Bush turns Baghdad into fundy paradise

[blitzen]

Bush has turned Baghdad from a hard-drinking secular party-town into a fundamentalist prohibitionist utopia:

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2004/07/21/nation/10052678.txt


"These are Islamic extremists who believe alcohol is bad. They want to impose their ideas on society by force, and they are taking advantage of democracy and the lack of security," said Sadiq Faraj, a real estate dealer whose office was damaged in one blast. "If Saddam (Hussein) were still in power, they would have been executed immediately."

In Iraq's secularized Muslim society, liquor has long been an accepted part of socializing, and hard-drinking night life was an escapist staple of life under Saddam's dictatorship. After the U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam last year, the influx of foreigners and the shutdown of the import duty system spurred a new liquor boom, and shops like The Mirage were swamped with customers.

But in the past several weeks, alcoholic beverage dealers citywide have been targeted for attack, reportedly by fundamentalist Islamic groups determined to eradicate vice and emboldened by the confused and lawless atmosphere of the current political transition.

[TOhioLiberal]

1. Yep, you know those wacky fundies...

..afraid that someone, somewhere is having fun...