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.