Alcohol Business Dangerous in Baghdad
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(AP) An Iraqi
man is seen in a central Baghdad, Iraq liquor store on Tuesday,
Sept. 11, 2007, two days... |
BAGHDAD
(AP) - The three men glanced left and right before cautiously
entering a liquor store on Saadoun Street, one of two areas where
alcohol is publicly sold in the Iraqi capital. Inside, they pointed
to a bottle of champagne.
"Give me a box of those," one said.
Selling
and drinking alcohol is still legal in Iraq, but since the rise
of religious parties in this predominantly Muslim country, the
trade has come under severe pressure. Aside from legal restrictions,
many liquor shops have been bombed in the past four years.
Some
who dared sell alcohol from their homes have been killed by religious
militias, which use fear and intimidation to keep liquor out of
areas they control.
Still, that has not deterred all traders or customers.
"We're
busy these few days," said Yasser, a clerk at the Saadoun
Street store, who refused to give his full name for security reasons.
"People are buying big amounts of alcohol because Ramadan
is coming," referring to the Muslim holy month of fasting
that began this week.
All
liquor stores are closed during Ramadan, a measure that has been
in force since before Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled in April
2003.
"Usually
the buyers take bottles, but now they buy boxes," said Naim,
a clerk who refused to give his full name out of fear for his
safety. "They want to make sure they have enough until the
end of the month. We are selling a lot of beers and whiskey."
Iraq's alcohol business faced various pressures long before the
U.S.-led invasion.
For
decades, Baghdad's nightclubs and bars by the Tigris river were
famous throughout the Middle East for grilled fish, alcohol and
scantily clad belly dancers.
Similar clubs in the southern city of Basra used to attract thousands
of Kuwaitis who drove to the Iraqi city for fun and drinks.
But
in 1993, Saddam, reeling from his loss in the 1991 Gulf War, launched
a religious campaign that included a ban on public consumption
of alcohol, closing nightclubs, combatting prostitution and giving
religious lessons to the public, including those in his secular
Baath party.
Saddam
heavily restricted and regulated alcohol sales. Nightclubs were
turned into restaurants but some still sold alcohol to their clients
secretly.
Soon
after Saddam's fall, the liquor business boomed. Shops began openly
selling alcohol and vendors were seen in some of Baghdad's streets
hawking imported beer or whiskey.
All
that came to an end as religious parties solidified their hold
on power.
Today,
there are only two areas in Baghdad where alcohol is legally sold:
near the Baghdad Hotel in the central part of the capital along
Saadoun Street and in the Karradit Mariam area just outside the
Green Zone that houses offices of the Iraqi prime minister and
president as well as the U.S. Embassy.
Most
of the shops are run by Iraq's minority Christians or Yazidis,
followers of an ancient religion that does not forbid alcohol.
Naim,
a Yazidi, said the most popular drink is Arak, an anise or dates
flavored liquor which is produced in Iraq and which sells for
as little as $2.40 a bottle.
The
most expensive brand he sells is Johnny Walker Black Label whisky
for $28 a bottle.
At
another shop, a Christian employee who refused to give his name,
saying he has been receiving threats for months, said his cheapest
brand is an Indian-made whiskey that sells for $2 for a fifth.
"This
is usually bought by homeless people who live in the streets,"
the man said.
He said most of his clientele is Muslim.
"Christians
and Yazidis sell, and Muslims drink," he said.
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