The people of Baghdad first saw religious extremism targeting their public freedoms two decades ago, when Saddam Hussein launched a campaign — in a clear alliance with religious extremists — to win legitimacy for his authoritarian rule. When the dictator fell, the stricken city tried to regain the freedoms it had been stripped of by opening cafes, bars and other recreational establishments. But soon chaos emerged, incited by armed groups who made these locations their primary targets, declaring them symbols of immorality and a Western cultural invasion.

Attempts on the part of the authorities to organize and legalize these shops did not succeed in protecting them. The Iraqi government did not provide any kind of protection for these shops in line with the law, in spite of the owners' commitment to the law and access to official licenses.

Liquor stores in Baghdad were repeatedly targeted by professional operations carried out by unidentified armed groups in broad daylight. In many attacks, all of the shops' employees were killed in a horrific manner. Sometimes, videos of the attacks were immediately posted online, accompanied by revolutionary anthems that curse and threaten those who violate Islamic law. These attacks have escalated during the holy month of Ramadan to include cafes in various parts of Baghdad, all accused of violating religion, morality and social norms.

Saad Salloum, the editor-in-chief of Masarat, a magazine focusing on Iraqi religious minorities, expressed his grave concerns to Al-Monitor regarding these operations, especially given that workers in liquor stores tend to be members of religious minorities — in particular, Christians and Yazidis. Therefore, the targeting of these stores also involves a general threat to religious minorities.