Iraqi butcher gets 10 years’ jail for selling pork in holy city of Najaf

• An Iraqi court sentenced a butcher to 10 years in jail for selling 75 kilograms of pork as beef in the holy Muslim city of Najaf, violating a 1998 law on unfit meat.
• Although pork is forbidden in Islam, Iraqi law does not explicitly ban its sale; the ruling was based on the meat being unfit for human consumption.
• The case sparked social media attention and public debate about food safety, with many Najaf residents feeling deceived after buying the pork mistakenly.

NAJAF – An Iraqi court on Sept 14 sentenced a butcher to 10 years in prison for selling pork that he claimed was beef in the holy Muslim city of Najaf.

Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council said the man was caught with 75kg of pork that he was selling as beef in Najaf, home to one of the world’s most revered Shi’ite Muslim shrines.

“Najaf Criminal Court has sentenced a convicted person to 10 years in prison for selling meat not suitable for human consumption,” it said.

Although Islam forbids pork as it is believed to be impure, Iraqi law does not explicitly ban its sale in the Muslim-majority country, which has a Christian minority.

The court based its ruling on a 1998 law that criminalises the sale of “dog or donkey or other meat... that is unfit for human consumption”.

Millions of pilgrims from around the world flock to Najaf every year to visit the mausoleum of Imam Ali – the Prophet Muhammad’s son-in-law, the fourth Islamic caliph and the first Shi’ite Imam.

The butcher, who was arrested earlier in September, attracted widespread attention on social media, with some Iraqis calling for better food safety and others sharing funny videos of pigs captioned “here is Najaf”.

Najaf resident Ahmad al-Mansouri said jokingly: “I think I have eaten more pork than beef or lamb over the past years.”

He was among many residents who were deceived. After buying a kilogram of ground meat and finding it was of “excellent quality” and cheaper than the market rate, he started visiting the butcher more often.

“We were surprised when he was arrested on charges of selling pork,” Mansouri said. AFP