Now, a video of an Iranian cleric claiming a perfume as a cure for the virus has surfaced online. According to reports from Iran, the man seen in the video is Morteza Kohansal, who is a proponent of Islamic medicine.
The video caught the attention of the public after Kohansal shared it online asking for patients' permission to cure them. In the clip, he is seen rubbing the lotion below the nose of two coronavirus patients asking them to smell it at the Gilan province hospital in northern Iran. The low-level cleric claims that the perfume is considered an "Islamic medicine" in Iran dismissing modern medicine.
"Smell that, it is from the prophet (translated)," the cleric is heard saying to one of the patients in the video. "Smell that, you will get better, you should sneeze," he says to the other one.
However, reports suggest that one of the patients Mohsen Sharifi seen in the video died three days after the incident. Many have criticised the cleric for approaching the patients without wearing masks or any recommended protective gear putting himself and others in danger.
Arrest warrant
A prosecutor in Iran's northern city of Anzali has reportedly said that an arrest warrant has been issued against the self-proclaimed doctor for putting the lives of the public in danger. It is reported that he entered the hospital without permission.
Similar fake claims by self-proclaimed doctors in Iran
Recently, another leading, known as "the Father of Islamic Medicine in Iran" had reportedly claimed that dropping bitter gourd oil in the ears in the morning will protect one from the virus infection. Another self-proclaimed Islamic doctor had suggested stuffing the anus with a cotton ball dipped in violet oil to ward off the virus.
Coronavirus in Iran
As of March 28, COVID-19 has killed 2,517 people in Iran alone, while there are 21,212 active cases since the first case was reported on February 19.
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