Kurdistan's biggest mall cracks down on smoking indoors

The Kurdistan parliament banned smoking in public places in 2007, but the law was never implemented.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Family Mall, one of the biggest shopping center in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, will start cracking down on indoor smoking this August to protect families from the harmful effects of cigarettes, according to one of the mall’s manager.

“We are the first shopping mall in Kurdistan, and I can say, all over Iraq, to have banned cigarettes and smoking inside our establishment,” Rawand Hussein, the Marketing Manager of Family Mall, told Kurdistan 24. 

The Kurdistan parliament banned smoking in public places in 2007, but the law was never implemented. 

“People in public spaces are not following this rule,” Hussein said.

For smokers, Family Mall opened a designated balcony outdoors.

Family Mall, which opened its doors in December 2010, reportedly wanted to ban smoking from the beginning but felt people in the Kurdistan Region were not yet ready for such a change in habits. 

“It requires a strategy, step by step, to effectively ban smoking,” he said.

“By the beginning of July, we started implementing this plan. From August 1, if anyone is caught smoking inside the mall, they will receive a penalty,” he said. 

Until now, security guards have simply been warning people not to smoke, but stickers on tables and new signs warning that smoking is not allowed have popped up.

The smoking ban will come into effect August 1, 2018. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)
The smoking ban will come into effect August 1, 2018. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

“As Family Mall’s management, we do not need to give a fine. We simply want to push people not to smoke. So far, the punishment imposed on violators is that they have to buy a small gift for children of families in the areas where they are caught smoking,” Hussein explained.

The decision was based on a customer survey. 

“We received a lot of complaints from families visiting Family Mall that said they wanted their kids and families to be in a non-smoking environment,” he stated.

The ban, however, does not impact privately-owned cafes which are not considered “public space” within the mall as opposed to the eating area of the food court which is subject to the ban.

Most customers seem to back the decision, even smokers.

“It’s good that there will be a specific area for smoking. In public, I might bother someone who’s next to me if I smoke,” Tariq (39), told Kurdistan 24. “But there should be an area for smoking since some might stay in the mall for a long time and cannot do without smoking.”  

Even Rostam (32), who was smoking nargila, also known as shisha, in a café in Family Mall supports the ban. 

“I personally don’t smoke cigarettes; I have been smoking nargila for three years. I tried to quit smoking, but I couldn’t. I know it’s bad, but I can’t quit. It’s a good thing that it was banned,” he said.

Families especially support the decision. 

“It was a good decision. If someone is smoking next to us, it can be very annoying,” Abdul Latif (36) from Duhok, who was at the mall enjoying a meal with his family at one of the mall’s many restaurants.

Rawand Hussein hopes that others will follow the example of Family Mall in the future.

“Hopefully, this will be a culture adopted by all shopping malls, and other public places as well,” he said, stressing that families need a healthy environment.

If the new policy is successful, Family Mall branches in Duhok and Sulaimani will implement the same rule.

Editing by Nadia Riva