Coronavirus Update: Millions In Iran Could Die From COVID-19, Health Ministry Warns

A reporter of Iranian state TV, who also happens to be a medical doctor, has issued the grim warning shortly after diehard Shiite demonstrators forced their way into shrines. The hardliners managed to enter two major shrines’ courtyards, which had been closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Mideastern country has been hit very hard by the virus, with infections and death toll just behind China and Italy. Approximately nine out of every ten cases of the more than 18,000 confirmed coronavirus infections in the Middle East are from Iran. Iran’s number of deaths increased by another 13% Tuesday.

The spokesman for Iran’s Health Ministry, Kianoush Jahanpour, said that COVID-19 caused the deaths of 135 more people, raising the total deaths in the country to 988. To date, Iran has 16,169 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection.

Highly Contagious Pathogen

While most of those infected in Iran suffer only mild to moderate symptoms and recover after a few weeks, the virus is highly contagious and easily spread. It can be transmitted by people who have no visible symptoms. Those who are at higher risk are Iran’s older adults and persons who already have existing health problems.

In broadcasting the new warning, Dr. Afruz Eslami, a journalist with the Iranian state TV, said that if people continue to disobey health advisories, Iran’s already-strained medical system could collapse. Dr. Eslami also said that if medical facilities in the country are not sufficient, coronavirus infection cases in Iran could reach 4 million, of which 3.5 million people can die. The fatwa, which prohibited unessential travel, which was issued by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, highlighted the urgency and precarious health situation of the country.

Two Significant Shrines Of Important People In Shi’ah Islam

Religious practices observed in the two shrines include the kissing, and in some instances, licking of the gates blocking the actual tomb. The tombs belong to some of Iran’s most revered religious personalities like Imam Reza and Fatima Masumeh, the sister of Imam Reza and daughter of Imam Musa al-Kadhim.

Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha, spelled as either Rida or Reza in Persian, is a descendant of Muhammad, the Islamic prophet. Simply known as Imam Reza, he is the eighth Shi’ah Imam and occupied a position of influence before he was ordered killed by the Caliph. Imam Reza was buried at a shrine in a city in Khorasan, which later on became known as Mashad, which means the place of martyrdom. The complex is an important Iranian tourism center and is recognized as the heart of the Shi’ah Iran. Records show that 25 million Iranian and non-Iranian Shi’ahs visit the shrine annually.

Fatima Masumeh, on the other hand, is revered as a saint in Shi’ah Islam because she is a close relative to one of the Twelver Imams. The term Twelver refers to the belief of its adherents of the twelve divinely ordained leaders in Shi’ah Islam. Imam al-Mahdi is traditionally recognized as the last Imam and is believed to live in occultation. Shi’ah Muslims believe he will reappear again in the future as the promised Mahdi, an event which is supposed to coincide with the Second Coming of Jesus.

The shrine of Fatima Masumeh is regarded as among the most significant Shi’i shrines in the country. Year after year, thousands of Shi’i Muslims make a pilgrimage to Qom and honor Fatima Masumeh as well as ask her for blessings. The three daughters of the ninth Twelver Shi’ah Imam Muhammad al-Taqi are also buried within this shrine.

Shi’ah Muslims believe by kissing or licking any part of the shrine or tomb itself or even just the gates to the tomb; they are already honoring the revered personalities. It is a religious practice being done for many centuries, according to one visitor, as he prepares to kiss the walls of the shrine.

An Appeal For Wisdom And Patience

As Iran’s coronavirus infection cases rise, authorities began mulling on the closure of the two shrines. The country’s health advisers recognized the religious significance of kissing or licking the tombs. In times like these, however, they appealed for greater wisdom and patience.

The decision of authorities to close the shrines on Monday was met with great anger and frustration. Many Iranians said that in sacred places like the shrines, there is no room for any virus, germs or disease. By late Monday night, angry demonstrators stormed the Angry crowds, on late Monday night, stormed the compound of the Fatima Masumeh Shrine in Qom and Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad.

Upon gaining entry, men and boys licked and kissed the walls and doors of all holy places. When asked why they are doing it, they answered they wanted to prove that the mosques and shrines in the city are immune to coronavirus. Videos of men performing these acts circulated on social media and immediately went viral.

Until it was closed, the shrine in Qom always had plenty of visitors twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week. Pilgrims and visitors would reverently touch and kiss the shrine.

The two shrines always attract Shiite pilgrims from various parts of the country and the world. Health officials say this may have hugely contributed to the regional spread of the virus.

The closures of the shrines were announced by state TV earlier in the day, Monday. These sparked the angry demonstrations. Police were able to disperse the crowds later and also made some arrests. According to religious authorities and an eminent Qom seminary, the demonstrations are an insult to the shrine.