Iraq has a rich history. An infamous one actually, with Western military invasions and shifts in leadership in the past two decades. Baghdad , as the capital, plays a central role in the battle for power. Since the statue of dictator Sadam Hussein was taken down by an outrageous, cheering crowd, the centuries-long conflict between two religions fired up again.
It resulted in protests against the US opposition and the newly chosen government by various extremist groups. People protest in the streets against this inequality and fight for a better life, a fair chance, and education. Even the most basic needs fail to be supplied, for instance, medication and first aid supplies. The unstable economic and social situation provides an unsafe place for citizens, business travelers, and media teams.
The Middle East is known for its Muslim culture, where laws, rules, and customs differ from country to country, but they certainly differ from Western culture.
Taking pictures of buildings, structures or factories without authorization is highly inappropriate. Also, refrain from filming or photographing police and army officers and buildings, or any other armed groups. Ask locals for permission to take their photo as well. Your image might endanger them as they may be somewhere they should not be their unpermitted actions could be captured by you unintentionally. Take into account that homosexuality is unaccepted in Iraq.
Women should be covered with long clothes and a headscarf at all times. From the moment that you start planning a trip, stay on top of the news about local, regional, and nationwide circumstances. For instance, stay away from political demonstrations, as they can become quite violent due to the breakup by military or police forces. For Baghdad, most Western governments issue code red for traveling. Under the current circumstances, the risk of attacks, bombing, kidnap, and assault is extremely high.
