World
Virus or Not, Religion Dominates in Land of Islamic Shrines
The epicenter of the disease in Iran is a holy city where clerics seem reluctant to interfere with observance.
People wear face masks in Qom.
Photographer: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
It’s been three days since the Iranian city of Qom banned one of Shiite Islam’s holiest shrines from holding religious ceremonies in an attempt to contain the spread of coronavirus. On Wednesday, it was still open with pilgrims pushing at fences erected to stop them kissing the gilded shrine.
The Iranian government has become the target of popular anger and ridicule over its slow and confused response to the outbreak, which has killed at least 19 people in the country so far with wildly fluctuating reports on how many people actually have the virus.