The Role of Clerics in Confronting the COVID-19 Crisis in Iran

Clerics were an authoritative and prominent group in society during the spread of the COVID-19 in Iran. Some of them contributed to social welfare services to assist Iranians. However, others engaged in improper activities, such as calling the COVID-19 pandemic a hoax, standing against the quarantin...

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VerfasserInnen: Yoosefi Lebni, Javad (VerfasserIn) ; Irandoost, Seyed Fahim (VerfasserIn) ; Mehedi, Nafiul (VerfasserIn) ; Ziapour, Arash (VerfasserIn)
Medienart: Elektronisch Aufsatz
Sprache:Englisch
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Veröffentlicht: Springer Science + Business Media B. V. 2021
In: Journal of religion and health
Jahr: 2021, Band: 60, Heft: 4, Seiten: 2387-2394
weitere Schlagwörter:B Clerics
B Covid-19
B Iran
B Pandemic
B Clergy
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Zusammenfassung:Clerics were an authoritative and prominent group in society during the spread of the COVID-19 in Iran. Some of them contributed to social welfare services to assist Iranians. However, others engaged in improper activities, such as calling the COVID-19 pandemic a hoax, standing against the quarantine rules, questioning the scientific methods of preventing COVID-19, and offering incorrect strategies that affected prevention and treatment. Yet, clerics are powerful social assets in Iranian society who have the status to help minimize the spread and effects of pandemics upon Iranian people. As a result, their assistance and influence must be used to combat the COVID-19 crisis. This paper argues that clerics in Iran should motivate people to uphold and obey health norms in four ways: (1) health promotion and encouragement, (2) material and instrumental support, (3) spiritual support, and (4) the mobilization of people to combat the disease. Conversely, it highlights the negative roles of clerics, such as (1) opposing social restrictions and opposing the closure of religious places, (2) countering the scientific-hygienic principles appropriate to COVID-19 prevention, and (3) opposing vaccination.
ISSN:1573-6571
Enthält:Enthalten in: Journal of religion and health
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s10943-021-01295-6