In Iraq, Booze Becomes a Risky Business

[kskiska]

Fundamentalists Blamed for Wave of Attacks on Shops, Owners

BAGHDAD, July 20 -- After nightfall, it was one of the busiest streets in postwar Baghdad. Cars lined up two and three thick, motors idling while drivers ducked into The Mirage or several other popular liquor shops to grab a six-pack or a bottle of imported Scotch en route to a party.

Now, Ghadeer Street has fallen dead silent. The sidewalks are littered with broken glass and dotted with heaps of neatly swept rubble, each marking a spot where, on several nights last week, precisely planted bombs exploded in the doorways of five liquor stores.

"These are Islamic extremists who believe alcohol is bad. They want to impose their ideas on society by force, and they are taking advantage of democracy and the lack of security," said Sadiq Faraj, a real estate dealer whose office was damaged in one blast. "If Saddam were still in power, they would have been executed immediately."

In Iraq's secularized Muslim society, liquor has long been an accepted part of socializing, and hard-drinking night life was an escapist staple of life under Hussein's dictatorship. After the U.S.-led invasion toppled Hussein last year, the influx of foreigners and the shutdown of the import duty system spurred a new liquor boom, and shops like The Mirage were swamped with customers.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A93-2004Jul20.html

[bahrbearian]

1. We miss the good old days...

"If Saddam were still in power, they would have been executed immediately."

[Downtown Hound]

2. They're becoming more and more free all the time!

Go George!