On the night of July 15, gunmen accompanied by men in religious uniforms shut down popular cafes in the Karada neighborhood of Baghdad, deeming them “[morally] corrupt.” Karada residents were shocked to see posters hanging in the neighborhood announcing the closure of several popular cafes.
A senior police officer told Al-Monitor on July 20, “Ansar al-Zahra, a group affiliated with the Mahdi Army militia, has been working on implementing Sharia for months, following Sadrist Ali al-Tamimi’s ascent to the government.” The officer continued, “The reason Ansar al-Zahra attacked these cafes is because they employed a number of females, which goes against the traditions of Ramadan.”