

Expressing their own freedom on Facebook, a worldwide fan base rose up to laud al-Zaidi's actions. They formed hundreds of fan pages and groups, big and small, serious and light. One is even called the "Shoe-Throwing Appreciation Society."

Tthe shoe-thrower fans, at least in the world of Facebook, seem to far outweigh those who decried his actions.

"This site is intended to express the appreciation of those who share the frustration and anger that you expressed when you blew Mr Bush those boot-kisses [sic]," reads the description on "Thank you Muntadhar al-Zaidi," a nearly 500-member page created by a teacher at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.

Protests of the journalist's arrest and now sentence brought Arab and Muslim demonstrators to the streets. But what Facebook has shown is that al-Zaidi's angry expression resonated with those beyond his religion and region. From England and Uruguay to China and Bush's own red, white and blue, supporters have made noise, at least virtually.

"We're talking about a common man, like me and you," who was "tired of years of lies from a self-called 'freedom saver,' " said Matteo Ferigo of Padova, Italy, the 30-year-old creator behind

"Save Muntadhar al-Zaidi," which has 116 members. "I understand that his act was not so civil, polite or 'politically correct,' but I also understand how Iraqi people can see George Bush and what he represents to them."

Ari Vais, the creator of the page, "Free the Iraqi shoe throwing journalist!," said his own history taught him the value of free expression.

What al-Zaidi did was a reflection of the democracy Vais thought Bush intended to spread.

"We were supposed to be liberators, and what America stands for is freedom of self-expression and human rights," he said. "All he did was throw a couple shoes. And he missed! It was political theater and not jail-time stuff."

But it was serious business. Anyone, no matter where they live, would be tackled by Secret Service and face charges for such an attempted assault on the president. And if al-Zaidi had done this to Saddam Hussein, one has to wonder what would have come of the man who's now celebrated.

Matt Love of Edmonton, Alberta, in Canada called the Iraqi journalist's move "an act of great courage" and said that in showing his disdain for Bush, "He spoke for many millions of people."
The 52-year-old retired Washington state department of transportation worker believes everyone can learn from the shoe thrower.

Reached later in the day, however, he assured CNN that this was written tongue-in-cheek.
"Let me be clear," Love said. "I won't be throwing shoes at anyone