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Iraqi Christian lawmakers are attempting to overturn a law banning the import and sale of alcohol, which they say violates the rights of non-Muslim minorities in the predominately Muslim country, the BBC reported.

In 2016, Iraq passed a law that would ban the import, sale and production of alcohol. Violators of the law could face fines topping $17,000.

But despite becoming law, alcohol could still be purchased in Iraqi liquor stores and licensed bars up until last month, when officials began implementing the measure, Fox News added.

That received pushback from Christian lawmakers, who filed a lawsuit against the legislation, saying that it was unconstitutional because it ignores the rights of minorities and restricts freedom.

The parliamentarians added that it also contradicts a February government decree that placed a 200 percent duty on all imported alcoholic drinks for a four-year period.

Critics noted that the ban might lead to alcohol sales moving to the black market.

Alcohol consumption is prohibited in Islam and it is frowned upon in predominately Muslim Iraq.

The 2016 bill was originally proposed by Mahmoud al-Hassan, then a judge and lawmaker. Al-Hassan said the legislation was abiding by Article 2 of the Iraqi constitution, which bars laws that violate the tenets of Islam.