Baghdad
Islamic extremists have been blowing up liquor stores all over Iraq, the Los Angeles Times reported this week. Six stores in Baghdad and a few elsewhere were bombed in July, and since then other store owners have received death threats. Iraq has always been more secular than many other Muslim countries, and it has a tradition of drinking. Under Saddam Hussein, liquor stores were plentiful. Police suspect the wave of bombings is the work of the Mahdi Army of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. His followers give out leaflets that call for executing those who sell alcohol.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Codeword: May 30, 2024The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Understanding Kristi Noem's total tribal banishmentThe Explainer All of South Dakota's sovereign Indigenous nations have banned the state's governor from their territories — why it matters inside the Mt. Rushmore state, and beyond
-
5 podcasts you may have missed this springThe Week Recommends A couple of cold cases, an in-depth look at Guantánamo Bay and more
