Christian and minority lawmakers in Iraq reject 2016 alcohol ban that officially went into effect, claiming it discriminates non-Muslim communities.
The more than fifty-year-old law received renewed resistance this week after customs officials ordered a ban on alcoholic beverages on Saturday, the BBC reported.
A shop owner shows a selection of Turkish alcoholic drinks to a Kurd at a shop in Erbil, north of Baghdad, December 12. 8, 2010. (Reuters/Azad Lashkari)
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with Christian legislators Iraqi Parliament — who reportedly occupy only five of the 329 seats — have filed a lawsuit claiming the ban is undemocratic and targets minority groups who do not adhere to Muslim customs, as well as businesses that rely on the sale of alcohol.
Iraq, a predominantly Muslim country, passed the law after Mahmoud al-Hassan, a former judge and Iraqi Rule of Law Coalition MP, said allowing the consumption and sale of alcohol violated Article 2 of the Iraqi constitution, which prohibits legislation that is contrary to Muslim teachings.
Islam forbids drinking alcohol, but some minority groups argue that this is a personal decision that violates the principles of a national democratic parliamentary republic, as set out in the 2005 constitution.
Steve Ibrahim, owner of a liquor store, smokes in the city of Karakosh, south of Mosul, Iraq, on April 13, 2017. (Reuters/Marko Djurica)
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Despite the 2016 ban, it was still possible to buy alcohol in Iraq. liquor stores or licensed bars until last month.
It appears that Iraqi authorities will now begin enforcing a law banning the sale, import or production of alcohol and imposing a fine of up to 25 Iraqi dinars on offenders, which is roughly $17,000, according to the BBC.
Some fear the ban will only increase alcohol sales on black markets.
An alcohol-smuggling operation at the border near Sulaymaniyah, 160 miles northeast of Baghdad, on March 20, 2010. (Reuters/Jamal Penjweni)
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Christian lawmakers, dubbed the “Babylonian Movement”, argue that the policy is not only unconstitutional, but also contrary to a February decree that imposed a 200 percent duty on all imported alcoholic beverages for a four-year period.
It is unclear what the next steps to reduce Iraq’s alcohol ban will be, or whether the Baghdad Supreme Court will reject the newly introduced policy.