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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s interior ministry ordered the closure of nearly 100 nightclubs in Baghdad, sparking discontent among the owners who say they are on the verge of losing their source of income.
The club owners have demanded a review of the ministry’s decision.
“We have closed our places because of complaints from residents, saying ‘why are you here? This is a residential area.’ The place is not a residential area and most of the people in these houses do not legally own the place and it belongs to the government,” Khose Fahd, a nightclub owner, told Rudaw’s Ziyad Ismael on Wednesday.
“We have not harmed anyone,” Fahd added.
While standing outside his place of work which has been shutdown, Mohammed Rahil, a singer, who has been performing live at different nightclubs in Baghdad for more than 30 years, says that such a decision will push him to look for work outside of the country.
“If the Ministry of Interior orders the closure of any place, we are certainly the executive. We will implement the order, and of course, we have full monitoring and intelligence to monitor this issue and we will take legal action against any violations,” Brigadier Miqdad Miri, spokesman for the Iraqi Interior Ministry, said.
More than 500 families have been affected by the Interior Ministry's decision.
The club owners have demanded a review of the ministry’s decision.
“We have closed our places because of complaints from residents, saying ‘why are you here? This is a residential area.’ The place is not a residential area and most of the people in these houses do not legally own the place and it belongs to the government,” Khose Fahd, a nightclub owner, told Rudaw’s Ziyad Ismael on Wednesday.
“We have not harmed anyone,” Fahd added.
While standing outside his place of work which has been shutdown, Mohammed Rahil, a singer, who has been performing live at different nightclubs in Baghdad for more than 30 years, says that such a decision will push him to look for work outside of the country.
“If the Ministry of Interior orders the closure of any place, we are certainly the executive. We will implement the order, and of course, we have full monitoring and intelligence to monitor this issue and we will take legal action against any violations,” Brigadier Miqdad Miri, spokesman for the Iraqi Interior Ministry, said.
More than 500 families have been affected by the Interior Ministry's decision.
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