Kadhem al-Haeri, a cleric who has close ties with the Islamic Dawa Party and the Iranian regime, issued a fatwa March 30 banning the election of secular candidates in the upcoming elections. Large banners were hung in many areas of Baghdad and included a picture of the marja (spiritual guide) and the signature of the party’s office. The banners read: “It is forbidden to elect secular candidates.” The banners, hung late in March, are still present in some areas in Baghdad.

This fatwa has come in tandem with a media attack by ruling Islamic parties against the secular movement. The official media outlets of these parties are constantly instilling fear among the people regarding the “dangerous agendas” of secular candidates, claiming they have links to foreign parties and ties with the former regime.

A good example of this drive is what recently happened to civil activist Hanaa Edwar, known as the "Mother Theresa of Iraq" for the large-scale humanitarian services she provides there. Almasalah, affiliated with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, accused Edwar of raising the old Iraqi flag from the era of deposed President Saddam Hussein and of being involved in corruption cases, without presenting any documents or supporting evidence. The website also described her critical stance against Maliki and the Iraqi government’s violations of human rights during a conference held by Maliki himself in 2012 as “exhibitionist, theatrical and characterized with overreaction and self-inflation.”

Another example is the use of propaganda against a prominent candidate of the secular movement in the current election, Mithal al-Alusi. Darbonh, affiliated with the State of Law Coalition, accused Alusi of being Baathist and having close ties with Zionists and Western security agencies. Alusi had been excluded from this election by the Iraqi High Electoral Commission, only to be accepted later by the Supreme Court. It is worth mentioning that Alusi lost his two sons in 2005, when they were killed by a terrorist militia after he visited Israel. He was also ejected from the Iraqi parliament by Islamic parties, although he was officially elected.