Amid an increase in conspiracy theories about coronavirus vaccine, an Iranian cleric has come forward with another absurd claim about the vaccine turning people into homosexuals, reported Arab News.
In a rant on Telegram, Ayatollah Abbas Tabrizian, who is known for his vitriol against Western medicine, said that the people who have received COVID vaccine have become “gays”. “These jabs have made the individuals gay,” he claimed, asking people to keep their distance from these individuals.
The so-called father of Islamic medicine claimed that in the presence of Islamic knowledge, Western medical practices have become “irrelevant”.
Last year, there was a viral video of him burning a copy of Harrison’s Manual of Medicine – considered an authority and the most trusted brand in medical content.
Iran’s regime has executed 4,000-6,000 gays and lesbians since its 1979 Islamic revolution, according to a 2008 WikiLeaks cable.
Iran is the Middle East region’s hotspot for the coronavirus’ worst outbreak with almost 1.5 million cases. The country’s vaccination program begins Tuesday for the population groups most at risk: frontline healthcare doctors and nurses working in contact with COVID-19 patients at intensive care units.
Iran earlier launched a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Iran’s Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute.