Sow the tomato, reap the whirlwind

This is not really a hard hat post. Just the facts mam.. I guess. I do get so sick of all the pure hate "bull" that gets passed around and around and NO ONE ever seems to question it. So here are some questions about a wacky story.

A while a go this thing came round about Islamic groups wanting to ban the tomato because it is somehow Christian. I am not sure where it first appeared, one attribution was the Now Lebanon site.

There was a picture of a tomato cut in half showing a cross shape horizontal cross section with the seeds and some Arabic type script along with a supposed translation. I can't read it so I couldn't tell if it was an honest translation or a just recipe for chicken soup.

Whatever, It went something like this:
"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.”

Absolutely. Goodness help us indeed!

Now, for one thing. looking at those words in the English translation, especially the last part, it looks like it has all the ingredients of a chain letter aimed at Moslems with a reason to send it on?

It kind of works elsewhere also just because it sounds wacky and confirms stock ideas.

OK back to that tomato. Notice anything? Go on you must have seen a sliced tomato before... not so many guys maybe?

Of course it depends on how you slice it for one thing, but sliced horizontally you can get anything from two "divisions" or "spokes" (like in a wheel) to almost how ever many you like (at least five). Depends on the variety I guess?


Go on check it out don't just... duhh... accept it.

Mostly the ones I get from the store have just three spokes.

So, for sure, only _some_ tomatoes _sometimes_ show a cross shape, and I figure, not the majority.
OK so was the original thing genuinely from some ignorant cleric who never does his own cooking? Was it from some sneaky cleric (who does his own cooking) but wanted to make trouble (who cares what women think anyway, who let them learn to read anyway)?

Or was it someone who wanted to make Islam look especially crazy/unreasonable?

It sure is bs. But is it fake bs, or the real McCoy?