On Saturday night, Iraq's parliament passed a ban on the sale, consumption, and production of alcohol in the country, a surprise move by Shiite lawmakers as much of the country and world's attention is focused on the battle to retake Mosul from the Islamic State. Anyone caught violating the ban is subject to a fine of up to 25 million Iraqi dinars ($21,000). Iraq is majority Muslim, and Islam prohibits drinking alcohol, but alcohol is widely available in Iraq's larger cities, sold in shops mostly run by Christians, and Iraq is home to Farida beer and the anise liquor Asyria arak, among other alcohol producers.
The law will be difficult to enforce is Iraq's Kurdish region, home to many of the country's remaining Christians, and Christian lawmakers vowed to challenge the law in court. "This ban is unconstitutional, as the constitution acknowledges the rights of non-Muslim minorities and ethnic groups who live alongside Muslims in Iraq," said Christian MP Joseph Slaiwa. Mahmoud al-Hassan, the Shiite lawmaker from the dominant State of Law coalition who introduced the measure as a surprise amendment to a law on municipal governance, says it comports with the Constitution's provision that "no law that contradicts the established provisions of Islam may be established."
Some other Muslim countries have laws restricting the sale and consumption of alcohol, but only Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and a few others have forcibly banned it outright. ISIS also strictly bans alcohol in territory it controls, plus cigarettes and other drugs.