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During Ramadan, Militants Target Baghdad Liquor Stores, Cafes

Since the start of Ramadan, attacks by militants against liquor stores and other shops deemed “morally corrupt” have increased in Baghdad, with some accusing the government of being involved.
ATTENTION EDITORS - VISUAL COVERAGE OF SCENES OF INJURY OR DEATH

An police officer inspects the site of a bomb attack at a coffee shop in Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, July 12, 2013. A bomb attack in a cafe in northern Iraq killed at least 31 people on Friday, police and medics said. The blast took place in the ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk, in a coffee shop where people had gathered after breaking their fast for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL U
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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.

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