7
AI-Generated deep
fakes/sexualised
disinformation
8
AI-generated and
manipulated media
9
Hacking and content
recycling
10
Recycled old content
taking out of context
to attack women
candidates
11
Targeting and
harassment
12
Narrative laundering
Deepfakes or AI‑edited
videos/images place women in
dancing, intimate or compromising
scenes with men; no disclosure of
manipulation, so viewers assume the
content is real and judge their
morality.
AI is used to create fictional
“candidates” or edited photos that
exaggerate features, place women in
absurd scenarios, or present them as
animals / puppets controlled by men,
stripping them of dignity.
Old personal photos or social images
(e.g., hijab vs no hijab, earlier
appearance) are reposted during the
campaign to question values,
morality, or “change”, instead of
addressing political work.
Old political videos are reposted
during elections without dates,
making it seem like they are current
messages, used to suggest hypocrisy
or controversial positions in the
present.
Dedicated accounts or pages
repeatedly mock one-woman
candidate (appearance, speech,
gestures) to build a sustained
harassment narrative around her
instead of engaging with policies.
Pages that present as supportive but
selectively repost polarizing content
on a woman candidate, attracting
both praise and harassment and
keeping her at the centre of moral
debate.
Case 16: “If someone wants to vote for
a woman, they should vote for pretty
one” with side‑by‑side images;
Case 17: “without Photoshop /
Photoshop” and “old woman” insults
Case 18: Fake dancing video attributed
to Alia Nsaif;
Case 19: AI TikTok deepfakes showing
inappropriate scenes;
Case 20: AI‑edited clip of Nisan Al‑Zaer
“selling fish”;
Case 21: movie scene with faces
inserted to mock a conference
Case 22: image of political leader
walking “dogs” with candidates’ faces
on them
Fig. 20, 21,
22, 23
Fig. 24
Case 23: Ayat Al‑Shekh with and
without hijab;
Case 24: old 2012 photo of Amtar
Al‑Miyahi compared to 2025 image to
mock cosmetic changes
Fig. 25, 26
Case 25: old general political video
reframed as current campaign;
Fig. 27
Case 26: “Don’t sell your vote” page
targeting Rawaa Al‑Fehdawi with serial
mocking posts
Fig. 28
Case 27: TikTok page dedicated to
supporting Rawaa Al‑Fehdawi while
posting clips that trigger intense
reactions
Fig. 29
Table 7: Overview of online tactics and narratives targeting women candidates during Iraq’s 2025 elections
33