Muslims are fucking morons.

Iranians gathered to pray outside the closed door of Masumeh shrine in Qom on Monday.

Wall Street Journal

Devout Iranians Defy Tehran's Call to Avoid Shrines

By Sune Engel Rasmussen and Aresu Eqbali

March 17, 2020

TEHRAN—Iranian worshippers have attempted to break into holy shrines and mosques, defying Iran’s leaders who are trying to bar access to religious sites as they struggle to stem a soaring death rate caused by the new coronavirus.

Police in the central city of Qom on Tuesday apprehended 11 rioters who the night before clashed with mosque guards as they tried to enter one of Iran’s holiest sites, the Masoumeh shrine, the Qom prosecutor told state television. The same night in the city of Mashhad, worshippers tried to enter the largest religious site in the country, the Imam Reza shrine. The shrine remained shuttered Tuesday.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is trying to balance demands from some Iranians for mass quarantines with pushback from those who oppose restrictions on religious and economic activities. The tension comes as some experts warn that fatalities in Iran from Covid-19 could reach into the millions if public disregard for official guidelines continues.

The acts of the worshippers in Qom went against not just the central government, but also against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has urged all Iranians to follow the measures introduced by the Health Ministry.

Mr. Khamenei last week said medical personnel who die after contracting the coronavirus should be considered “martyrs,” a title usually reserved for those who perish in war.

On Tuesday, the supreme leader issued a religious ruling prohibiting unnecessary travel during the outbreak.

Iran is already battling one of the world’s worst outbreaks of Covid-19. The country’s health ministry on Tuesday logged 135 deaths over the previous 24 hours, bringing the number of fatalities to 988. More than 16,000 people have been infected from the illness caused by the new coronavirus in Iran.

Some are warning that Iran’s death toll will continue to soar—and just how high will depend on compliance with public health advice.

In a new study, cited by Iranian state media, researchers at the renowned Sharif University of Technology in Tehran said if the Iranian population begins fully cooperating with advice from authorities now, the outbreak will peak in early April, leading to an estimated 12,000 deaths. If they refuse to cooperate, Iran’s strained medical system will be overwhelmed, and the peak will occur in June, causing as many as 3.5 million people to die, the study said.

Iran isn’t alone in attempting to stem the tide of worshippers to holy sites —and containing the risks such mass congregations pose in spreading the virus.

On Tuesday, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the paramount spiritual authority in Iraq, who also commands loyalty among millions of Shiites across the world, issued a religious edict designating the fight against the coronavirus a collective duty.

Mr. Sistani likened the work of medical workers to that of “heroic fighters” and said those who fell in the line of duty should be considered martyrs. Both the Shiite and Sunni authorities have instructed all mosques under their authority across Iraq to be closed.

Saudi Arabia also on Tuesday suspended all mass prayers, including Friday prayer, in all mosques, with the exception of the two holy mosques in Mecca and Medina, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

In Iran, authorities on Monday closed four important religious sites after weekslong calls to shut shrines and mosques to avoid mass gatherings. The Masoumeh shrine in Qom and the Imam Reza Mosque in the eastern city of Mashhad are two of the country’s holiest sites. Authorities also closed the Shah-Abdol Azim shrine in Tehran and the Jamkaran Mosque in Qom.

While Iranian authorities say Qom is the source of its Covid-19 epidemic, they hadn’t until Monday restricted travel or closed religious sites in the city, which receives thousands of pilgrims every month, although local authorities had banned hotels and guest houses from taking travelers.