Framing Gender Ideology as a Threat
A post (Figure 10) presented women candidates and feminist actors not as political participants but
as part of a coordinated "infiltration" of parliament, portraying feminism as a dangerous, foreignbacked conspiracy spanning Shia, Sunni, and Kurdish political lists.60 The narrative claimed that
feminist movements and women's organisations were externally funded and strategically designed to
undermine society, culture, and family structures. In contrast, male candidates were promoted as a
necessary "defensive barrier" against this alleged threat, with voters explicitly urged to support them
in order to prevent feminist influence. By depicting feminism as a hostile force rather than a set of
policy positions, the post legitimised fear, urgency, and exclusion, framing women candidates
collectively as security risks rather than individuals with political programmes.
Figure 10: Narrative portraying women candidates and feminists as a foreign-backed threat, while urging
voters to support male candidates as a defence.
60 مصطف،عماد. (2025, October 10). Main tactics and trends [Facebook post]. Facebook. https://perma.cc/T9JL-YH8F
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