Baghdad Cafe Raids Put Sadr on the Spot
The recent attacks and closures of cafes in the Karada neighborhood of Baghdad have served to shake the solid footing Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is attempting to establish in the city’s local government.
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.”
While touring Karada, Al-Monitor’s correspondent noted the presence of dozens of banners thanking the governor of Baghdad for closing the cafes. On social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, civilian activists expressed their concerns over distorting civil life in Iraq.
Shirouk Abayachi, a civil activist and environmental expert, told Al-Monitor on July 20, “Raiding and shutting down cafes reflects the influential Islamist forces’ orientation to impose additional restrictions on civil society.” She continued, “Baghdad is a civil capital, on which no one can impose conservative traditions. The use of excessive force in achieving that, however, warns of disastrous consequences.”
