Last call in Kabul

An Afghan man throws a box of beer out of a truck, on the order of police that it be destroyed, in Kabul July 17, 2006. (Ahmad Masood/Reuters)

KABUL — Afghanistan’s parliament has passed a tough new bill mandating harsh punishments for alcohol. Those who buy, sell, or consume the evil brew can be fined, imprisoned, or given 60 lashes with a whip, all in accordance with Sharia law.

This is the first time that the legislature has addressed the issue of liquor, which could signal a stricter approach to the issue.

But given the brisk if discreet trade in gin, vodka, whiskey and beer in some of Kabul’s markets, the residents of the capital are not taking the new law all that seriously.

“There are lots of other things that should be outlawed before alcohol,” laughed one young man, who was haggling with a shop-owner over a bottle of whiskey near Shar-e-Naw Park, in central Kabul. “I am having guests tonight, so I need to buy it, even if there are 10 laws against it."

Alcohol has always been illegal in Afghanistan, since it is prohibited in Islam. But the ban has always been more honored in the breach than in the observance.

One foreign guest, prowling a back street in a Kabul suburb a few years ago in search of beer, came upon a shop stacked high with bright green cans of Heineken. The sales personnel were a bit tipsy, and one was smoking what appeared to be a joint.

The foreigner was overjoyed, but surprised.

“Are you not Muslims?” he asked the store’s owner.

“Of course we are,” came the equable reply. “But we are happy Muslims.”

The happy Muslim rule seems to apply widely to Afghans, especially the hip urban young. Few social occasions pass without some kind of mood enhancer, either drunk or inhaled.

Nor is the laissez-faire attitude towards drinking restricted to Kabul, although prices rise and quality drops the further one travels from the capital. In Helmand province, the centre of the Taliban insurgency, foul-tasting “cognac” of dubious purity was selling for $70 a liter a year ago. The local supplier also catered to the turbaned crowd, although hashish was much more popular than liquor among the fighters.

One exception is the western city of Herat, where good wine is available for reasonable prices. Local fans of la dolce vita say that it finds its way off the military base in town, which is run by Italy.

While it is rare to see alcoholic beverages openly displayed, those in the know can always find what they need.

“I keep it next door,” said one shop owner. “Once I agree with a customer, I go and get it.”

If caught, the shop owner could be in trouble. Article 45 of the new law allows for the imprisonment of those who import or sell liquor, “from 10 days to 20 years, depending on the amount.”

He is unruffled, however.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/afghanistan/090603/the-party%E2%80%99s-over