Shoe thrower offered cars, homes and wife

The Iraqi journalist, who shot to instant fame for throwing his shoes at George W Bush, has been inundated with offers of cars, homes, money and even a wife in the run up to his release from prison, a media report said.

The Iraqi journalist, who shot to instant fame for throwing his shoes at George W Bush, has been inundated with offers of cars, homes, money and even a wife in the run up to his release from prison, a media report said.

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"This is your farewell kiss, you dog. This is for the widows and orphans of Iraq," Muntazer al-Zaidi had said while throwing a pair of shoes at the then US President Bush during a press conference in Baghdad last December.

Now, in preparation for his early release next Monday, following a presidential pardon, the offers are rolling in for Zaidi who has won the adulation of millions in the Arab world, The Guardian reported.

A new four-bedroom home has been built by his former boss. A new car -- and the promise of many more -- awaits. And pledges of harems, money and healthcare are pouring in to his employers, the al-Baghdadia television channel.

"One Iraqi who lived in Morocco called to offer to send his daughter to be Muntazer's wife. Another called from Saudi offering $10 million for his shoes and another called from Morocco offering a gold-saddled horse.

"After the event, we had callers from Palestine and many women asking to marry him, but we didn't take their names. Many of their reactions were emotional. We'll see what happens when he's freed," said Editor Abdul Hamid alSaij.