Last week, a local PhD student decided to shoot Abeer Salim Al-Khafaji, the mayor of the holy city of Karbala, 120 km (75 miles) south of the Iraqi capital. The Aug. 10 murder took place as the mayor, accompanied by an entourage of guards, was overseeing the imminent demolition of structures unlawfully built on state-owned land.

Khafaji died en route to the hospital downtown. Hours after the murder, the alleged perpetrator was arrested. It quickly transpired that alongside his studies, he has also been working as a public servant at the Karbala governorate’s religious tourism division...