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In Safer Cafes, Iraqis Smoke It Up Again

By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 1, 2009 7:39 PM CST

(Newser) – Iraqi men are hanging out in hookah cafes again, confident that government spies are no longer eavesdropping from the next sofa, the Los Angeles Times reports. Popular throughout the Mideast and hip in Western cities, shisha clubs have only recently reemerged in Iraq, thanks partly to increased security. "We have security today," said a cafe owner, "but it's not to listen."

Many Iraqis became familiar with shisha clubs by fleeing to Turkey, Egypt, and Syria, where the smoke-filled cafes are popular. They returned with a taste for tobacco scented with cinnamon, apple, and other flavors, which they can afford in Iraq's new economy. "Before, government employees made $3 a month," the cafe owner said. "They couldn't afford to come here."

Iraqi men sit in an old tea shop April 6, 2006 in Baghdad, Iraq.
Iraqi men sit in an old tea shop April 6, 2006 in Baghdad, Iraq.   (Getty Images)
Iraqi men smoke hookah in a teashop May 3, 2003 in Baghdad, Iraq.
Iraqi men smoke hookah in a teashop May 3, 2003 in Baghdad, Iraq.   (Getty Images)
US Army Specialist David Bruce smokes shisha in his living quarters at Combat Outpost Ford ON April 20, 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq.
US Army Specialist David Bruce smokes shisha in his living quarters at Combat Outpost Ford ON April 20, 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq.   (Getty Images)
An elderly Iraqi man is reflected in a mirror as he prepares shisha or hubbly-bubbly at a tea shop April 6, 2006 in Baghdad, Iraq.
An elderly Iraqi man is reflected in a mirror as he prepares shisha or hubbly-bubbly at a tea shop April 6, 2006 in Baghdad, Iraq.   (Getty Images)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 4 comments
Nwambe
Mar 2, 2009 6:42 AM CST
Suddenly both Shi'a and Sunn'i come together in righteous smokeage :P
Guest
Mar 1, 2009 9:33 PM CST
Awesome! *sneaks some kind green nugs in their hookahs* now there''ll be peace.
Guest
Mar 1, 2009 8:58 PM CST
Now there's progress... Just a matter of time before they're snorting lines off a hookah.

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