Shoes/Head insult explanation sought...
Okay, so it's been explained to me that pointing the soles of your shoes at someone else's head is insulting in Arabic culture.
That's why George Bush Sr.'s visage was laid out in a tile mosaic at the entrance to Baghdad's Al-Rashid Hotel; that's why MSS mentioned that Iraqis would be beating the faces of coalition forces with their sandals; and that's why we've seen images of civilians in the streets of Baghdad and elsewhere whacking graven images of Saddam Hussein with their shoes.
But can someone with a better handle on Arabic culture than me please explain *why* this particular insult is so harsh?
Comments
To Arabs, the sole of the foot is the most unclean part of the body. Until recent years, most Arabs lived in the desert where they raised sheep and camels. They did not have shoes, so they were walking on the filthy ground with their bare feet. Hence, showing the sole of a foot to an Arab is a grave insult. Touching an Arab with a shoe is a grave insult. Hitting the statue of Saddam with not just a shoe, but the sole of a shoe, probably would have been punished with the death of the offender's entire family only a few days ago. Now, these Iraqis can enjoy the unbelievable freedom of expressing their anger towards Saddam by touching the face of his statues with the soles of their shoes.
Posted by: jezuskryst | April 15, 2003 12:11 AM
I actually explained this to Peter earlier today in almost these exact same words. Unfortunately, I happen to work for MacGamer, so Pete just assumes that everything I commit to print is just yanked out of my ass without any regard for validity just so I can get back to looking at pornography. You can't blame him for completely disregarding my perfectly accurate explanation. It's ok, Pete. I'm not offended. No, seriously. I'm not.
Posted by: Corey | April 15, 2003 02:27 AM
Corey is right, it's all about clenliness being next to Alah'ness :O)
The soles of the feet are also the furthest away from Alah (heaven) too if you think about it, not sure if that'e relevant though :O)
Posted by: Rob | April 17, 2003 09:11 AM