Based on an analysis of 419 Facebook posts on February 17, 2025, Miqrab AI found that conversations in Iraq were dominated by a mix of international sports, domestic political tensions, and government affairs. The most engaging topic was FC Barcelona’s victory in La Liga, which sparked celebratory posts as well as accusations of referee bias. Significant attention was also given to a clash between Kurdish farmers and the Iraqi Army in Kirkuk, prompting reactions from both government and Kurdish political figures. Other key narratives included parliamentary debates over the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) law, controversial remarks by a political figure regarding poverty, and official announcements from Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s office regarding digital transformation and infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n
FC Barcelona’s 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano, which propelled them to the top of the Spanish league table, was a major topic of discussion. Pages like Al-Khawa Al-Nadhifa<\/a> (Post Impact: 59%)<\/strong> and Bab Al-Toob<\/a> (Post Impact: 7%)<\/strong> reported on the win and the team’s new top ranking. The page Set Ashwaq Um Al-Qanuniyya<\/a> (Post Impact: 25%)<\/strong> shared the news in a lighthearted tone, telling Real Madrid fans not to be upset. However, the victory was not without debate. Steven Nabil<\/a> (Post Impact: 8%)<\/strong> highlighted criticism from ESPN Deportes journalist Jose del Valle, who mockingly called the team “Var-celona,”<\/em> suggesting favoritism from the video assistant referee. This sentiment was reflected by Bab Al-Toob<\/a> (Post Impact: 3%)<\/strong>, which quoted Rayo Vallecano’s goalkeeper as saying, “there are cases that have occurred but I do not want to talk about the arbitration!”<\/em><\/p>\n A clash between Kurdish farmers and Iraqi Army soldiers in the Dibs district of Kirkuk sparked significant online discussion and political reactions. Support for Iraqi Security Forces<\/a> (Post Impact: 12%)<\/strong> was among the first to report the incident. In response to the events, Kirkuk Governor Ribwar Taha announced that the soldiers involved had been arrested and that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani had ordered a committee to investigate, as reported by Al Hadath Iraq<\/a> (Post Impact: 4%)<\/strong>. The incident drew harsh criticism from Kurdish leader Mohammed Haji Mahmoud, known as “Kaka Hama,” who, according to Ninawa<\/a> (Post Impact: 3%)<\/strong>, accused the army of being “full of criminality against the Kurdish people.”<\/em> The page Atilla Aga<\/a> (Post Impact: 3%)<\/strong> also confirmed the detention of the entire military force involved in the confrontation.<\/p>\n The status and leadership of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), or Hashd al-Sha’abi, was a central theme in political discussions. The page Hukm Al-Awael<\/a> (Post Impact: 7%)<\/strong> reported that Hadi al-Amiri went to parliament to pressure Shia MPs against amending the PMF law, allegedly to ensure his ally Falih al-Fayyad remains in his post. Journalist Muna Sami<\/a> (Post Impact: 6%)<\/strong> commented that the PMF retirement law is not just about its leadership but “will draw the shape of the next government if Fayyad stays or leaves.”<\/em> Meanwhile, Hussam Alhaj<\/a> (Post Impact: 4%)<\/strong> highlighted a statement from Sheikh Qais al-Khazali defending the PMF’s weapons as essential for protecting Iraq’s honor and holy sites, questioning why Coordination Framework parliamentarians were threatening to boycott sessions if the law was not passed.<\/p>\n A video of political figure Hamid al-Hayes stirred significant debate after it was shared by Khabar Ajeal<\/a> (Post Impact: 59%)<\/strong>. In the clip, al-Hayes stated that Iraqis today enjoy a high standard of living, wearing expensive clothes, using brand-name phones, and eating well, claiming the country is better off than many others. However, he controversially attributed poverty to personal failings, claiming there are “lazy poor people who work as laborers, marry 2 women, have 9 children, and have bad luck!”<\/em> His remarks were presented without additional commentary by the page, but the high engagement suggests they were widely discussed and scrutinized by the public.<\/p>\n Journalist Qahtan Adnan actively promoted his program “Al-Ghasala” (The Washing Machine) through a series of video clips on his official page. One teaser announced that guest Ahmed al-Sharaa would soon be in Baghdad for the show, as seen in a post from Journalist Qahtan Adnan<\/a> (Post Impact: 24%)<\/strong>. Another provocative clip, posted by Journalist Qahtan Adnan<\/a> (Post Impact: 4%)<\/strong>, claimed that MP Mohammed Al-Ziyadi possesses US citizenship and owns a compound in America. A third video from Journalist Qahtan Adnan<\/a> (Post Impact: 23%)<\/strong> humorously titled “This is how you get the Tahoe, the Lexus, and the G-Class,”<\/em> suggesting the show uncovers illicit wealth and corruption among public figures.<\/p>\n Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s office released official statements addressing religious and social issues. The page The Private Office of His Eminence Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr<\/a> (Post Impact: 23%)<\/strong> published an answer from al-Sadr to a question regarding “deviant movements,” indicating his ongoing engagement with theological concerns within his community. In a separate post, the same page, The Private Office of His Eminence Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr<\/a> (Post Impact: 21%)<\/strong>, shared a document containing all the questions answered by the cleric on that day, February 17 (18th of Sha’ban), from his office in Najaf.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s activities focused on technology and administrative reform. His official page, Engineer Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani<\/a> (Post Impact: 15%)<\/strong>, announced the opening of the Digital Transformation and Automation Center at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The Prime Minister stated that this move is part of his government’s vision for administrative reform, aimed at simplifying procedures and eliminating bureaucracy. He emphasized that “digital transformation provides direct service, reduces costs, and fights corruption.”<\/em> The event was also covered by the Media Office of the Iraqi Prime Minister<\/a> (Post Impact: 6%)<\/strong>, which shared a video of the opening ceremony.<\/p>\n The Ministry of Finance issued a warning about the state’s financial health, specifically concerning its ability to cover public sector salaries. According to Rusly Al-Maliki<\/a> (Post Impact: 4%)<\/strong>, the ministry sent an official letter stating that “the state treasury suffers from a large deficit in securing the salaries of employees and retirees.”<\/em> This issue was also highlighted by Baghdad<\/a> (Post Impact: 4%)<\/strong>, which reported that the ministry explicitly linked this deficit to its inability to grant permanent status to contract employees, as doing so would add further financial burdens to an already strained treasury.<\/p>\n A positive human-interest story about a young man from Kufa gained traction on social media. The pages From Iraq<\/a> (Post Impact: 6%)<\/strong> and Baghdad<\/a> (Post Impact: 6%)<\/strong> both reported that the man found a sum of 105 million Iraqi dinars and returned it to its owner without hesitation. According to the posts, he refused to accept any monetary reward, insisting that honesty is a responsibility that cannot be valued with money. The story was shared as an example of integrity and good character.<\/p>\n Mohammed Al-Halbousi, the leader of the Taqadum Party, was active politically, holding several key meetings. His official page, Mohammed Al-Halbousi<\/a> (Post Impact: 4%)<\/strong>, reported on his meeting with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, where they discussed the country’s political, security, and economic stability. In a separate post, Mohammed Al-Halbousi<\/a> (Post Impact: 4%)<\/strong> shared details of his reception of sheikhs and dignitaries from Salah al-Din province. These posts highlight his continued engagement in national and regional politics following his removal from the parliamentary speakership.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Based on an analysis of 419 Facebook posts on February 17, 2025, Miqrab AI found that conversations in Iraq were dominated by a mix of international sports, domestic political tensions, and government affairs. The most engaging topic was FC Barcelona’s victory in La Liga, which sparked celebratory posts as well as accusations of referee bias. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9389,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70,73,78],"tags":[82,52,81,84],"class_list":["post-9388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facebook","category-iraq","category-daily","tag-daily-reports","tag-iraq-daily-social-media-trends","tag-iraq-public-opinion","tag-trending-facebook"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9388"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9390,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9388\/revisions\/9390"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}2. Tensions in Kirkuk After Army-Farmer Clash<\/h2>\n
3. Parliamentary Debate Over PMF Law and Leadership<\/h2>\n
4. Hamid al-Hayes’s Controversial Comments on Poverty<\/h2>\n
5. Qahatan Adnan Promotes “Al-Ghasala” Show<\/h2>\n
6. Muqtada al-Sadr Addresses “Deviant Movements”<\/h2>\n
7. PM Sudani Launches Digital Transformation Center<\/h2>\n
8. Ministry of Finance Warns of Budget Deficit and Salary Costs<\/h2>\n
9. Kufa Man Returns 105 Million Dinars, Praised for Honesty<\/h2>\n
10. Mohammed Al-Halbousi Holds High-Level Political Meetings<\/h2>\n