Iraqis aren't merely boozing it up. Men are shaving their beards; women are wearing jeans and taking off their headscarves; couples are holding hands in public. Musicians and DJs feel safe to take more gigs at weddings and parties. In the grassy riverside parks alongside Baghdad's Abi Nawas Street, young couples sit close on the new sod. Amin Hussein, 21, flips and spins, showing off some moves from the Brazilian martial arts he was forbidden from teaching in his neighborhood until a few months ago. ("This is an Islamic country," militia enforcers warned him.) Hussein, a fan of rapper Snoop Dogg, says he's hopeful about the future: "Now the liberals are stronger." Other entertainers have their own devotees—"Shakira good!" declares 19-year-old Mohammed Mizo, who says he gets heckled less for his spiky hair.

So far, most of the inhibition shedding is confined to a few urban areas—Iraq hasn't suddenly morphed into Dubai. But to Iraqis old enough to remember, the changed atmosphere brings to mind a way of life that seemed gone forever after five years of war. Baghdad has been a place of wine and song as far back as the "Thousand and One Nights." In the early 1900s the city was celebrated for its eclectic culture and was home to a vibrant mix of Jews, Christians and Muslims. Even under Saddam Hussein's dictatorship, state channels regularly ran Hollywood movies with Arabic subtitles. Hotels throbbed with pop bands and DJs, and Sinatra songs floated above the Tigris from parties on the water's edge. In his last years the beleaguered Saddam tried to co-opt the Islamists, adding the words "God Is Great" to the Iraqi flag in a nod to their rising strength throughout the Middle East. But even then the oppressed Shiites were prohibited from holding religious processions, and Sunni extremists were held in check by the secret police.

The Iraqi Government has banned alcohol in Baghdad’s heavily fortified green zone, home to foreign embassies and some legendary drunken parties in recent years.

Sales of drink are to be banned from Sunday, The Times has learnt, and Iraqi military patrols are already confiscating booze wherever they find it. “It is a new rule from the Prime Minister,” said an Iraqi army officer at a green zone checkpoint. “Alcohol cannot be sold or transported. If you want to bring a gift for someone, get a Pepsi.”

Venues such as the Freedom Restaurant, near the American Embassy, have been told that they will lose their government licences if they continue to serve alcoholic drinks, and the International Zone Liquor Store has been given a few days to sell its stock before closing.

There are varying interpretations of the ban. Some see it as a sign that hard-won freedoms are receding. Others say the ostentatious application of Islamic rules is an election ploy. Yet others believe that the Prime Minister is sending a subtle message that he thinks it is time for foreign occupiers to go home.