Baghdad crushes its emerging nightlife
Source: Agencies |
December 7, 2009, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A SPECIAL police force has closed 95 unlicensed clubs and 42 liquor stores in Baghdad since the start of November after neighbors complained of underage drinking, public drunkenness and lewd advertising, Governor Salah Abdul-Razzaq said.
No nightclubs in the Iraqi capital have a licence, he said.
The closures threaten to cut short a brief revival in Baghdad's once-vibrant nightlife as residents began to enjoy some of the activities they were forced to abandon amid the sectarian violence unleashed by the 2003 American-led invasion.
It was unclear who had ordered the raids. Abdul-Razzaq said the move had cabinet approval, but government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh denied that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was involved. "This issue concerns the province of Baghdad and is not a federal issue," Dabbagh said.
Maliki's Dawa Party has Shi'ite Islamist roots but has sought to broaden its base to include secularists, nationalists and minorities as it seeks re-election in a poll next year.
Mainly Muslim Iraq is a conservative society, where many women cover their hair and bodies and most men and women eschew alcohol, which is proscribed under Islamic law.
The re-opening of Baghdad's nightclubs, which showcased belly dancers and served alcohol, in the last year was heralded as a step towards normal city life, and police said at the time Maliki's government had instructed them to turn a blind eye.
At the height of Iraq's sectarian war, militias executed people they believed violated Islamic laws and suicide bombers killed dozens of people at a time. At least 100,000 civilians have died in Iraq since 2003.
No nightclubs in the Iraqi capital have a licence, he said.
The closures threaten to cut short a brief revival in Baghdad's once-vibrant nightlife as residents began to enjoy some of the activities they were forced to abandon amid the sectarian violence unleashed by the 2003 American-led invasion.
It was unclear who had ordered the raids. Abdul-Razzaq said the move had cabinet approval, but government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh denied that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was involved. "This issue concerns the province of Baghdad and is not a federal issue," Dabbagh said.
Maliki's Dawa Party has Shi'ite Islamist roots but has sought to broaden its base to include secularists, nationalists and minorities as it seeks re-election in a poll next year.
Mainly Muslim Iraq is a conservative society, where many women cover their hair and bodies and most men and women eschew alcohol, which is proscribed under Islamic law.
The re-opening of Baghdad's nightclubs, which showcased belly dancers and served alcohol, in the last year was heralded as a step towards normal city life, and police said at the time Maliki's government had instructed them to turn a blind eye.
At the height of Iraq's sectarian war, militias executed people they believed violated Islamic laws and suicide bombers killed dozens of people at a time. At least 100,000 civilians have died in Iraq since 2003.
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