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BAGHDAD, Iraq - The law in federal Iraq banning the sale of alcohol is a source of concern for many residents and minorities living in the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad, as the closure of shops threatens the livelihoods of some.
There are also concerns about the impact this will have on the rate of unemployment.
The law, published in the justice ministry in late February, prohibits the import, sale, and manufacture of all alcoholic beverages. The ban sparked concern among minority groups, as the majority of shops selling alcohol are owned by Christians and Yazidis.
“I learned this profession from my grandparents. This decision will affect my workers and the owner of the goods from whom we buy, and the offices will also be closed and affected, perhaps a thousand or two thousand Christian families will be affected,” Abu Wassam, an alcohol shop owner, told Rudaw’s Anmar Ghazi on Thursday.
Zaid Jasim, who has been drinking alcohol on a daily basis for a decade, does not know what he will do if those shops are closed.
“The price of a bottle was 2,000 Iraqi dinars, and now it is 3,000 dinars and this has affected us a lot.” Jasim continued, “I drink alcohol three times a day, and I cannot leave it, and I will be greatly affected if I do not drink alcohol every day.”
Many shops closed their doors after the liquidation of their goods, as soon as the decision was issued last March.
There are differing opinions on the decision to ban the sale of alcohol.
Owners of alcohol shops warn that they are most prone to the negative effects of the decision as the closure of their establishments will render them unemployed.
There are also concerns about the impact this will have on the rate of unemployment.
The law, published in the justice ministry in late February, prohibits the import, sale, and manufacture of all alcoholic beverages. The ban sparked concern among minority groups, as the majority of shops selling alcohol are owned by Christians and Yazidis.
“I learned this profession from my grandparents. This decision will affect my workers and the owner of the goods from whom we buy, and the offices will also be closed and affected, perhaps a thousand or two thousand Christian families will be affected,” Abu Wassam, an alcohol shop owner, told Rudaw’s Anmar Ghazi on Thursday.
Zaid Jasim, who has been drinking alcohol on a daily basis for a decade, does not know what he will do if those shops are closed.
“The price of a bottle was 2,000 Iraqi dinars, and now it is 3,000 dinars and this has affected us a lot.” Jasim continued, “I drink alcohol three times a day, and I cannot leave it, and I will be greatly affected if I do not drink alcohol every day.”
Many shops closed their doors after the liquidation of their goods, as soon as the decision was issued last March.
There are differing opinions on the decision to ban the sale of alcohol.
Owners of alcohol shops warn that they are most prone to the negative effects of the decision as the closure of their establishments will render them unemployed.
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