A thriving black market emerges across the Kurdish region with the closure of the shops, and dealers can sell anything to desperate consumers, sometimes in the back of their pickups, away from the watchful eyes of authorities. "Many people use Ramadan to abuse the system and increase the prices of alcohol two or even threefold," says Rahim, 33, who is a heavy drinker but stops during Ramadan and fasts for the whole month.
"I think the governors need to designate a few places where people can go and drink and the authorities can regulate it. Right now the blanket ban serves as a public hazard because those who drink do it secretly and then often sneak into their cars and drive home afterward."
"We allow the bars and clubs to have limited closed areas to the public so long as they don't do something that causes others, such as clerics, to speak out," says Goran Qader, head of the joint committee in Sulaimaniyah province responsible for regulating the market, including the alcohol sector. "We want to keep a balance between those who fast during Ramadan and those who don't for whatever reason."
But the financial crisis that has engulfed the Kurdish region means that most people cannot afford to drink in bars and clubs. Abdullah, whose salary has been cut by 40% due to the financial crisis, smiled as he collected his three cases of beer from Hammo, the shop owner. "This year business was not good, but still many people bought alcohol for Ramadan," said Hammo. "I'll go back to my family in Shikhan tomorrow and come back in a month's time when Ramadan is over."
Comments are closed.