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Abbas Tabrizian
Abbas Tabrizian (Persian: عباس تبریزیان) is an Iranian Shia cleric and quack[1] who rejects academic medicine. According to Al-Monitor, he is regarded as "a figure of ridicule" to most Iranians.[2] Early life and educationTabrizian was born in Najaf, Iraq.[2] He studied at Hawza Najaf, the seminary located in his city of birth.[2] PracticesTabrizian describes immunisation as "promoted by the colonialist medicine".[1] 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.[3] He maintains that Islamic narrations can help cure any disease and by adopting a "true Islamic lifestyle", people would never need medical treatment.[4] Tabrizian also instructs the presumed diagnoses to his followers,[5] including recommendations for "womb preparation" and "treatment of brain debility", alongside medications such as "nerve strengthener" and "blood detoxifier".[3] He operates a popular online shop, selling those drugs.[6] In January 2020, a video of his book burning ceremony went viral on social media, in which he set a copy of Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine on fire with lighter. Iranian officials and authorities of Shia seminaries condemned the act.[7][8] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tabrizian was among those who offered advice with no scientific basis.[9] 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.[2][6][8] A month later, Iran's health ministry warned against "engaging in the darkness of superstition and ignorance" and police raided warehouses of Tabrizian.[6] In February 2021, he again hit the headlines after claiming that people who have received the vaccination for the illness have become homosexuals, and urged people to stay away from them.[10] References
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