Authorities have ordered the closure of all Baghdad nightclubs and dozens of shops selling alcohol, concerned the venues were undermining “public morals”, the city’s governor said yesterday.
A special police force closed 95 unlicensed clubs and 42 liquor stores since the start of November after neighbours complained of underage drinking, public drunkenness and lewd advertising, Governor Salah Abdul-Razzaq said. No nightclubs in the Iraqi capital have a licence, he added.
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 invasion.
It was unclear who ordered the raids. Mr Abdul-Razzaq said the move had cabinet approval, but government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh denied Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was involved.
“This issue concerns the province of Baghdad and is not a federal issue,” Mr Dabbagh said.
Mr Maliki’s Dawa Party has Shia Islamist roots but has sought to broaden its base to include secularists, nationalists and minorities.
The reopening of Baghdad’s nightclubs, which featured belly dancers and served alcohol, in the last year was heralded as a step towards normal city life, and police said at the time Mr Maliki’s government had instructed them to turn a blind eye.