Based on an analysis of 453 Facebook posts trending in Iraq on March 23, 2025, Miqrab AI identified several key themes and narratives. The most prominent story involved a high-profile lawsuit filed against Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, highlighting significant political discontent. Concurrently, the Sadrist movement demonstrated a strong and coordinated presence online, with multiple pages sharing updates on religious, charitable, and political activities led by Muqtada al-Sadr. This was contrasted with governmental public relations efforts, such as the Prime Minister’s meetings with security forces and cultural figures. Other popular content included uplifting human-interest stories, viral entertainment reels, and discussions around national and local politics, including controversial statements from Sunni politician Osama al-Nujaifi.

Today’s Top 10 Facebook Trends in Iraq:

1. Haider al-Hamdani Sues Prime Minister al-Sudani

The most impactful story of the day came from the personal page of Haider al-Hamdani (Post Impact: 100%), which announced in a video post that he is suing Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani in Samawah. The post states the lawsuit is over charges of “abuse of government power.” This direct legal challenge against the head of government generated massive engagement and was the leading topic of discussion. The page The Zelma (Post Impact: 2%) also identified al-Hamdani as a prominent figure from the city of Samawah in a separate post describing the city’s notable people and places.

2. High Visibility of the Sadrist Movement

Multiple pages affiliated with or supportive of the Sadrist movement were highly active, signaling a coordinated online presence. Musleh Muhammad al-Iraqi (Post Impact: 76%) announced the completion of printing a full course on jurisprudence written by Muqtada al-Sadr’s late father, attributing the success to “the talking reference and the عارف wali, Sayyid Muqtada al-Sdr.” The Private Office of His Eminence Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr (Post Impact: 19%) shared a post from Muqtada al-Sadr’s personal account on the “X” platform. Meanwhile, journalist Steven Nabil (Post Impact: 18%) posted a poignant photo of Muqtada al-Sadr at his father’s and brothers’ shrine, commenting that “The burden is very heavy and the responsibility is great.” Sadr’s private office also shared updates on Iftar meals being provided in Lebanon and religious ceremonies in Najaf.

3. Positive Human-Interest Stories Gain Traction

Uplifting and inspirational stories garnered significant engagement, providing a contrast to the political discourse. The page Professor Ammar Ghalib (Post Impact: 46%) shared a viral video described as an “influential story of a teacher.” Similarly, philanthropist Hisham al-Dhahabi (Post Impact: 44%) celebrated the academic achievements of children under his care, announcing that they received a “general exemption” in their first intermediate grade. In another story of resilience, media personality Aziz Nasser (Post Impact: 10%) shared the story of a girl named Nabaa, highlighting her struggles and the strong support she receives from her aunt.

4. “Hazzoura Al-Malayin” Reels Go Viral

The comedy show or segment “Hazzoura Al-Malayin” (Riddle of the Millions) proved popular, with two separate reels from creator Alaa batti (Post Impact: 14%) trending. One video features a humorous riddle, asking “The ground turns over and I don’t turn over, who am I?“, and mentions the prize has reached 3.25 million. Another post (Post Impact: 36%) from the same creator and show highlights a contestant giving a comically wrong answer, driving high engagement through humor and audience participation. The popularity of these short, comedic videos shows a strong appetite for light entertainment content on Iraqi Facebook.

5. PM Sudani Honors Martyr Harith al-Sudani and TV Crew

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani engaged in public relations by honoring an Iraqi hero. The PM’s official page, Engineer Mohamed Shia al-Sudani (Post Impact: 22%), and the Media Office of the Iraqi Prime Minister (Post Impact: 9%) both reported that Sudani received the family of Martyr Harith al-Sudani, who infiltrated ISIS, along with the cast and crew of the TV series “Al-Naqib” (The Captain) which depicts his life. The PM stated that the martyr’s story “deserves to be documented for the world to see” and praised the show as a starting point for more works that document Iraqi heroism. The news was also shared by pages like Nabd al-Iraq (Iraq’s Pulse) (Post Impact: 3%).

6. Osama al-Nujaifi’s Controversial Political Statements

Statements made by former Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi during an interview on Dijla TV generated significant discussion. The page Khabar Ajel (Breaking News) (Post Impact: 14%) quoted al-Nujaifi as saying, “There is no Shiite majority in #Iraq, but only a political majority.” A more detailed post by Steven Nabil (Post Impact: 8%) relayed several of al-Nujaifi’s claims, including that Shiite forces control the government, want to punish Sunnis for the former regime, that Iranian influence is “overwhelming,” and that the US military “demolished the Iraqi state.” These comments sparked debate about sectarianism and political power in Iraq.

7. European Nations League Football Results

European football results were a popular topic, particularly on the sports page Al-Khowa Al-Nadifa. The page reported on several quarter-final matches, announcing that Portugal defeated Denmark 5-2 (Post Impact: 11%), Spain defeated the Netherlands (Post Impact: 5%), and France defeated Croatia (Post Impact: 5%), with the latter two matches being decided by penalty shootouts. Separately, Steven Nabil (Post Impact: 5%) noted the strong performances of Barcelona players for their respective national teams, stating that “Barca stars shine with their national teams in Europe tonight.”

8. Criticism of Iraqi Sports Media and Management

There was a notable trend of frustration with the state of Iraqi football administration and sports media. The page Hussein – IMADTech (Post Impact: 8%) posted a sharp critique, asking, “Is there anything filthier and more trivial than what we are seeing in the Iraqi sports media?” The post lamented the large number of sports programs featuring “clown” analysts. This sentiment was echoed in a post by Khabar Ajel (Breaking News) (Post Impact: 6%), which quoted former player Samer Saeed suggesting that a local coach is not hired for the national team because he wouldn’t provide kickbacks, alleging corruption in the appointment process.

9. PM Sudani’s Official Duties: Banking and Security

Beyond cultural events, Prime Minister al-Sudani’s official government duties were also covered. His official page, Engineer Mohamed Shia al-Sudani (Post Impact: 7%), announced a meeting to follow up on the reform of the Rafidain and Rashid banks and the establishment of a new “Rafidain First Bank” with the help of the company Ernst & Young. In the security domain, the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (ICTS) (Post Impact: 4%) reported that the Prime Minister shared an Iftar meal with its Special Operations Command. During the meal, Sudani praised the service for its successful operations, including the recent killing of the terrorist leader known as “Abu Khadija,” and affirmed the government’s commitment to supporting the security forces.

10. Nizar al-Lahibi Elected Diyala Council Chairman

Local politics in Diyala province was a trending topic following the election of a new provincial council chairman. The page Diyala TV (Post Impact: 3%) announced the election of Nizar al-Lahibi. Following his election, Sharq al-Iraq (East of Iraq) (Post Impact: 5%) shared a video of al-Lahibi’s victory speech. In another post, Diyala TV (Post Impact: 4%) reported on his promises to “enhance the process of reconstruction and investment and not to disrupt [council] sessions.” This indicates significant local interest in the formation of the new provincial government and its stated priorities.