Iraq blocks controversial drama over alleged harm to Iraqi women’s image
Shafaq News- Baghdad
An Iraqi Ramadan drama portraying a young woman who enters a relationship outside marriage with a man named “Mahdi” —a name of deep religious significance in Shiite Islam— has ignited controversy in Iraq, prompting the country’s media regulator to block its broadcast on a local television channel.
The series, Hamdiya, centers on a girl who grows up in poverty after losing her mother and facing hardship within her family. As she reaches adulthood, she becomes involved with a young man, and the relationship ends with her pregnancy and his disappearance, leaving her to confront the consequences alone.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mahmod Alrubaeay, a member of the Board of Commissioners of Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC), said the board had directed its executive body to prevent MBC Iraq from airing the series during Ramadan, the holiest month in Islam, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. The decision, he added, was issued under Order No. 65 of 2004 and followed parliamentary and public demands.
استناداً الى الأمر (65) لسنة 2004 والمطالبات النيابية والشعبية الغاصبة والتزاما منا بإداء واجبنا في منع بث كل مايسيء للقيم النبيلة ويشوه صورة المرأة العراقية ويثير الفتنة ، ونتيجة اطلاعنا على الرواية التي اعد منها والفاصل الاعلاني المنشور عن المسلسل المثير للجدل المراد بثه من… pic.twitter.com/x0YthLXJTT
— محمود الربيعي (@AlrubaeayMahmod) February 18, 2026
The official described the work as containing material that could “undermine noble values, distort the image of Iraqi women, and incite division,” noting that the board reviewed the novel on which the series is based —attributed to Qadouri Al-Douri— as well as the promotional trailer before taking action.
MBC Iraq affirmed its commitment to the regulator’s directives and respect for societal and religious values. The channel stressed that the series had obtained a license from the Iraqi Artists Syndicate and addresses humanitarian and social themes without targeting any specific community.
Written by Noor Al-Badri and directed by Pierre Klam, Hamdiya remains available on the Shahid streaming platform.
Previous Disputes Between MBC Iraq and Authorities
MBC Iraq has faced several confrontations with Iraqi authorities and political groups in recent years over its editorial content.
In October 2024, dozens of supporters of armed factions stormed the channel’s office in Baghdad’s Al-Jamia neighborhood to protest a television report that described figures including Qassem Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Hassan Nasrallah, Yahya Sinwar, and Ismail Haniyeh as “terrorists.”
Following the incident, the CMC suspended MBC Iraq’s operations and said it had begun procedures to revoke the channel’s license, citing what it described as repeated violations of broadcasting regulations and content it considered offensive to “martyrs” and “resistance leaders.”
The Saudi Media Regulatory Authority later said it had opened an investigation into the journalist responsible for the report, stressing its oversight of media outlets to ensure compliance with Saudi regulations.
In 2023, MBC Iraq also faced criticism in Iraq over plans to air a television series depicting Mo'awiya bin Abu Sufian, founder of the Umayyad dynasty, and Abu Lu'lu'a Nehavandi, historically known for killing the second Rashidun Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab. The Iraqi media regulator directed the channel to refrain from broadcasting the shows, and MBC complied at the time.
A similar incident occurred in 2020, when protesters stormed the network’s Baghdad office after a report described Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis as a “terrorist” in the context of a segment on the 1983 bombing of the US Embassy in Kuwait, which involved members of Iraq’s Al-Dawa Party.
