In Iraq and on social media, the issue of the murder of the famous Iraqi blogger known as "Um Fahd" by an unidentified assailant has emerged. A gunman on a motorcycle assassinated the well-known blogger "Um Fahd" in the East Zayouna area of Baghdad. Following the incident, the Ministry of Interior announced that it had "formed a specialized working team to investigate the circumstances of the murder of a woman known on social media by unidentified individuals in the Zayouna area of Baghdad."
Who is "Um Fahd"?
The famous Iraqi blogger known as "Um Fahd," also referred to as "Al-Mahra" and "Al-Sheikha," hails from Basra province. She was born in 1994 and has been married twice, but she currently resides in the Zayouna area, a wealthy neighborhood in eastern Baghdad. "Um Fahd" gained attention on social media about three years ago when she appeared in a video threatening checkpoint personnel with punishment and relocation by contacting a senior security leader in Baghdad.
Afterward, she began a series of controversial diaries on Snapchat, featuring extravagant family birthday parties where thousands of dollars were spent, at a time when Iraqis were suffering from repeated economic crises that began in 2020 with the spread of the coronavirus and the subsequent health lockdown measures.
In mid-2021, "Um Fahd" posted a new video showing her having a closed road opened for her luxury car after contacting a security director in Baghdad by phone. The spread of this video on social media led to severe popular criticism of the Ministry of Interior leadership, resulting in the director being dismissed from his position.
During the final of the "Gulf 25," she sparked controversy again when she filmed her celebratory entrance to the "Palm Tree Trunk" stadium in a luxury vehicle with important official delegations (VIPs), raising questions about her identity and work, while a stampede at the gates led to one person's death and dozens being injured due to overcrowding. She was also photographed inside the stadium singing and dancing in celebration of the team's victory, becoming the talk of social media users.
"Um Fahd's" entrance into the "Palm Tree Trunk" stadium reignited discussions about the relationships between officers and social media influencers and "fashionistas," and how these relationships are used for personal gain, exerting influence, intimidating others, and covering up mistakes.
Following the uproar over some content creators gaining access to stadiums on "VIP" passes and sitting in the main box, the Ministry of Interior launched a "correction" campaign and established a committee to monitor content on social media, addressing "low-quality" content and bringing its creators to justice. Last year, the Ministry's content monitoring committee submitted a request to the investigative judge of the third Karkh Court, which handles media and publishing cases, to summon "Um Fahd" after the committee monitored the content she provided.
Simultaneously, the Ministry of Interior launched an electronic platform called (Report) for reporting media content published on social media that is deemed inappropriate and carries negative messages that may offend public morals and disturb societal stability.
In February 2023, an Iraqi court sentenced her to six months in prison for "publishing several videos containing obscene and immoral statements" that were presented to the public through social media.
It is noted that social media users circulated a clip of "Um Fahd" discussing the drop in the dollar's value, which indeed partially occurred, raising many questions about whether she possessed information from economic sources or officials.
"Um Fahd" frequently sparks controversy with her posts, the latest being her altercation with blogger "Dalia Naim," where she threatened to expose Naim's relationship with high-ranking security figures after Dalia claimed she was kidnapped by unidentified individuals before managing to escape.
In recent times, Iraq has witnessed numerous crimes associated with influencers and bloggers on social media, the latest being the murder of the influencer known as "Simsim," who was a transgender individual, and the murder of influencer Firoz Azad.
