Iraqi politician Izzat Al-Shabandar came out in support of a bill that would criminalize homosexuality in a September 12, 2024 interview with Al-Sumaria TV (Iraq). He said that the Israeli-Zionist ideology is the “number one” danger to Iraq, while homosexuality is the second threat. Al-Shabandar referred to homosexuality as “horrifying” and suggested that Iraqi politicians come together to vote on this bill.