Abbas Tabrizian (Persian: عباس تبریزیان) is an Iranian Shia cleric and quack[1] who rejects academic medicine.
Abbas Tabrizian | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Alma mater | Hawza Najaf |
According to Al-Monitor, he is regarded as "a figure of ridicule" to most Iranians.[2]
Early life and education
editTabrizian was born in Najaf, Iraq.[2] He studied at Hawza Najaf, the seminary located in his city of birth.[2]
Practices
editTabrizian describes immunisation as "promoted by the colonialist medicine".[1] He offers a service referred to as "Islamic Medicine", which is designated as a threat to the public health by Iran's ministry of health.[3] He maintains that Islamic narrations can help cure any disease and by adopting a "true Islamic lifestyle", people would never need medical treatment.[4] Tabrizian also instructs the presumed diagnoses to his followers,[5] including recommendations for "womb preparation" and "treatment of brain debility", alongside medications such as "nerve strengthener" and "blood detoxifier".[3] He operates a popular online shop, selling those drugs.[6]
In January 2020, a video of his book burning ceremony went viral on social media, in which he set a copy of Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine on fire with lighter. Iranian officials and authorities of Shia seminaries condemned the act.[7][8]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tabrizian was among those who offered advice with no scientific basis.[9] He became a butt of jokes in Iran in March 2020, after he suggested applying violet oil to the anus as a cure for COVID-19.[2][6][8] A month later, Iran's health ministry warned against "engaging in the darkness of superstition and ignorance" and police raided warehouses of Tabrizian.[6] In February 2021, he again hit the headlines after claiming that people who have received the vaccination for the illness have become homosexuals, and urged people to stay away from them.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b Aramesh, Kiarash (July 2018). "Science and Pseudoscience in Traditional Iranian Medicine". Archives of Iranian Medicine. 21 (7). Iranian Academy of Medical Sciences: 315–323. PMID 30041531.
- ^ a b c d Faghihi, Rohollah (10 March 2020), "A cleric's cure for coronavirus becomes butt of jokes in Iran", Al-Monitor, retrieved 20 March 2020
- ^ a b Iran's Health Officials Raise Alarm over Islamic Medicine, Radio Zamaneh, 26 September 2017, retrieved 27 January 2020
- ^ Islamic Medicine cures every disease, Hawzah News, 21 April 2016, retrieved 27 January 2020
- ^ Fatima Mirza, Aliya (2018). "A Review on the Chemical versus Alternative Treatments of Leukemia". Traditional and Integrative Medicine. 3 (3). Tehran University of Medical Sciences: 147–161. eISSN 2476-5112.
- ^ a b c "Quackery in Iran: Desperate Iranians are getting bad medical advice". The Economist. 18 April 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
- ^ Burning Medical Book By Advocate of 'Islamic Medicine" Causes Outrage In Iran, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 25 January 2020, retrieved 27 January 2020
- ^ a b Bozorgmehr, Najmeh (26 December 2020), "Rise in Iranian traditional medicine as Covid crisis grows", The Financial Times, retrieved 11 February 2021
- ^ Gambrell, Jon (28 February 2020), "Virus outbreak in Iran sickens hundreds, including leaders", Associated Press, retrieved 11 February 2021
- ^ Weinthal, Benjamin (8 February 2021), "Iran cleric: People who are vaccinated for COVID have 'become homosexuals'", The Jerusalem Post, retrieved 11 February 2021
External links
edit- Official website (archived)
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