It’s important to some who observe the Muslim faith to distance themselves from those images, persons and items that might provoke sexual thoughts.

According to an unidentified Islamic cleric in Europe, referred to only as a sheikh, it is. In an interview for a religious publication called el-Senousa, this cleric warned Muslim women not to get too close to foods like bananas, carrots, zucchini and cucumbers in order to avoid having any carnal feelings.

The article stated that if a woman wanted to eat these foods, a third party, preferably a male who is related to the woman, such as her father or husband, should cut the items into small pieces before serving. The cleric couldn’t provide guidance on how to “control” women while shopping near produce, nor could he say whether or not holding the items at the market would be bad. He simply said it was between them and God.

Other Islamic leaders and Muslims were skeptical about the validity of the interview and at this point, an online search will only link to commentary and reports about the interview, not the original el-Senousa interview itself.

It seems that the purchasing and eating of produce remains an option for faithful Muslim women.

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