Cleric Allegedly Bans Women From Touching Bananas & Cucumbers...Because They're Too Sexual

An Islamic cleric in Europe has reportedly ruled women should be forbidden from touching -- or even being near -- bananas and cucumbers because their oblong shapes can make women think of sex.

Egyptian news site Bikya Masr:

The unnamed sheikh, who was featured in an article on el-Senousa news, was quoted saying that if women wish to eat these food items, a third party, preferably a male related to them such as their father or husband, should cut the items into small pieces and serve.

He said that these fruits and vegetables “resemble the male penis” and hence could arouse women or “make them think of sex.”

He also added carrots and zucchini to the list of forbidden foods for women.

According to Bikya Masr, the sheik was asked how to "control" women when they are out grocery shopping, and whether even holding the fruits and vegetables at the store would be bad. The cleric said the matter is between them and God.

Another question dealt with what to do if women in the family actually like to eat the forbidden foods: The sheik said they should be cut up in a hidden place where women cannot see them.

The cleric's opinion prompted a wave of online mockery, the news site reported, with hundreds of comments denouncing him. One commenter reportedly said such religious "leaders" give Islam "a bad name," while another said the sheik is "retarded" and must quit his post immediately. Still others accused him of simply trying to make headlines.

The report comes just days after Saudi Arabian academics claimed there would be no more virgins if women in the country were allowed to drive.

(h/t Weasel Zippers)