American President and Iraqi Shoe Thrower Win Over Arab Co-Eds
Wondering what people on the Arab Street think about Iraqi shoe thrower Muntadhir al-Zeidi? If by Arab Street, you mean the bright, palm-lined walkways of the American University of Beirut—not shelled out Baghdad or poverty-stricken Gaza—here’s one answer.
Students there—a group that, in general, can be characterized as affluent, upwardly mobile, English-speaking, and in many cases, Christian—don’t look or sound too different from young Americans. To see what they think about the outburst, check out this video, produced as part of a package on the Lebanese reaction to the incident for the Huffington Post.
Beirut is a paradox within the Arab world. In many ways, life there resembles life in the West, with more beaches and bars and fewer burkhas. According to Pew’s Global Attitudes project, 51 percent of Lebanese hold favorable views of the U.S., compared with 22 percent of Egyptians and 19 percent of Jordanians.
However, bitterness toward the U.S. for its role in Iraq and acquiescence to the 2006 Israeli incursions still runs rampant, especially in the city’s Hezbollah-run southern suburbs.
While these students might not think much of George W. Bush, their distaste for American presidents isn’t universal. Jimmy Carter, who has drawn fire stateside for his fervently pro-Palestinian views, won fans last week when he was in town to discuss his upcoming book, We Can Bring Peace to the Holy Land, Hezbollah wasn’t as impressed. The group declined an invitation to meet the ex-president.
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