Its all-appointed upper chamber adopted an amendment to the penal code, banning imports and consumption of alcohol for and by Muslims, in a move subject to King Hamad’s approval.
The council authorised Bahraini authorities to decide where alcohol can continue to be served to non-Muslims. Bahrain’s elected parliament last month voted for a total ban on alcohol.
But the move stirred an angry reaction from the chamber of commerce and from Bahraini liberals, who warned that the proposed ban would harm the economy and the country’s tolerant image.
