Abbas Tabrizian ( fa, عباس تبریزیان) is an Iranian

Shia cleric In Shi'a Islam the guidance of clergy and keeping such a structure holds a great importance. The clergy structure depends on the branch of Shi'ism is being referred to. Twelver Usooli and Akhbari Shia Twelver Muslims believe that the study of ...

and

quack Quack, The Quack or Quacks may refer to: People * Quack Davis, American baseball player * Hendrick Peter Godfried Quack (1834–1917), Dutch economist and historian * Joachim Friedrich Quack (born 1966), German Egyptologist * Johannes Quack (bo ...

who rejects

academic medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practice ...

. According to

Al-Monitor Al-Monitor ( ar, المونيتور) is a news website launched in February 2012 by the Arab American entrepreneur Jamal Daniel and based in Washington, DC, United States. Al-Monitor provides reporting and analysis from and about the Middle East. ...

, he is regarded as "a figure of ridicule" to most Iranians.

Early life and education

Tabrizian was born in

Najaf Najaf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف) or An-Najaf al-Ashraf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف ٱلْأَشْرَف), also known as Baniqia ( ar, بَانِيقِيَا), is a city in central Iraq about 160 km (100 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated popula ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. He studied at

Hawza Najaf The Najaf Seminary ( ar, حوزة النجف), also known as the al-Hawza Al-Ilmiyya (الحوزة العلمية), is the oldest and one of the most important Shia seminaries (hawza) in the world. It is located in the city of Najaf in Iraq. The ...

, the seminary located in his city of birth.

Practices

Tabrizian describes

immunisation Immunization, or immunisation, is the process by which an individual's immune system becomes fortified against an infectious agent (known as the immunogen). When this system is exposed to molecules that are foreign to the body, called ''non ...

as "promoted by the

colonialist Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...

medicine". 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. He maintains that Islamic narrations can help cure any disease and by adopting a "true Islamic lifestyle", people would never need medical treatment. Tabrizian also instructs the presumed diagnoses to his followers, including recommendations for "womb preparation" and "treatment of brain debility", alongside medications such as "nerve strengthener" and "blood detoxifier". He operates a popular online shop, selling those drugs. In January 2020, a video of his

book burning Book burning is the deliberate destruction by fire of books or other written materials, usually carried out in a public context. The burning of books represents an element of censorship and usually proceeds from a cultural, religious, or politi ...

ceremony went viral on social media, in which he set a copy of ''

Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine ''Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine'' is an American textbook of internal medicine. First published in 1950, it is in its 21st edition (published in 2022 by McGraw-Hill Professional ) and comes in two volumes. Although it is aimed at a ...

'' on fire with lighter. Iranian officials and authorities of Shia seminaries condemned the act. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

, Tabrizian was among those who offered advice with no scientific basis. 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 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

. A month later, Iran's health ministry warned against "engaging in the darkness of superstition and ignorance" and police raided warehouses of Tabrizian. In February 2021, he again hit the headlines after claiming that people who have received the vaccination for the illness have become

homosexuals Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...

, and urged people to stay away from them.

References

External links

Official website
(archived) 1960s births Living people Year of birth uncertain Iranian Shia clerics Iranian conspiracy theorists Iranian anti-vaccination activists Alternative detoxification promoters Anti-GMO activists Iraqi emigrants to Iran People from Najaf People from Tabriz {{Iran-bio-stub