Pieces of meat inscribed with the name of Allah have been attracting thousands of diners to a restaurant in Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria.
The owner of the restaurant, Kabiru Haliru, was about to eat some beef when he noticed God’s name in some gristle. Searching the kitchen, three more pieces were found spelling out both Allah and the prophet Muhammad in Arabic. The meat had been boiled and then fried before being served.
Some of Haliru’s regular customers are Islamic scholars, and they claimed that “it was a sign to show that Islam is the only true religion for mankind.” A veterinarian, Dr. Yakubu Dominic, stated that the words, found on four different pieces of meat, “defied scientific explanation.”
Religious revelation or pareidolia – the psychological tendency to perceive random stimuli as significant? Obviously, the answer depends on whether you are a believer or not. Seeing God in food has a long tradition and is not limited to Islam. In his blog, author, Michael Y. Par, lists some of the most recent, publicized sightings:
- In 1978, a New Mexico woman sees the face of Jesus while making burritos and subsequently builds a shrine to the tortilla in her backyard, which thousands flock to.
- In 1990, northern English people find “Allah” written in Urdu with the seeds of an eggplant.
- A religious choir singer sees Jesus in the forkful of spaghetti depicted on an Atlanta Pizza Hut billboard, while pondering her desire to go into secular singing.
- In 1999, a West Yorkshire, England woman cuts open a tomato to see the Arabic words “bismallah” (“in the name of Allah“) on one half and the words for “there is no God but Allah” on the other.
- Mumbai, India is the site of a potato shaped like Ganesh, a Hindu god, seen by a family in 2002. The potato contiues to be visited by pilgrims to this day.
- In 2004, a Hollywood Florida woman makes a killing selling a Virgin Mary grilled sandwich on eBay. This inspired others to use eBay to hawk, respectively, a Jesus Fish Stick, a Jesus and Mary pretzel, a Jesus Fishbone and a JesusPierogi.
- Finally, last year, the Virgin Mary appeared to a Houston, Texas kitchen worker in the shape of a pizza-pan grease stain and to an Arizona family as a slice of watermelon.
Praise be and bon appetit.
