ALBAWABA - Iran has opened the "Holy Virgin Mary" metro station on its Line Six in the capital, Tehran, last Monday, leaving people stunned with the prettiness of the new place and a little bit confused, considering that Iran is ruled by Islamic Shiites and the majority of the population are Muslims.
Iranian media revealed that the newly opened station was constructed near the St Sarkis Armenian Cathedral in District Six in the capital Tehran.
It is worth noting that Iran's Armenian Christian population is around 100,000, and the metro station includes murals showing Christian symbols.
The Iranian Embassy in Armenia posted photos of the Virgin Mary station and wrote, "A beautiful sign of the coexistence of Iranians with the Armenian community and deep respect for all prophets and divine religions."
Iran's 'Virgin Mary' metro station blows minds, ignites debate:
Media outlets said that the naming of he metro station after the mother of Jesus Christ came to abolish the stereotype pushed by foreign media on how "Iranians don't like Christians", calling the Western media "misleading".
However, activists said naming a metro station after the Virgin Mary reflects the respect Iranians have toward Christians and followers of other Abrahamic faiths.
A social media user wrote, "Iran is safer for Christians than most other countries."
Another said, "Tehran is teaching how one can both take pride in its roots and respect the beliefs of others."
On the other hand, an X user had a different opinion, claiming that the Virgin Mary station was changed last minute just to show respect to other religions.
The person wrote, "Adding 'Holy Mary' to the name of a station that was supposed to be 'Shahid Nejatollahi' from day one is just a project to shut up the minorities
Don't get too hopeful; in this country, respecting others' beliefs and faiths is just for show."
