BREAKING NEWS

Iraq's parliament votes to ban alcoholic beverages

By REUTERS

OCTOBER 23, 2016 14:41

BAGHDAD - Iraq's parliament voted on Saturday to ban alcoholic beverages, lawmakers said, a move that worried Iraqis who see the growing influence of religious parties a threat to freedoms.

Iraq's population is predominantly Shi'ite Muslim, and its society is conservative, with many women wearing the black head-to-toe abaya and most people eschewing alcohol, which is forbidden by Islam.

But alcohol is readily available in dozens of shops, bars and hotels around Baghdad and in some provinces. Though drinking in public is not prohibited, it is frowned upon. In Baghdad, it is not unusual to see youths drinking on the banks of the Tigris.

The proposed alcohol ban is part of a bill on financing municipalities.

Amichai Chikli: Biden admin. doesn't project power, I would choose Trump

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF

04/24/2024 08:46 AM

Argentina submits an official request to arrest Iran's interior minister

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF

04/24/2024 08:31 AM

Russian priest presiding over Navalny's memorial suspended from duties

By REUTERS

04/24/2024 08:12 AM

Bernie Sanders: US should not give billions to extreme Netanyahu gov't

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF