Christian politicians protest alcohol ban in Iraq, call the legislation 'undemocratic'

A day after the Iraqi customs department issued orders to enforce the alcohol sale and import ban, Christian politicians have coalesced to overturn the legislation. Members of the Babylon Movement - a group which has five seats in Iraq's parliament filed a lawsuit, arguing the legislation was undemocratic.

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The group added that the ban infringed upon the rights of minorities and their freedom.

“This ban is unconstitutional, as the constitution acknowledges the rights of non-Muslim minorities and ethnic groups who live alongside Muslims in Iraq,” said Joseph Slaiwa, a Christian lawmaker.

“To those Muslim lawmakers I say: Take care of your religion and leave ours for us, we know how to deal with it.”

The consumption of alcohol in Shiite majority Iraq is frowned upon as Islam forbids it, However, alcohol has been available in the big cities of Iraq, mainly in the shops run by Christians.

Read more: Iraq govt directs customs agency to start enforcing ban on import of alcohol

The new legislation, which bans the sale, import or production of alcohol, was originally approved by parliament in 2016 but only became law last month, after its publication in the official gazette.

The bill was put forth by Mahmoud al-Hassan, a lawmaker from the State of Law - the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament.

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“The constitution preserves democracy and the rights of non-Muslim groups, but these rights must not violate the religion of Islam,” said al-Hassan, before adding, “Some of the lawmakers’ vote was religiously-motivated, but many others voted to avoid anything unconstitutional.”

The law imposes a fine between 10 million and 25 million dinars ($7,700-$19,000) on the violators. Most Muslim countries have restrictive policies regarding liquor but only a few such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have imposed a complete ban on the sale.

The involvement of Christian political groups has sparked a debate with the minorities demanding that the executive branch overturn the decision on procedural and other grounds.

(With inputs from agencies)

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