JEDDAH: There are many differing views on how to confront Islamaphobia, but one in particular seems to be making a welcome comeback.
The false rumor, which first appeared on Twitter in 2014, claimed that donuts were somehow un-Islamic. It followed a spate of incidents where pork products were left outside mosques.
But rather than angry outbursts, people instead responded with claims that Muslims hated donuts – the hope being that someone would carry out more attacks — just so long as they left boxes of the tasty sweet treats outside mosques.
The joke resurfaced in 2016 after further incidents of pork being left outside mosques. In one case a man was charged after throwing bacon sandwiches at a mosque in Bristol, southwest England.
@fvrdsa jokingly pleaded with the attackers: “Btw donuts are haram pls don’t leave piles of them outside our mosques we will hate it…”
Btw donuts are haram pls don't leave piles of them outside our mosques we will hate it and burn the whole place down xx thanks don't do it
— dowsa (@fvrdsa)
Although that joke was rather lost on some, with one person asking: “Just asking. How are they haram?”
And the joking has continued with some people managing to carry off entire conversations on their Twitter feeds, like this one by @LI_politico:
Look everyone knows donuts are haram. I can't stress this enough. MUSLIMS CANNOT EAT DONUTS.
— Sassy Little Hobbit (@LI_politico)
Eventually the joke diversified and one user on Reddit again “pleaded” with the offenders not to attack mosques, this time saying: “I hate kebabs, guys! Please don’t send kebabs to our mosques, specifically them really big ones…”
A further comment suggested: “Glazed donuts are the worst, and they are completely unforgivable if encountered still warm in groups of twelve.”
And now, in 2017, the joke has resurfaced, with journalist Mehdi Hasan recently tweeting: “I have long believed we Muslims should spread rumors that we think donuts are haram so that we get attacked with those instead.”
Also, I have long believed we Muslims should spread rumours that we think donuts are haram so that we get attacked with those instead...
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan)
