Alcohol is considered haram in Islam (Quran 2:219, 4:43 and 5:90-91). The “booze bombings” have, however, sparked discussions about whether they are because of “turf wars for control of the lucrative niche trade in the Muslim majority country,” or are the work of Sharia morality police. “Most businesses are run by Christians or Yazidis, minorities who for decades have been granted the licenses required to sell alcohol in broadly conservative Iraq.”
Evidence points to their being the work of religious police, although turf wars may also play a part:
In recent weeks, an array of Islamist groups have ramped up their rhetoric against Baghdad’s liquor stores and other establishments that they insist are violating religious edicts against drinking and other trades considered sinful. One such group, “Rubu Allah” or “God’s gang,” claimed responsiblity for raiding a massage parlour in the heart of Baghdad and physically assaulting the women inside.
Those who have protested or stormed the establishments “have carried the flag of the Hashed al-Shaabi, a state-sponsored network of armed groups, many of which have close ties to Iran.” Baghdad police have done nothing.
Sharia principles haven’t stopped at the borders of Muslim countries. Remember that last year, Captain Morgan asked visitors to their website to confirm that they were non-Muslim, but removed the requirement after an outcry. More recently, German officials proposed a ban on alcohol to prevent a recurrence of riots in Stuttgart by Muslim migrants screaming “Allahu akbar.” Never mind that many of the rioters were themselves drinking alcohol, even though drinking is banned in Islam.
“Baghdad booze bombings: Islamic vice squads or turf war?,” France 24, December 16, 2020:
Escalating attacks on the Iraqi capital’s few liquor stores have terrified shop-owners who fear hardline Islamists are flexing their muscle against alcohol consumption.
But there may be a bigger story behind the Baghdad booze bombings, as some suspect turf wars for control of the lucrative niche trade in the Muslim majority country.
Over the past two months, at least 14 alcohol shops across the city have been firebombed in the middle of the night or just before dawn, with three simultaneous attacks in different districts Monday night alone.
Most businesses are run by Christians or Yazidis, minorities who for decades have been granted the licenses required to sell alcohol in broadly conservative Iraq.
Andre, an Iraqi Christian, said his shop was firebombed a few weeks ago by two people on a motorcycle just before dawn, according to the store’s security camera footage.
He said it had cost him thousands of dollars to replace the lost merchandise and repair the shop.
“These groups want the last of the Christians to leave the country. They’re targeting us,” Andre told AFP, as his brother stacked new bottles of whisky on restored shelves.
He blamed security forces for negligence, saying a police patrol that had been deployed nearby left its post for hours, which gave the attackers a window of opportunity.
“Why doesn’t the government arrest them?” Andre asked angrily, saying he had even provided authorities with the license plate number of the attacking vehicle from their CCTV footage.
The attackers had “time to place the explosives, take pictures before and after and publish them on Facebook,” he said.
“You really can’t pursue these guys?”
– ‘All that’s left’ –
Another business owner, speaking on condition of anonymity in fear of reprisal attacks, said it was an attempt to crush the shrinking community of Iraqi secularists.
“We are all that’s left of a liberal lifestyle. There are attempts to kill this ancient side of Baghdad — if they win, Baghdad will have lost its liberal side,” he said.
In recent weeks, an array of Islamist groups have ramped up their rhetoric against Baghdad’s liquor stores and other establishments that they insist are violating religious edicts against drinking and other trades considered sinful.
One such group, “Rubu Allah” or “God’s gang,” claimed responsiblity [sic] for raiding a massage parlour in the heart of Baghdad and physically assaulting the women inside.
Another group calling itself “Ahl al-Qura” or “The Village People,” said it had bombed an underground nightclub…
Atheist Kafir says
Over here, in the profoundly dark heart of Dar El-Islam, namely in Egyptstan, which is home to El-Azhar (El-Az’ar), Kafir owners of ships selling spirits, wine, and beer are murdered in cold blood, by Koranimals, on a regular basis, as well.
Cordially Ramez/Ismail Mohammed, an Egyptian Atheist.
FWIW, my initial comments on JW are on the below-linked thread.
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2014/03/the-fight-against-china-is-our-islamic-responsibility-and-we-have-to-fulfill-it
Wellington says
Atheist Kafir: May you and those you hold most dear stay well and not become yet more victims, “courtesy” of the followers of the worst religion ever created by man.
You have my respect and regards since you do indeed live in a dark corner of the world. Wherever the dar al-Islam is a reality, darkness of many kinds abound—an almost innumerable amount due to how invidious and control-freakish is Mo’s profoundly warped creed.
If one cherishes humanity—and in non-exhaustive detail such “noble” things like liberty overall, fine alcohol (great pork products too), pictorial representations of religious figures, an open mind, romantic love, a true Golden Rule for all, a live and let live mentality, equality under the law here on earth, women’s rights, music, and just fun in general—one has no choice but to despise Islam. An easy call.
Oh yeah, stay well in a very unwell portion of the earth, again “courtesy” of Islam, a belief system which anyone who embraces freedom of all kinds has no choice but to despise. An easy call to be sure.
GreekEmpress says
I second Wellington’s well wishes.
Stay safe—
Atheist Kafir says
Thank you, Greek Empress!
gravenimage says
Yes–please stay safe.
Atheist Kafir says
Thanks, Mr. Wellington! Your words are deeply appreciated!
Wellington says
You are most welcome, Atheist Kafir.
James Lincoln says
Atheist Kafir,
Interestingly, I had spent a fair amount of time in Cairo and Hurghada, Egypt in the mid-1990s while on active duty US Navy.
It certainly seemed to me to be a lot safer for Westerners then – that it is now.
Best wishes – and stay safe…
Atheist Kafir says
Thanks, Mr. Lincoln!
DHazard says
The image of drunken Muslims in Germany rioting against alcohol sales says a lot about the current state of Islam and it’s dysfunctional relationship with the rest of the World.
David Grisez says
Since alcoholic beverages are forbidden in Islam among Muslims there is a situation that is similar to the Prohibition period in the United States. There are Muslims who secretly and quietly obtain alcoholic beverages. There are also some Muslims who carefully over a period of time and different places buy enough grapes to make their own home brewed wine. So just like the Prohibition period Islamic rules have not stopped the consumption of alcoholic beverages among Muslims.
Wellington says
Nor has the Islamic prohibition on homosexuality insured that homosexual activity is not rampant in the Islamic world—even in the Islamic afterlife where “pearly boys” are promised along with 72 virgins. And I write this as someone who has no problem with same-sex relations but my beef here with Islam about this is the same as with alcohol.
Islam is replete with hypocrisy and inconsistencies, and double standards aplenty. Stems from its reputed founder onward. And still plaguing mankind to this day.
Lion heart says
David : as a Canadian Christian guy originally myself originally from Iraq, I wanna say that targeting Christian liquor stores happened a few years ago at the hand of the thuggish terrorist Shiite militia “ Al-Mahdi army “ especially in the city of Basra plus in Baghdad of course and the funny thing is that Shiites always brag of being different of sunnis and ISIS in that they respect Christians in Iraq and they didn’t hurt them blah blah .. and that they were attaching sunnis militant groups for imposing strict Islamic laws like no hairstyles for men in the barbershops, between 2004-2007 and that soccer was made forbidden etc.. and now we see Shiites to the same ? and Muslims themselves drink alcohol heavily and I had friends Shiite and sunnis who were drinking it heavily in hiding but when it comes to Christians, it’s FORBIDDEN!!
gravenimage says
David, “drys” were not slaughtering people who drank or sold alcohol in the United States. Whatever you think of the experiment of prohibition in the US, it was really nothing like the violence of Muslims against those who drink alcohol.
Wellington says
The depiction on the left side of the banner above reminds me of someone.
Hmmm, Mohammed comes to mind. I don’t think Dante, were he still around, would disagree since he put Mohammed in the eighth circle of Hell. Just sayin’.
gravenimage says
🙂
Westman says
“Iran: Islamic groups firebomb 14 Baghdad alcohol shops…”
Did Baghdad, Iraq go on a hijrah to Iran?
Or maybe this is just prescient since Iran is getting control of Iraq’s Shia “government”.
Wellington says
I have just assumed, Westman, that Iraq, minus possibly (hopefully?) the Kurdish north in what was once ancient Assyria, is already a client state of the Iranian regime.
To sum up, even if I am half right here, what is imperative above all is pulling down the religious regime that still runs Iran.
President Trump was, to his great credit, subtly and incrementally doing this but all the many fools who voted for Biden, as well as dead people, fake people and out-of-state people who voted for the man from Delaware, a monumental nothing if ever there were one, understand this not at all (or, what is even worse, among some Biden voters they do understand this).
A total joker like Robert De Niro comes to mind. He is symptomatic of the enormous ignorance masquerading as compassion and understanding that afflicts not only the American Republic, not only the West in general, but the human condition in toto. I don’t deny De Niro is a great actor but he is a massive failure as a human being. Ditto for for so many other actors, academics (e.g., Considine) and politicians (e.g., Biden).
As Napoleon noted, the general consensus is ordinarily dead wrong. True then. True now.
Westman says
I must agree about De Niro and many other actors/performers/politicians. The vulgar language that exploded from their lips during the Trump administration revealed the darkness at their core. As you know, I’m an agnostic, however, their potty mouths are well described by a biblical passage: “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” Matt 15:11
I hope this Christmas Season finds you enjoying life, covid-free.
Infidel says
Wellington
Actually, no. If you recall when Gen Soleimani was killed, while Iraq publicly protested it, privately they asked the US to have their troops remain. In fact, Arab shi’a have soured on Iran this year, both due to Iranian interference in thier affairs (never mind the fact that Iran also bankrolled them) and also the fact that Qum was the hub of the coronavirus that they got and then spread to their countries
Iran is a lot weaker this year than it was previously b’cos of this. Soft power of citizens of other countries willing to be your stooges, do your bidding is invaluable, and vastly underrated. We saw that w/ Turkey, who could support groups like the Libya GNA and Azerbaijan w/o sending even one of their own citizens: they just shipped those Syrian militias in their pay, and if anything happened to them, no liability to Turkey. It was similar w/ Iran and Hizbullah and the Houthis, until the Arab shi’a started to turn on them this year. And during the Cold War, the Soviets had a treasure trove of 5th columnist communists all over the world willing to do their bidding for the world revolution
I too root for the fall of the Iranian regime and its replacement by an aggressively anti-Islamic regime. However, the biggest threat in the region is no longer Iran, and hasn’t been for a year. It’s Turkey!
Wellington says
You could be right, Infidel.
Infidel says
That’s what struck me as well: the headline seemed to have a type, despite Iranian influence in Iraq
Infidel says
typo
gravenimage says
It’s been fixed, Infidel.
Boycott Turkey says
So will those Islamic Groups who hate wine want to go to Islamic paradise then where there are rivers of wine?
Oren says
It’s weird to read the title, 14 alcohol shops firebombed, and I am like yep, just like the dozens of dead christians in africa I have read about the past few weeks on this site mostly, but also on others. Once upon A time I would have been like whoa! 14 incidents of intolerance! What tremendous proof, disproving leftist claims about right winger intolerance, compared to muslim peaceful coexistence in A multicultural environment. What A refutation. But lets face it, the entire left wing media will not report it, and those who are still leftists either don’t care, or who knows what they are thinking. Maybe they just want to keep getting white peoples money, and they get that its bad to let white people off the racism hook, so they keep repeating the media talking points.
To think that we are headed into A leftist phase, with Biden at the head. What A bore. I wonder what I will end up doing. No point in screaming for the truth, if all that is available is leftist media. I suppose in some shadow government server, my comments might still count for the cause, but if there is no right wing media left, I will take it as A sign that america wants to be left alone. I am A Jewish dual citizen, and A bible believer, so I believe in time america will reach A point where it has gone as far as it can.
Some of us are awakening, and will expose the Jews, the whites, and the billionaires, to good americans and evil ones. That has consequences. America hasn’t been doing great, there was A lot of violence against Trump supporters on the streets, especially according to our modern tolerances.
I also don’t believe in the American-christian plan of standing together, united from every background and people, against the government and the rich. United in support of an anti racist society, which the white gentile americans have been tricked into supporting. Or A society with racism being free speech that the black people and non whites have been tricked into supporting. Either way it seems like some other group of billionaire investors benefiting by attacking their billionaire ‘enemy’-competition.
Picture how dishonest the divide is, how huge, the white gentiles of America want free speech for white rights, which the left and non white americans call racism. They don’t want to pay for non whites, they don’t want to get blamed for things they did not do, like invent inequality, or invent slavery. They want to be allowed to have their own businesses, their own clubs, their own schools, which will only exacerbate the levels of inequality, which will be clearer than ever.
Meanwhile the non white americans, and the left, want equal results, which means white people subsidizing their income to A greater degree. They perhaps understand that A society creates A cost of living somewhere around the average of that societies productivity levels, which will leave black perpetually underperforming the standards they need to achieve in order to avoid homelessness and poverty. They want their dignity defended in the media, which means for the most part, that everything they do, and all criticism of them be censored. A fascist anti white government. Because most white American men do not agree that they should not be allowed to complain about the harm that others are causing them. Reasonable from their perspective, but violence inducing to the black and non white world view. Since A leftist government would already have to gear up for war with white right wing men, then demonizing white people in the media will be embraced easily.
The white gentiles could prove that they are no more racist than the blacks or latinos, whose nations support closed borders, and persecute homosexuals, and seize the property of foreigners, and persecute people of other races in their very bad courts, and through their very bad police. A real accounting would show that black, latino, and muslim societies are hardly any better than white societies, in fact they are much worse. All of which would be unacceptable to blacks, leftists and non whites, whose shield of protection would be gone, exposing them to criticism and A reputation they cannot handle.
So, what remains is two dictatorships vying for dominance over the other, with only one permissible to survive. Unfortunately, the white americans are way behind the curve, they have been inundated in anti white thinking for decades, and the left and the non whites are ready for war. A complete divergence from the lie that Christianity has always stood for anti racism, and americans should unite against the rich. Which they should, but so what if they are to ignorant and hateful to strategize their biggest enemies from their lessor enemies.
The left is hardly on the side of G-d and justice, the white republicans are far closer, although basically their advocacy is completely censored, and misrepresented, and if it was properly expressed, would not have A chance of representing A united America against the rich and the forces of communism. More like the white race standing mostly alone against the forces of evil. Then throw in their opinions on Jewish inequality, and you can cast half of them into the pit as well.
Trump seems to be trying to hijack the defense budget now, in order to demand that proposition 230 be rescinded, which is the one that protects big tech from litigation, he tried to do it before with another bill, that congress made veto proof, I believe. Maybe he did all he could, maybe it was to little to late, or maybe sometimes he only pretends to try, either way it would appear that we are entering A phase of only left wing thoughts and opinions being played in the american western media. If its not the case cool, I agree its good to resist in general, and as A believer in G-d, I will answer any questions that A good person or people have, but I imagine most of the american left have basically made their choice, decided to accept the lie, and may join forces with Satans forces without having A clue whats going on. In G-d I trust.
Better for 300,000 americans to die of covid, than to have to live under the CCP.
Our task is to get the gentiles of the world to accept inequality with the Jews, until the time we can figure out how to make the people of the world achieve equally. Until that time, the Jewish people need to prepare for some level of hostility due to their unequal achievements.
gravenimage says
Iran: Islamic groups firebomb 14 Baghdad alcohol shops, ‘these groups want the last Christians to leave the country’
…………….
These poor Christians.
I’m actually surprised there were still 14 alcohol shops still in Baghdad…
Relic says
On any given Sunday Iraqis probably light the most tea candles.
Mojdeh says
Ayatollahs all are consume beers and Vodka etc… It is just they show off that we do not drink, or Zona , when woman goes for divorce in Iranian court Hajji Ag-ha says if you work for me, i approve it. So Islamic prostitution is Hall al. lol…
mortimer says
Well said, Mojdeh. Yes, where will the mullahs get their delicious beer, wine and whisky in future? Home brew? Bootleggers?
mortimer says
This is genocide.
Many Iranians have recently converted secretly to Christianity and the mullahs are hoping to destroy the church in Iran once for all.
OLG GUY says
Do as I say not as I do seems to be true for all political and many religious leaders around the world.
Mojdeh says
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzqdd82AJ0M
Iranian attack Israel by killing head of Mossad.
We hope soon Israel kill another high officials soon in Iran. Ali Khamanie is next in line.
gravenimage says
Mojdeh, Sputnik News later reported that this assassination attempt was *not* successessful:
“Netizens Refute Reports on Alleged Killing of ‘Mossad Official’ in Tel Aviv”
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202012071081377793-netizens-refute-reports-on-alleged-killing-of-mossad-official-in-tel-aviv/
And Fahmi Hinawi is not the head of Mossad.
Mojdeh says
mortimer says
Dec 18, 2020 at 10:02 am
Well said, Mojdeh. Yes, where will the mullahs get their delicious beer, wine and whisky in future? Home brew? Bootleggers?
Well they bring them from Queen of London Vodka and beers.
gravenimage says
Dec 19, 2020 at 11:07 pm
Mojdeh, Sputnik News later reported that this assassination attempt was *not* successessful:
“Netizens Refute Reports on Alleged Killing of ‘Mossad Official’ in Tel Aviv”
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202012071081377793-netizens-refute-reports-on-alleged-killing-of-mossad-official-in-tel-aviv/
And Fahmi Hinawi is not the head of Mossad.
Breaking/Exclusive: Iran Assassinates Mossad Chief in Downtown Tel Aviv (updated/videos/proof)
By
VT Editors –
December 7, 2020
33
43282
Share
VT: Two days ago, VT published an exclusive story based on news we received from Tel Aviv. Short months ago, VT was the only media to report the nuclear bombing of Beirut until, of all things, VT’s story was confirmed by President Donald Trump.
Mossadning eng nufuzli generallaridan biri Fahmi Hinavi o’ldirib ketilibdi, degan xabarlar chiqdi
VT: Confirmed, Fahmi Hinavi, operational chief of Israel’s Mossad, was killed by an Iranian team inside Tel Aviv on Thursday night.
Hinavi is thought to be the force behind the assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist a few short weeks ago.
— Christoph Gottel (@ChristophGottel) December 5, 2020
Our sources say teams of Iranian intelligence officers entered Israel under false identities more than a week ago. They had long established safe houses inside Israel.
A senior #Mossad commander, known with his Arab name, Fahmi Hinavi is reported to have been shot dead in Tel Aviv on December 5, 2020, apparently in retaliation to the killing of Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrzadeh assassination. Israeli has not yet officially confirmed
gravenimage says
Mojdeh, VT appears to be Islamphilic, referring to taking out Iran’s top nuclear scientist as “cowardly”.
Sputnik News has, as I said, retracted their earlier story.
Israel has a free press. If a high-ranking member of Mossad had been assassinated it would be all over the news.