Saturday, 12. April 2003
Topic: - on April 12, 2003 at 10:25:24 AM CEST
Why Iraqis use shoes to shoo Saddam
As anyone who has been to the Middle East (or even to countries like India) knows, the foot and shoe are imbued with considerable significance.
The foot occupies the lowest rung in the bodily hierarchy and the shoe, in addition to being something in which the foot is placed, is in constant contact with dirt, soil and worse. The sole of the shoe is the most unclean part of an unclean object. In northern India, where I grew up, the exhortation "Jooté maro!" ("Hit him with shoes!") was invoked when one sought to administer the most demeaning punishment.
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