The Coronavirus Crisis in a Shiite Society: Faith and the Experience of a Pilgrimage Ban at Iran’s Central Shrine
The COVID-19 pandemic, which emerged in late 2019, brought about far-reaching changes in individual and social life. Governments adopted social distancing measures, to varying degrees, to reduce the burden of disease on the health care systems and its damage to the public health. In Iran, the shrine...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/9/874 |
| _version_ | 1797482929484464128 |
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| author | Neda Razavizadeh Michael A. Di Giovine Somayeh Varshovi |
| author_facet | Neda Razavizadeh Michael A. Di Giovine Somayeh Varshovi |
| author_sort | Neda Razavizadeh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 pandemic, which emerged in late 2019, brought about far-reaching changes in individual and social life. Governments adopted social distancing measures, to varying degrees, to reduce the burden of disease on the health care systems and its damage to the public health. In Iran, the shrine of Imam Reza, which is one of the most holy sites for Muslim Shiites worldwide and a popular pilgrimage destination, was closed along with three other holy shrines. Since faith in Imams, and visiting and expressing devotion to them, is of paramount importance in Shiite teachings, there were a mixture of stances regarding the shrines’ shutdown before and during the lockdown. Based on 14 in-depth interviews, this study examines how typical pilgrims have dealt with this ban. Although all interviewees experienced conflicting emotions, their responses centered on three perspectives. Those who advocated for the shrine’s shutdown adopted strategies to cope with cognitive dissonance and threats to their religious identity. The strategies were mainly based on the redefinition, accentuation, reinterpretation, and selection of some theological and jurisprudential readings so that they could address the above challenges to their religious beliefs. The anti-shutdown participants, with a fatalistic interpretation of contracting a disease, opposed the state’s stance, while the pro-shutdown participants accused the state of conservatism or political expediency rooted in an insincere devotion to the Imam. Moreover, some anti-shutdown respondents, despite their discontent, went along with this pragmatic strategy due to their belief in the importance of the image of Shiites in general, and the Shiite state in particular. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:39:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-54eaa808352a45ce857cfe4a3aebee7b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:39:36Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-54eaa808352a45ce857cfe4a3aebee7b2023-11-23T18:42:25ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442022-09-0113987410.3390/rel13090874The Coronavirus Crisis in a Shiite Society: Faith and the Experience of a Pilgrimage Ban at Iran’s Central ShrineNeda Razavizadeh0Michael A. Di Giovine1Somayeh Varshovi2Department of Sociology of Tourism, Institute of Tourism Research, ACECR, Mashhad 1696700, IranDepartment of Anthropology and Sociology, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, West Chester, PA 19383, USADepartment of Sociology of Tourism, Institute of Tourism Research, ACECR, Mashhad 1696700, IranThe COVID-19 pandemic, which emerged in late 2019, brought about far-reaching changes in individual and social life. Governments adopted social distancing measures, to varying degrees, to reduce the burden of disease on the health care systems and its damage to the public health. In Iran, the shrine of Imam Reza, which is one of the most holy sites for Muslim Shiites worldwide and a popular pilgrimage destination, was closed along with three other holy shrines. Since faith in Imams, and visiting and expressing devotion to them, is of paramount importance in Shiite teachings, there were a mixture of stances regarding the shrines’ shutdown before and during the lockdown. Based on 14 in-depth interviews, this study examines how typical pilgrims have dealt with this ban. Although all interviewees experienced conflicting emotions, their responses centered on three perspectives. Those who advocated for the shrine’s shutdown adopted strategies to cope with cognitive dissonance and threats to their religious identity. The strategies were mainly based on the redefinition, accentuation, reinterpretation, and selection of some theological and jurisprudential readings so that they could address the above challenges to their religious beliefs. The anti-shutdown participants, with a fatalistic interpretation of contracting a disease, opposed the state’s stance, while the pro-shutdown participants accused the state of conservatism or political expediency rooted in an insincere devotion to the Imam. Moreover, some anti-shutdown respondents, despite their discontent, went along with this pragmatic strategy due to their belief in the importance of the image of Shiites in general, and the Shiite state in particular.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/9/874coronaviruspilgrimageIranMashhadShiiteImam Reza shrine |
| spellingShingle | Neda Razavizadeh Michael A. Di Giovine Somayeh Varshovi The Coronavirus Crisis in a Shiite Society: Faith and the Experience of a Pilgrimage Ban at Iran’s Central Shrine Religions coronavirus pilgrimage Iran Mashhad Shiite Imam Reza shrine |
| title | The Coronavirus Crisis in a Shiite Society: Faith and the Experience of a Pilgrimage Ban at Iran’s Central Shrine |
| title_full | The Coronavirus Crisis in a Shiite Society: Faith and the Experience of a Pilgrimage Ban at Iran’s Central Shrine |
| title_fullStr | The Coronavirus Crisis in a Shiite Society: Faith and the Experience of a Pilgrimage Ban at Iran’s Central Shrine |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Coronavirus Crisis in a Shiite Society: Faith and the Experience of a Pilgrimage Ban at Iran’s Central Shrine |
| title_short | The Coronavirus Crisis in a Shiite Society: Faith and the Experience of a Pilgrimage Ban at Iran’s Central Shrine |
| title_sort | coronavirus crisis in a shiite society faith and the experience of a pilgrimage ban at iran s central shrine |
| topic | coronavirus pilgrimage Iran Mashhad Shiite Imam Reza shrine |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/9/874 |
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