Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – In what may be the last phase of the long-term campaign to eradicate alcohol, Iraq formally outlawed alcohol on Monday at social clubs and hotels, two of the last places that serve alcohol in the country.
Violators of the new rule will face fines ranging from 10 million Iraqi dinars (around $7,700) to 25 million Iraqi dinars (roughly $19,000), according to The Washington Post.
Iraq has seen substantial changes in alcohol usage and regulation, especially in 2023 when a long-term prohibition on the sale and drinking of alcohol was enforced.
Originally enacted in 2016, this prohibition was mainly ignored until recently, when the Iraqi government stepped up its crackdown on alcohol due to growing conservative political opposition.
Drinking alcohol in Iraq has a long history that dates back to ancient Mesopotamia. Although alcohol was drunk more freely under Saddam Hussein’s rule, public drinking was limited in the 1990s.
Critics argue that because the law infringes on individual rights and unfairly affects non-Muslim people, it is unlawful.
Furthermore, there are worries that when people look for alternatives to alcohol, this restriction may result in a rise in drug usage.
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