Although the Iraqi constitution “guarantees personal, religious and cultural freedom,” the aggressively expansionist aspect of Islam is no secret. Protestors called the alcohol ban “ethnic discrimination,” since there are in Iraq “sizable communities of Christians, Yazidis, Zorastrians, Mandaeans and others.” But since when do Islamic supremacists care about kaffirs? “Some analysts believe the law is a step toward turning Iraq into an Islamic country.”
As long as there is any leeway at all, Sharia tenets will continue to expand and encroach upon all citizens of Iraq. An earlier report by Reuters stated that Islamic religious parties in Iraq are growing in influence and clout, and fears are rising that their influence is “threatening social freedoms.”
“’Iraq is not an Islamic country’: Minorities protest Baghdad’s alcohol ban as unconstitutional,” by Ali Mamouri, Al-Monitor, March 12, 2023:
Iraq officially banned the import, production and sale of alcoholic beverages of all kinds on March 4, in a repeat of a ban that was passed in 2016, but its implementation was paused due to strong objections from secularists and minorities at the time.
The new law imposes fines for violations of between 10 million and 25 million dinars ($7,700-$19,000).
Last month, the law instituting the ban was published in Iraq’s official gazette, paving the way for implementation. The coalition of new Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who took office last October, is dominated by Shiite Islamist parties and militias in the so-called Coordination Framework who support the ban.
Now, with the law going into effect, liquor stores are still open in Baghdad, Erbil and other parts of the country. But some Iraqis, especially those from the Yazidi and Christian communities, are raising concerns.
‘Not an Islamic country’
Iraq has great religious diversity. The majority of the population is Shiite and Sunni Muslims, but there are also sizable communities of Christians, Yazidis, Zorastrians, Mandaeans and others. Some analysts believe the law is a step toward turning Iraq into an Islamic country.
“This is ethnic discrimination,” Diya Butros, an activist in the predominantly Chaldean Catholic town of Ankawa, told Al-Monitor. “It’s a violation of the rights of non-Muslim religions that do not forbid alcohol.”
Ali Saheb, an Iraqi political analyst, told Independent Arabia on March 6 that Iraq is not an Islamic country, and “Some religions allow drinking alcohol, and the government cannot impose a certain opinion or ideology on others.”
Unlike Islam, the Yazidi and Christian faiths do not forbid alcohol consumption. Some even use it in their religious rituals.
Others argue the law violates the Iraqi constitution, which guarantees personal, religious and cultural freedom. Mirza Dinnayi is a Yazidi activist and chairman of Luftbrucke Irak, a non-governmental organization that helps victims of conflict in Iraq. He told Al-Monitor, “The law is contrary to the constitution because Iraq is a multi-ethnic, -religious and -cultural country, and drinking alcohol is not prohibited for many.”…
tim gallagher says
I learn many things here at Jihad Watch which is a good thing. I had always thought that Iraq was a fully islamic country and that alcohol would have been banned. I do hope that the non-Muslims in Iraq can manage to ditch the knuckle dragging islamic bullshit and can continue to have a drink and live a reasonably civilised life. I also hope those Iranian protesters can ditch islam and its primitive garbage and live a civilised, non-Muslim life in the future. That seems unlikely, but it would be wonderful to see those mullahs thrown out of power there and the Iranians live free of islam’s barbarous garbage.
kq6kq6kq6 says
Islam IS the official religion of Iraq according to Article 2 of their Constitution. I knew that when I read that as soon as it happened. And it happened right under the noses of our American occupation troops when we disposed of Saddam Hussain. Shame on us.