Strong criticism of Rouhani's emphasis on holding mourning during the Corona crisis

Rouhani's remarks about the necessity of holding mourning ceremonies even in cities with a red coronavirus status have been met with widespread criticism. Critics say it is impossible to follow health recommendations during Muharram ceremonies and puts the health of society at risk.

While Health Ministry officials have announced a resurgence of the coronavirus outbreak in recent weeks, partly as a result of easing restrictions and holding mass ceremonies, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has emphasized that mourning for the month of Muharram should be held in all cities "with grandeur and splendor."

Hojjatoleslam Masih Mohajeri, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Jomhuri Eslami, emphasized in an editorial today, Sunday, August 25, referring to Rouhani's words about "holding Muharram mourning ceremonies and definitely observing health protocols," that such a thing is not possible.

The twelfth head of state, at a meeting of the National Headquarters for Combating and Managing Corona last Saturday, said that "one of the important issues" discussed in the meeting was the issue of mourning ceremonies during the months of Muharram and Safar.

Rouhani said in the meeting: "A discussion may arise any day, and now that we have reached the month of Muharram, the discussion of mourning or health may arise. No, both, mourning for Imam Hussein and paying attention to health protocols; these are not mutually exclusive, they should be brought together and placed side by side."

He added that, according to the decision of the National Corona Management Headquarters, Muharram ceremonies should be held "in cities and villages in all areas where there is a red, yellow, and white situation" with lower density and adherence to health guidelines such as wearing masks and maintaining distance.

In his note, Masih Mohajeri emphasized that such a thing is not possible, writing: "This reality has been proven by the experience of the past two to three months in the field of holding weddings, funerals, traveling, attending mosques, Friday prayers, restaurants, halls, inner-city and outer-city travel by subway, bus, and plane, lifting restrictions on shopping malls, markets, and so on."

The editor-in-chief of the Jomhuri Eslami newspaper says that the reason why the containment of the coronavirus, after initial successes, went out of the control of the National Headquarters for Combating the Coronavirus, and the daily death toll rose from 34 on June 25 to over 220 in July, was because of this lifting of restrictions.

Endangering the health of society for the sake of a "recommended act"?

This is an issue that both the official statistics of the Ministry of Health confirm, and officials of this ministry and local authorities involved in combating Corona in Tehran and other regions of Iran have repeatedly repeated.

In response to Rouhani's repeated emphasis on the importance of Muharram mourning for Shiites, Hojjatoleslam Mohajeri says that holding this ceremony is not obligatory from a religious perspective and the result of the National Headquarters' decision on this matter will be that "the health of society is at risk due to performing a recommended act."

He noted that Rouhani's remarks about the necessity of holding mourning ceremonies were made on the same day that the Ministry of Health announced that 25 of Iran's 31 provinces are in a red and alert state in terms of the spread of the coronavirus, and the remaining provinces are not "completely white and problem-free."

25 provinces remain in red and alert status

The spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Health announced in his latest press conference that in the 24 hours ending at noon on August 25, 2020, 2,333 new cases of infection were identified and 216 patients with COVID-19 have lost their lives.

Sima Sadat Lari says that the total number of people infected with Covid-19 reached 291,172 on Sunday, and "as in previous days," 12 provinces are still in red status and 13 provinces are in alert status.

According to official statistics from the Ministry of Health, the number of victims of COVID-19 in Iran has reached 15,700, and currently 3,695 patients with COVID-19 are under care in severe condition.

It seems that the decision of the National Headquarters for Combating Corona regarding the Muharram ceremonies was made under pressure from individuals and institutions that, since the official confirmation of the spread of Corona in Iran, have strongly opposed any decision or health recommendation that would lead to restrictions on holding religious ceremonies.

The “Secular Coronavirus” and Hassan Rouhani’s Responsibility

The editor-in-chief of the newspaper Jomhuri Eslami apparently wants Rouhani to put aside “acquaintances with this and that” and writes to him: “As the commander-in-chief of the headquarters to combat the Corona virus, you are responsible for the lives of the people. It is quite clear that the headquarters’ new decisions will bring exactly the same calamity to lives that the lifting of the Corona restrictions has brought.”

According to IRNA, Hojjatoleslam Abbas Mousavi Motlaq, in a speech before the Friday prayer sermons in Qom, criticized those who, he said, "unreasonably" fuel concerns about holding the Muharram ceremonies, saying: "Corona is a secular virus that is trying to push religious countries towards atheism with its destructive effects."

Mousavi Motlaq, noting that some people were "advancing the project of closing pilgrimage centers and religious delegations" in the early weeks of the coronavirus outbreak, said that the ceremonies of the months of Muharram and Safar must be held with the usual enthusiasm and in compliance with health protocols, and "no one can prevent these ceremonies from being held."

Apparently, the Cultural Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly has been pursuing the holding of Muharram ceremonies for some time, despite the resurgence of the coronavirus outbreak.

Hojjatoleslam Majid Nasiraei, the spokesman for the commission, told ISNA news agency on August 1: "Given the health issues to combat the coronavirus, the issue of public health cannot be ignored, but we must also pay attention to the fact that everything we have and do not have comes from these shrines and the months of Muharram and Ashura. These issues are not something that someone wants to deal with lightly and easily say that Friday prayers have been closed, now we will also close the mourning and Muharram processions."

Pressure from some clerics, warning from health officials

Similar statements have been made by many other influential clerics, such as Ahmad Alam-ul-Huda, the representative of the Supreme Leader in Khorasan Razavi and the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad. It is likely that the decision of the National Headquarters for Combating Corona to hold Muharram ceremonies even in areas with a red status, which conflicts with all the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, was a result of pressure from these individuals and Rouhani’s “acquaintance” with them.

On August 2, Iraj Harirchi, Deputy General of the Ministry of Health, pointed to a 50 percent increase in the number of coronavirus victims in Iran compared to the first wave of the epidemic in March and April, and warned that the death rate in autumn and winter will be even higher than in summer.

Harirchi cited the holding of gatherings as a factor in increasing the risk of transmission of the coronavirus and, given the upcoming month of Muharram, called for "minimizing gatherings during these times."

Alireza Zali, commander of the coronavirus response headquarters in Tehran province, has repeatedly warned in recent days and weeks that, given the increase in cases and deaths after restrictions were eased, if this situation continues, a "dangerous autumn season" will be ahead.

Given these statements by senior health officials, the suspicion that the decision of the National Headquarters to Combat Corona to hold Muharram ceremonies was made due to pressure from religious authorities and circles is strengthened.

Source: DW