Since that time, the mosques have continued to play important political and social roles, in addition to their traditional religious functions.[50] At the same time, weekly mosque attendance rate in Iran has been very low compared to other Muslim countries.[51] In particular, politicization of Friday prayers under the Islamic Republic has had the paradoxical consequence of discouraging religious people from attending Friday prayers. People who attend prayers tend to have more positive evaluation of the political system than people who do not attend.[51]:228–9