Thursday May 24, 2012

I've Been Thinking:

Egyptian elections began yesterday and continue today.

When presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq came to cast his ballot he was greeted with a barrage of shoes and stones. Shafiq was prime minister under Mubarak. He was also the former head of the air force, as was Mubarak.

Stones are obvious - but what is the significance of the shoes? In Islam, shoes are a classic curse.

Shoes are covered with the dirt of the earth. In Islam one removes shoes and washes their feet before prayer. The traveler is covered with the dirt of the road and everyone must clean their feet before prayer.

Throwing shoes is throwing all the dirt - physical and metaphorical, on the target. This time the target was Shafiq.

The shoe throw is not unusual in Islamic culture, it is a matter of practice. President George Bush was the target of two shoe throws. Ahmadinejad has also been the caught in footwear crosshairs.

I do not have high hopes for the election. However, I can say that today women are encouraged to vote in Egypt. That is a huge step forward.

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