An analysis of 574 X \/ Twitter posts trending in Iraq on January 2, 2025, conducted by Miqrab AI, reveals a landscape dominated by three key narratives: a call for national unity from influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, widespread controversy over the government’s extradition of a Kuwaiti opposition figure, and deeply polarized commemorations on the anniversary of the assassinations of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Discussions also centered on regional power dynamics, particularly praising Saudi Arabia’s strategic influence, alongside domestic concerns such as potential government salary delays and criticism of resource mismanagement. These conversations reflect a complex interplay of internal political fractures, regional allegiances, and public discontent with governance.<\/p>\n
Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr issued a widely shared statement calling for national unity and the rejection of sectarianism. The post by Muqtada al-Sayyid Muhammad al-Sadr<\/a> (Post Impact: 100%)<\/strong>, presented as a written message, emphasizes that Iraqis are brothers “whether in religion or in creation<\/em>” and urges citizens to “leave what divides us and adhere to what unites us.<\/em>” The statement frames unity as strength against a “lurking enemy<\/em>” and affirms that Iraq is a single homeland that cannot be divided. This message was interpreted by accounts like Emad Bajalan<\/a> (Post Impact: 5%)<\/strong> as a “message of peace from a man of peace<\/em>” and a moderate discourse from a descendant of Imam Hussein.<\/p>\n A major topic of discussion was the Iraqi government’s arrest and extradition of Kuwaiti opposition figure Salman al-Khaldi to Kuwait. Numerous accounts condemned the move as a violation of Iraqi traditions of protecting those who seek refuge and a breach of international law. Issam Hussein<\/a> (Post Impact: 29%)<\/strong> called it a “grave mistake committed against Iraq<\/em>” that makes the country unsafe for tourists with political issues. Similarly, Muna Sami – Muna Sami<\/a> (Post Impact: 16%)<\/strong> criticized the irony of former dissidents now governing Iraq and handing over an opposition figure. Dr. Qusay Shafiq<\/a> (Post Impact: 13%)<\/strong> provided a detailed legal critique, stating the act violates the Iraqi constitution and international conventions against refoulement. Information shared by Mahdi Majeed<\/a> (Post Impact: 21%)<\/strong>, citing a close friend of al-Khaldi, suggests he was given assurances of safety by a cleric close to the Iraqi government before his visit. In response to the criticism, Basra Governor Asaad al-Eidani’s explanation of the arrest was highlighted and questioned by accounts like Raad Hashim<\/a> (Post Impact: 18%)<\/strong>, who quoted the governor describing al-Khaldi as “some crazy person.<\/em>”<\/p>\n The anniversary of the U.S. assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis sharply divided Iraqi social media. Supporters mourned them as heroic martyrs who defended Iraq. Ahmad Al-Thawaq<\/a> (Post Impact: 9%)<\/strong> wrote a lengthy eulogy, stating they spent their lives in battles for their faith and that Iraqis were not worthy of their presence. Conversely, opponents celebrated their deaths, labeling them as criminals responsible for sectarian violence. Othman Al-Mokhtar<\/a> (Post Impact: 9%)<\/strong> wrote that “rejoicing at the demise of criminals is a blessing<\/em>,” accusing Soleimani of overseeing “crimes of genocide against Iraqi Sunnis<\/em>” before repeating them in Syria and Yemen. Rusly Al-Maliki<\/a> (Post Impact: 17%)<\/strong> described the day of the assassination as the day the “backbone of the axis was broken,<\/em>” leading to its collapse.<\/p>\n Several posts praised the strategic foresight and regional influence of Saudi Arabia. Sufian Al-Samarrai<\/a> (Post Impact: 66%)<\/strong> described Saudi leadership with high praise, referring to the “cunning of the Arabs, the instinct of the Umayyads, and the wisdom of the House of Saud,<\/em>” and asserted that a vision for a new Middle East would continue despite adversaries’ schemes. In another post, Sufian Al-Samarrai<\/a> (Post Impact: 5%)<\/strong> lauded the Saudi leadership as “the grandson of Muhammad, king of the kings of the Arabs.<\/em>” The sentiment was echoed by Omar Abdul Sattar Mahmud<\/a> (Post Impact: 3%)<\/strong>, who quoted political analyst Ghalib Shabandar stating, “Saudi Arabia is the America of the Middle East.<\/em>”<\/p>\n Qais Khazali, leader of the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq militia, released a statement commemorating the anniversary of the assassination of Soleimani and al-Muhandis. The post from Qais Khazali<\/a> (Post Impact: 62%)<\/strong> venerated the two as martyrs and declared a commitment to continue their path of resistance. The statement vowed to work towards ending the “American occupation<\/em>” and confronting the “Zionist entity.<\/em>” This narrative was reinforced by others, such as Muhannad Al-Ekabiy<\/a> (Post Impact: 6%)<\/strong>, who shared a personal final conversation with al-Muhandis, portraying it as a farewell. Abu Mazial<\/a> (Post Impact: 5%)<\/strong> reminded followers that the two were “assassinated by America on Iraqi land<\/em>” and died for the sake of the nation.<\/p>\n Commentator Sufian al-Samarrai posted multiple times to dispute media narratives concerning Syria, particularly about the Sednaya prison. In one post, Sufian Al-Samarrai<\/a> (Post Impact: 11%)<\/strong> questioned why Al Jazeera and “gangs of the terrorist organization ISIS al-Julani<\/em>” had stopped publishing “secrets of the Sednaya catacombs,<\/em>” asking for evidence of the alleged tens of thousands of prisoners. In another post, Sufian Al-Samarrai<\/a> (Post Impact: 14%)<\/strong> claimed that a widely circulated video about Sednaya, promoted by ISIS and others, was actually published on a Turkish Instagram account a week before operations began in Syria and depicted a disabled person in a sanatorium, not a Syrian prisoner.<\/p>\n Fears of a looming financial issue circulated on the platform, with multiple users reporting a potential delay in the payment of salaries for retirees. Omar Abdul Sattar Mahmud<\/a> (Post Impact: 12%)<\/strong> posted a video claiming that there would be “no salaries in the coming days<\/em>” and that they could be delayed for 45 days, two months, or even longer, accusing the Ministry of Finance of lying to the Iraqi people. A similar warning was issued by sh.j.Al-adhami Shamil Al-Adhami<\/a> (Post Impact: 3%)<\/strong>, who stated that due to “mismanagement by the Sudani government<\/em>” and a lack of liquidity, retiree salaries would be postponed until further notice.<\/p>\n Several accounts discussed Iran’s regional stance and the potential for increased pressure from a new U.S. administration. _. suhair Al_jumaili<\/a> (Post Impact: 12%)<\/strong> quoted the Iranian Foreign Minister who linked Iran’s missile capabilities to its leverage in negotiations, while adding a comment that “Abu Ivanka is coming,<\/em>” a reference to Donald Trump. Rusly Al-Maliki<\/a> (Post Impact: 4%)<\/strong> cited a report from Oil Price, stating that “Trump plans to impose sanctions on the (axis of turmoil) represented by Russia, Iraq, and Iran,<\/em>” including penalties on Iraq for its role in facilitating Iranian exports. Dr. Zaid Abdulwahab Al-Azami<\/a> (Post Impact: 10%)<\/strong> analyzed tweets from the Iranian Supreme Leader about Syria as an indirect call for dialogue, suggesting Tehran’s loss of Damascus is strategically painful.<\/p>\n The arrest of three young men, including the son of commentator Ghaith al-Tamimi, by Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) security sparked a debate between opposing viewpoints. Ghaith Al-Tamimi<\/a> (Post Impact: 4%)<\/strong> provided an update, stating his son and his friends are being held by PMF security on charges of “insulting religious and national symbols,<\/em>” referring to Soleimani and Khamenei. He expressed confidence in the Iraqi judiciary and noted the irony that the “incriminating evidence<\/em>” in this act was the “great Iraqi flag.<\/em>” On the other hand, Ahmad Abdulsada<\/a> (Post Impact: 4%)<\/strong> accused al-Tamimi of orchestrating the “dirty mission<\/em>” and argued that the act was an insult to national heroes, not a patriotic gesture.<\/p>\n Users criticized the government for perceived mismanagement of resources and uneven development across the country. Mahdi Majeed<\/a> (Post Impact: 22%)<\/strong> questioned why Kurdish and Sunni cities in Iraq are clean, orderly, and developing despite small budgets, while southern provinces are dirty and lack development despite receiving billions of dollars. He asked whether the residents or the militias are to blame. This theme of misallocated resources was also present in a post by Kifah Mahmood<\/a> (Post Impact: 4%)<\/strong>, who argued that the financial and military support Baghdad provided to the Assad regime in Syria “was enough to pay the salaries of all of Iraq’s employees, including those in Kurdistan who haven’t received their salaries for three months.<\/em>“<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An analysis of 574 X \/ Twitter posts trending in Iraq on January 2, 2025, conducted by Miqrab AI, reveals a landscape dominated by three key narratives: a call for national unity from influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, widespread controversy over the government’s extradition of a Kuwaiti opposition figure, and deeply polarized commemorations on the anniversary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9667,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[72,73,78],"tags":[82,52,81,83],"class_list":["post-9666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-twitter-x","category-iraq","category-daily","tag-daily-reports","tag-iraq-daily-social-media-trends","tag-iraq-public-opinion","tag-trending-x-twitter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9666","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=9666"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9666\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9668,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9666\/revisions\/9668"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}2. Controversy Over Extradition of Kuwaiti Dissident<\/h2>\n
3. Polarized Commemorations of Soleimani & Muhandis<\/h2>\n
4. Praise for Saudi Arabia’s Regional Influence<\/h2>\n
5. Qais Khazali Vows to Continue “Path of Resistance”<\/h2>\n
6. Debunking Narratives About Syrian Prisons<\/h2>\n
7. Concerns Over Potential Delay in Retiree Salaries<\/h2>\n
8. Discussions on Iran’s Posture and Future US Relations<\/h2>\n
9. Arrest of Activists for Desecrating Posters Sparks Debate<\/h2>\n
10. Criticism of Governance and Disparate Development<\/h2>\n