Shafaq News / The decision of the authorities in Iran to close famous religious sites to combat the spread of Corona virus has irritated a number of citizens who rejected the decision, as they launched an attack on a number of these sites.

The Iranian authorities announced earlier Monday the closure of four religious sites throughout the country as a preventive measure to reduce the spread of Corona virus: the shrine of Imam al-Rida in Mashhad, the shrine of Fatima al-Masumah , the Jamkran mosque in Qom and the shrine of Shah Abdul Azim al-Hassani in the capital, Tehran.

A number of citizens in Iran circulated video clips documenting the attack of the public at the gates of the Imam Rida shrine in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

Iranian parliament member and prominent leader of the moderate movement, Ali Motahari called on the authorities in Qom to impose the most severe penalties and the use force against those he described as "the owners of rigid ideas", who stormed the shrine of Fatima al-Masumah after the authorities closed it for fear of an outbreak of the new Corona virus.

In a related context, the media loyal to the Iranian regime accused the followers of the extremist religious authority, Sadiq Al-Shirazi of trying to create chaos and infringement on Fatima shrine by breaking one of the doors of the shrine and entering it by force. According to Eremnews.

The Raja News Agency described the protesters against the closure of the shrine as a "small group", which the security forces dealt with in order to get out of al-Masumah shrine and close it again.

The decision of the Iranian authorities to close the shrines and famous religious sites comes after the outbreak of Corona virus in various Iranian cities, especially after it was seen that many citizens hesitated on these sites despite the dangerous gatherings and the authorities' warnings of the possibility of transmitting the virus infection as a result of mixing.

Local reports had earlier revealed calls by Shiite extremists in Iran to challenge government warning decisions about the outbreak of Corona epidemic, including the challenge of licking the famous shrines, which resulted in the authorities' arrest of a number of those who launched this campaign after they posted videos via the communication sites.

بعد از بیست روز چالش، بالاخره حرم معصومه مشهور به دارالشفا به خاطر جلوگیری از شیوع کرونا بسته شد ولی برخی از مردم قم در جلوی حرم تجمع کرده و به بسته شدن آن اعتراض دارند؛ زنجیره شیوع. pic.twitter.com/XdnpXIKogp

— رضا حقيقت‌نژاد (@rezahn56) March 16, 2020