Baydan, the owner of the İstanbul-based Baydan Shoe Company, never imagined he would enjoy a financial windfall at a time of economic turmoil thanks to an unexpected protest against the US president. What allowed Baydan to breathe a big sigh of relief as he was worrying about finding a way to save his company from bankruptcy was the pair of shoes hurled at Bush during a press conference earlier this month.
Muntadar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at Bush after yelling "This is a farewell kiss, you dog" at a press conference in Baghdad on Dec. 19, emerged as a hero representing anger in the Middle East over Bush's policies. His weapon of choice became a symbol of resistance as protestors around the world, particularly in the Middle East, started hurling shoes at pictures of Bush. Cobblers from Turkey to Lebanon have claimed the shoes were made in their factories. "I designed that shoe model in 1999. It has been one of my bestsellers since then. I export thousands of pairs of that model to various countries every year. A shoemaker knows his product," Baydan told Sunday's Zaman.
Though the black leather shoes were previously called Model 271, the Baydan Shoe Company renamed them the "Bush shoe" after al-Zaidi's stunning protest.
"The fact that a shoe I designed became the symbol of the fight for freedom in Iraq impressed me deeply," Baydan said.
The Bush shoe is now in high demand in many countries around the world, including the United States and Britain, and in neighboring Muslim countries. "We have received orders for thousands of pairs of this model, already exceeding the number of orders we usually receive in an entire year. We have been selling these shoes for years, but orders have increased incredibly after the shoe-throwing incident," Baydan stated.
Baydan's company is said to have recruited an extra 100 workers to meet the orders. Baydan said he plans to offer the al-Zaidi family a lifetime supply of shoes.
"We have also received offers for advertising from many international companies. We are working on new advertising campaigns. We plan to prepare posters advertising the shoes that will read, 'Bye Bye Bush, Welcome Peace,'" Baydan continued.
Al-Zaidi has been in custody since the shoe-throwing incident, and there have been claims that he was badly beaten. Iraqi security agents looking for explosives destroyed the shoes, and a judge stated that the destruction of that piece of evidence would not pose an obstacle to the investigation. Al-Zaidi faces a possible jail sentence for insulting a foreign leader but has reportedly apologized and requested a pardon from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Throwing a shoe at someone is a gross insult in Arab countries, and President Bush is widely unpopular in much of the region.
Al-Zaidi's toss has set an example for protestors across Turkey and other countries in the Middle East. People are now using shoes during protests, including those in which they denounce the recent Israeli violence in Gaza. Around 400 Palestinians have been killed and over 1,000 others have been wounded so far in the deadliest-ever Israeli air offensive into Gaza.
Protest boosts entrepreneurs’ creativity
The shoe-throwing protest has also enhanced the creativity of entrepreneurs who are currently engaged in fierce competition to immortalize the protest in their own sectors.
Within hours of the world seeing al-Zaidi's shoes flying across the room, video games allowing people to throw virtual shoes at Bush went online, recreating the incident. A managing director of T-Enterprise, the company behind one of these computer games, said he hopes the president's security agents will use the game as a training aid for blocking future footwear attacks on world leaders.
One restaurant in Turkey offered free drinks to any customer who managed to hit a target marked with Bush's picture.
A Turkish baker made a giant cake topped with a figure of al-Zaidi holding a shoe in his hand. Ali Osman Kayıkçı, the baker, said he spent one week preparing the cake, for which he used 60 kilograms of margarine, 25 kilograms of chocolate and another 25 kilograms of sugar.
"As I didn't use flour in the cake, I don't plan to sell it. My customers express surprise when they first see the cake. Some even pose for souvenir photos with it. This makes me happy," he said.
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