(CNN) -- They've sung his praises on social networking pages, calling him a "hero," "the greatest man of our time," "a legend." They've said he deserves to be knighted and should be decorated with medals. They've cried out for his amnesty and have even proposed serving time for him. A Lebanese student in Beirut attends a December rally to support the shoe-throwing Iraqi journalist. The man many hundreds of thousands of Facebook users honor is no other than Muntadhar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison for hurling his shoes at then-U.S. President George W. Bush.
@highlight
Muntadhar al-Zaidi, who threw his shoes at President Bush, gains cult-like following
@highlight
Hundreds of thousands of Facebook users join groups to praise the Iraqi journalist
@highlight
Fans extend beyond the Muslim and Arab worlds, politically and comically
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But seriousness of his actions leads to three-year prison sentence
George W. Bush
Bush
"First of all, it's got to be one of the most weird moments of my presidency," @placeholder said later.
U.S.
"It grew into this crazy thing," in which Bush supporters began to weigh in on message boards calling al-Zaidi supporters "a threat to @placeholder" and insults in reaction flew, he said.
Muntadhar al-Zaidi
Muntadhar al-Zaidi
And interspersed amid the groups of fans were those that spoke out against the @placeholder worship.
Facebook
Facebook
But the shoe-thrower fans, at least in the world of @placeholder, seem to far outweigh those who decried his actions.
Facebook
Facebook
But what @placeholder has shown is that al-Zaidi's angry expression resonated with those beyond his religion and region.
Iraqi
Iraqi
Iraqi
"I understand that his act was not so civil, polite or 'politically correct,' but I also understand how @placeholder people can see George Bush and what he represents to them."