Islam forbids the consumption of alcohol, but it has always been available in Iraq's larger cities, mainly from shops run by Christians. The bill was proposed by Mahmoud al-Hassan, a judge and lawmaker from the State of Law coalition, the largest bloc in parliament. The Iraqi law was unlikely to be enforced in the largely autonomous Kurdish region, which is home to a sizeable Christian community. IS brutally enforces a ban on alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs in the territory under its control. Others expressed support for the ban and praised parliament for aligning the country's laws with Islamic teachings.

Source: ABC News October 23, 2016 09:14 UTC