Sudan’s Al-Bashir: USA, UK and France are the dirt beneath my shoes

Omar Al-Bashir, accused of perpetrating genocide in Darfur

Apparently, Omar Al-Bashir, president of the Sudan is not bothered by the recent ICC indictment.  He described the accusations of genocide, crimes against humanity and murder as “nuisances” and “similar to mosquito buzz.”

“Do not be bothered by what Ocampo (ICC Chief Prosecutor) says. He is too weak for his decision is in the hands of his master: the USA, France and UK. We will never be subdued, we will never kneel and we will never be led. They are never able to extend or shorten human life. Sustenance and kingdom are never in the hands of the USA, France or America. They (USA, UK and France) are all under my shoes.”

The insults seem very calculated in their intensity.  Shoes have a special meaning in Arabic culture.

In Arabic language and within the culture in which the words are expressed, shoes are the extreme symbol of debasement. Their filth goes far beyond hygiene and physical dirt. Shoes are so abominably dirty that they defy both mundane and ritual cleansing. This is why they are left at the entrance of sitting rooms and are never brought inside a mosque. The sole of a shoe is never exposed towards a companion and certainly not in full view of a dignitary.

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Read the entire article at the Sudan Tribune.