Egyptian Group Forbids Eating Tomatoes Because Tomatoes "are Christian" and "Praise the Cross Instead of Allah"

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Translated from the original Arabic by Now Lebanon


The following text, originally in Arabic and accompanied by an image that can be viewed here, was posted in June 2012 by the Popular Egyptian Islamic Association (supporters of Muslim Brotherhood’s then presidential candidate, Mohammad Morsi) on its Facebook page. It tells Muslims not to eat tomatoes, claiming that they are a Christian "vegetable" that praise the Cross and believe in the Trinity.

This is not the first or the last time Muslims have targeted food in such a strange manner. In July 2011, Somalia's al-Shabaab group banned samosas after ruling the snacks are offensive and too Christian due to their "resemblance to the Christian Holy Trinity". And in July 2013, a Syrian judicial council in a rebel-held area of Aleppo issued a fatwa deeming croissants forbidden because "the Croissants’ crescent shape celebrates European victory over Muslims."

Eating tomatoes is forbidden because they are Christian. [The tomato] praises the cross instead of Allah and says that Allah is three (a reference to the Trinity).

[God help us]. I implore you to spread this photo because there is a sister from Palestine who saw the prophet of Allah [Mohammad] in a vision and he was crying, warning his nation against eating them [tomatoes]. If you don’t spread this [message], know that it is the devil who stopped you.
"Salafist group warns tomatoes are “Christian”" (archived from the original)
Angie Nassar, Now Lebanon, June 12. 2012, http://archive.is/0VI9d.