An Iraqi court sentenced a butcher to 10 years in prison this Monday (14) for selling pork instead of beef in the holy Shia city of Najaf. The man was arrested with 75 kilos of pork that he fraudulently sold as beef in Najaf, one of the most venerated sanctuaries in the Shia world.
The Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq confirmed the sentence, stating that the Najaf Criminal Court convicted the individual for selling "meat unfit for human consumption." Although Islam prohibits pork, considering it impure, Iraqi law does not explicitly prohibit the sale of pork in the country, which has a Muslim majority, but also hosts a Christian minority.
The court based its sentence on a 1998 law that criminalizes the sale of "dog or donkey meat" and other meats considered improper. The conviction reflects the religious sensitivity of the region, where Najaf is one of the most sacred sites in Shia Islam.
