“این عکس یک تصویر از یک گلدان با گل‌های زیباست”

“This picture is an image of a vase with beautiful flowers.”
Mohammad Mahbobi

News of deaths caused by homemade alcoholic beverages is not strange for those who live in Iran and are familiar with the lives of people in different regions of the country. However, in October 2018, suddenly strange statistics of several cases of deaths caused by consumption of these beverages were published in the media; so much so that according to ILNA’s report on October 23rd, Interior Minister Rahmani Fazli said: “According to the reports of the Ministry of Health and the Legal Medical Organization, industrial methanol has been used in these homemade alcoholic beverages, and this has led to the death of a number of consumers. Therefore, it is necessary for the Ministry of Health and the Judiciary to prepare a protocol for strict and serious supervision of the production, distribution, and consumption of methanol.”

On October 12th, the newspaper Etemad reported, quoting the head of Iran’s Emergency Organization, that: “From mid-September to October 8th, 768 people have been poisoned by consuming counterfeit alcoholic beverages containing methanol.” According to this report, out of this number, 170 people have lost their kidneys, 16 have become blind, and 69 have lost their lives.

On October 8th, the newspaper Ettelaat reported, citing the public relations department of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, that: “The number of people seeking medical treatment due to poisoning from consumption of counterfeit and homemade alcoholic beverages in Bandar Abbas has reached 246, of which 10 are women. Unfortunately, some of these individuals are in critical condition, with 19 fatalities and 7 in serious condition. So far, 131 have undergone dialysis and 140 have been discharged.”

Furthermore, ISNA news agency reported on October 20th that 28 people have died due to consuming fake alcohol in Alborz province. According to this report, Hamid Darafshi, the head of Alborz University of Medical Sciences, announced: “In the months of Shahrivar and Mehr, 357 people have been poisoned by consuming alcoholic beverages and 28 of them have lost their lives.” Mr. Darafshi stated that the age range of those who have sought medical treatment for alcohol poisoning is between 12 and 60 years old, and 37 of these poisoned individuals are women.

The news about this is abundant, but the reason for the increase in deaths and poisonings in Mehr month of 1397 (September/October 2018) could possibly be due to the mass production of substandard drinks within the country, following the decrease in smuggling of drinks into the country due to the increase in currency exchange rates. Of course, this could be a hypothesis. Because most of the standard drinks consumed in the country are smuggled in, and this type of import certainly incurs high costs. Additionally, with the recent increase in the exchange rate, the cost of importing and purchasing these drinks has also increased significantly according to Iranian currency. Therefore, in this situation, it is possible that some profit-seeking individuals may resort to producing non-standard and unhealthy drinks. Personally, in the past few days, I witnessed an interesting case. When I was taking out the trash, I noticed that the building caretakers were selling used drink bottles to a scrap buyer, the same bottles that

This social crisis is caused by the prohibition of buying, selling, and consuming alcohol in Iran. The reason for this prohibition is, of course, religious and legal. In the Iranian Penal Code, in the second book (Book of Boundaries), in the sixth chapter (Consumption of Intoxicants), the punishment of 80 lashes is prescribed for consuming intoxicants. In customs and practices, as well as other laws, all forms of buying, selling, exporting, importing, storing, consuming, etc. of all alcoholic beverages are completely prohibited.

Since following religious laws is a personal matter, it does not necessarily align with laws that directly relate to public rights. In religion, individuals are considered to be potentially Muslim in terms of public rights, not necessarily in practice. Anyone who becomes a Muslim through the two testimonies is obligated to follow religious matters in their personal life and in relation to their God. They must pray, fast, lower their gaze from non-permissible things, and refrain from consuming prohibited items. Of course, these actions cannot be applied to public laws. For example, a law cannot be established that requires everyone to pray. Only things that are directly related to public rights or violate an individual’s personal rights can be prohibited, punished, or regulated. For example, a law can be established that prohibits someone from being drunk in public places or driving under the influence (as is the case in secular countries), but a law cannot be established that prohibits someone from drinking alcohol in their own home, as it is not feasible.

Furthermore, Iranian society is not a homogeneous Muslim society; firstly, a small portion of Iranian society is non-Muslim and follows other religions, and secondly, a portion of society is either non-religious or only loosely adheres to Islamic laws. These citizens are allowed to purchase and consume alcohol. However, religious authorities oppose the freedom of buying and selling alcohol for non-Muslim citizens, citing the concept of “moghaddameh haram” (the forbidden precursor). This means that something is not inherently forbidden, but it can become a precursor and means to a forbidden act. If this is the basis, then many other things should also be prohibited, such as knives, which can be used for the worst possible act, murder.

As long as the foundation of the legal system and legislative system of Iran is based on jurisprudence and sharia, these problems will continue to exist. If only the jurists would adhere to the duty that God has reminded the Prophet of in the Quran, which is to remind others: “So remind, [O Muhammad]; you are only a reminder. You are not over them a controller.” If only the jurists would have the right to explain the laws to people with logic and reasoning, and if someone wants to follow them, they can, and if someone does not want to, they don’t have to. And if the basis of legislation is solely based on human customs and experiences, not on religious rules or interpretations of ideologies and human schools of thought.

In this topic, the health of citizens and people is within the bounds of Sharia law. Even in jurisprudence and Sharia, there is a strong emphasis on preserving human life and not causing harm to humans. The principle of “no harm” is one of the most important principles in Islamic jurisprudence: “There should be no harm or causing harm in Islam”; meaning that there should be no harm or causing harm in Islam. The prohibition of buying and selling alcohol has led to the formation of illegal alcohol production gangs. These drinks have put the lives of many humans at risk and have caused the death of dozens of people. It has been said that these citizens have acted against themselves and should have opened their eyes and ears to avoid this danger. But one of the inherent duties of the government is to protect citizens from dangers and eliminate potential hazards. The legalization of buying and selling alcohol (of course with systematic and precise laws) does not pose a threat to the health of society; it does