Updated 10 April 2003, 15.53

The shoe is seen as dirty

Hitting with shoes
Many people are hitting pictures and statues of Saddam with shoes.

For Arabs, shoes are as dirty as the things they walk on. If you go into someone's house, or a mosque, you must take your shoes off.

So hitting something with a shoe is a big insult.

Palm leaves
Palm leaves, or fronds, have been waved in Iraq at times of celebration and mourning for five or six thousand years.

A turba

Holding clay discs
The discs, called turbas, are made of special clay, which Shia Muslims see as holy.

The Shia were repressed by Saddam, and under his government, having a clay disc would have been seen as opposing Saddam.

Chest beating
This is another Shia custom. It is a sign of loyalty to the Imams, important figures to Muslims.

But on the streets of Baghdad it is now a sign of joy and a statement against Saddam.

An old Iraqi flag

Flags
The flags being waved are old Iraqi flags.

The new ones have Saddam's handwriting on them.

Getting rid of them is very important to many Iraqis.

Thumbs up
This was originally an insult in the Middle East.

But since the first Gulf War, many Iraqis ahve started using it as a sign of co-operation and freedom.

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