Baghdad, July 23 (AKnews) - Baghdad Provincial Council today accused the judicial authorities of failing to enforce the law that prevents stores selling alcoholic beverages without license.
 
The council issued regulations in November 2010 to ban the sale of alcohol without official permission. In March there was a clampdown by police and many stores were closed, but it is reported that many are operating again.

Head of the provincial council Kamil al-Zaidi said: "It is regrettable that there is a slackening in the implementation of the procedures to close down all alcohol stores in Baghdad that are violating the regulations.

"According to law, second time violators will be locked behind bars for three years, but this has not been implemented yet"

Shop-keeper Lukman Rasho, who had his store closed in March, said at the time: "Closing our stores has become the main concern for members of the Baghdad Provincial Council as if they will end financial corruption and poor services if we stop our work".

He accused the council of "destroying the livelihood of people of other religions, as all the people in this field are non-Muslims", adding that the move was part of a bid "to Islamicize Iraqi society".

Iraqi law states that only Christians and Yezidis are allowed to open premises selling alcohol.

However, Al-Zaidi said the council's decision to close down the liquor stores is justified as "many complaints were received from families calling on us to stop this [drinking] phenomenon."

Provincial council member Mohammed al-Rabaie questioned the legitimacy of the council's decision to shut the shops.

"The provincial council does not have the power to close down the stores," he said. "The governor of Baghdad, and its monitoring team manage this issue for the province, not the provincial council".

There have been several attacks on alcohol stores in Baghdad since the March 2010 elections, when mainly Shia Islamic parties took control of the provincial council. In late June, Two liquor stores in Baghdad's central Karrada district were badly damaged in two separate improvised explosive device (IED) blasts.

The provincial council has also been accused of encouraging young extremists to attack alcohol stores while security forces turn a blind eye.

In January, a gang of young men stormed a Christian cultural center in Baghdad's Karrada district smashing windows and bottles of alcohol while the security forces stood by and looked on.

© AK News 2011