Health Ministry criticizes flogging sentence for three doctors following book-burning cleric's complaint
Kianoush Jahanpour, spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Health, in response to the book-burning cleric's complaint against three doctors that resulted in their sentencing to 60 lashes, called on the judiciary to play its legal role in the case.
Referring to the critical stance of Ebrahim Raisi, the head of the judiciary, regarding Abbas Tabrizian's action in burning the medical education reference book titled Harrison's Medicine, Mr. Jahanpour, citing the Mashhad Medical System Organization, announced that the flogging sentence against these three doctors is "preliminary and not definitive."
His comments come after a few days ago, the Telegram channel of Abbas Tabrizian, a cleric who calls himself the "father of Islamic medicine" and recently burned Harrison's medical education reference book in front of the camera, published an image of the verdict issued by Branch 136 of the Mashhad Criminal Court of First Instance.
In this image, three doctors have been sentenced to 60 lashes each for "insulting through cyberspace" following his complaint.
The Tabrizian channel introduced these three doctors as "Hatak" and wrote that they were sued so that "we would no longer witness the repetition of such messages regarding the issue of Islamic medicine."
A spokesman for the Ministry of Health said that publishing this ruling, given that it is not definitive, is a "crime" and "the matter is too clear to be pursued with such rulings."
Mr. Jahanpour, stating that "with this stage-setting and atmosphere-building, this person's situation will no longer work," described Tabrizian's approach as "classist and ignorant" and said that he was "acting against the public health of the country."
He called on the judiciary to "play its role" due to what he called the "interference" of Tabrizian and others with similar thinking in the treatment process.
Another report indicates that Abbas Kamewa, the head of the Iranian General Physicians Association, has also announced the association's complaint against Abbas Tabrizian.
According to Mr. Kamaya, "Making people skeptical of medical knowledge, even if it only affects one person and prevents them from pursuing treatment, is considered a threat to the health of society and is subject to legal action."
In recent days, news of the arrest of Abbas Tabrizian was also published in cyberspace, which Mizan News Agency denied, citing the Special Prosecutor's Office for the Clergy, and said that the cleric currently resides in the city of Najaf.
ISNA News Agency also believes in an article titled "Who is Tabrizian and why did he set Harrison on fire," written by Abbas Tabrizian, who studied at the Najaf Seminary and also teaches foreign studies and jurisprudence, that "today's medical science is a lie and deception, and the treatment of diseases must be extracted from the Quran and Hadiths."
According to the report, "In 2017, the Ministry of Health declared his activities illegal, and Tabrizian told his opponents to take the same chemical drugs, because, according to him, they would be destroyed faster by taking those drugs."
About two weeks ago, Abbas Tabrizian, along with his supporters, burned Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, a well-known medical textbook, and posted a video of the action on social media.
The burning of this medical reference book sparked widespread reactions, to the point that even the management of the seminaries and a number of clerics reacted, calling the action "an obscene, ignorant, and unjustified move."
Source: Radio Farda
