BAGHDAD: This is a country of frazzled nerves and nicotine, where deals are struck and conspiracy theories hatched in the smokiest of rooms. So why in the world, Iraqis demanded, would the government introduce a plan to ban smoking in public?
Smoking is widespread in the region, and few countries have taken steps toward a ban. Jordan prohibits smoking in public places, and Qatar has a ban on indoor smoking in public places, though it is loosely enforced.
But a bill being presented to the Iraqi parliament by Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki’s Cabinet would rewrite rules in a way that many Iraqis who were interviewed described as inconceivable, by banning smoking in government buildings and public indoor areas.
“We have no electricity, no jobs, people still get killed,” said Waleed Habba, 49, as he bought a pack of cigarettes at a tobacco store in downtown Baghdad. “We all have to deal with anger issues here. That’s the reason people smoke here, to run away from that.”
Aside from the smoking ban, Iraqi officials are weighing initiatives to regulate the Internet and satellite television channels to ban pornography and prohibit or more tightly regulate alcohol sales.
“The purpose of the law is to protect Iraqi citizens from the dangers of smoking,” the government spokesman, Ali Al-Dabbagh, said in a statement.
It is rare to meet with an Iraqi government official who doesn’t smoke. Iraqi troops and policemen drag on cigarettes at checkpoints and in Humvees. And virtually every Iraqi home and office has ashtrays.
Under the proposal, violators of the ban would be subjected to a fine of up to $4,300, the government said.
Haithen Abdul Hussain, who owns a tobacco store in upscale Karrada in central Baghdad, said he doubts the initiative will hurt business because it would be impossible to enforce in a country where smoking is so ingrained in social norms.
“All parliament members smoke,” he exclaimed. “If they want to improve our health, maybe they should consider fixing our electricity first.”
Sunni lawmaker Saleh Al-Mutlak laughed when he heard about the bill. He said he doesn’t think his constituents are ready to give up the privilege of lighting up anywhere they want.
“Banning smoking is a civilized phenomenon, but we are not in a psychological state and civilized situation that would justify that,” he said. “The government has a wild imagination, and it is trying to delude the world into thinking that there are no problems left in the country other than smoking.”
