The allegedly fastest growing Islamic movement is warning tomatoes as "forbidden because they are Christian," making a comical scene in the midst of religious tension.

A Salafist group called the Popular Egyptian Islamic Association sent a warning on Facebook urging its followers not to eat the "forbidden" fruit, or tomato, because it is offensive when it reveals the shape of a cross.

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The group posted a photo of a tomato cut in half, revealing the shape of a cross, with a comment that reads "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, know that it is the devil who stopped you," according to a translation by Now Lebanon.

Apparently the post made 10 days ago caused outrage on Facebook, drawing nearly 3,000 comments.

In response, the group defended their position saying, "We didn't say you can't eat tomatoes. We said don't cut it in the cross shape."

An estimated 5-6 million Salafis reside in Egypt. The group is generally considered to be more traditional than other Muslim sects, said The Christian Post.
A group of hardline Muslims, including Salafis, were responsible for the burning of several Christian churches and businesses in Egypt last year, causing hundreds of deaths during demonstrations against the destruction.