CAIRO — During a historic trip to Egypt, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was greeted by a group of men who hurled shoes at him — a major insult in the Muslim World. A video posted by the Anadolu news agency shows a smiling Ahmadinejad shaking hands with a crowd of supporters in Cairo late Tuesday when at least one man threw a shoe toward him. Other men also threw shoes at Ahmadinejad, the Egyptian public prosecutor's office said. “You killed our brothers!” one of the assailants shouted, according to Anadolu. The agency said the man's shoe struck a security guard. Iran's Foreign Ministry downplayed the incident, saying it did not indicate Egypt's official stance toward Tehran. “What is important to us is the behavior of Egyptian officials and the nation, who respect the Islamic republic as a major power,” the ISNA news agency quoted ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast as saying. The men behind the attack were four Salafis, Egyptian prosecutor's office said. Salafis follow the Sunni Muslim doctrine and oppose the idea of Shiite Muslims engaging in any political activity in Egypt. They have accused Iran of financing Shiites to spread their doctrine in Egypt, which has a Sunni majority. The four men were released on bail for 500 Egyptian pounds ($75) each, the prosecutors' office said. Ahmadinejad's visit to Egypt is the first by an Iranian president in more than 30 years. He was in Cairo visiting the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayeb. The Al-Ahram news agency said Ahmadinejad also visited the historic Al-Hussein Mosque. The mosque was built in 1154 and it is named after Hussein Bin Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). — Agencies
