As if there wasn't enough problems with food shortages in Somalia, now samosas are banned

Those little triangular puff pastries filled with meat or other goodies have been deemed haram and are no longer allowed in Somalia.  It seems the shape reminds Muslims of the Holy Trinity, and that just will not do.  It is amazing how Islam manages to find insult in the most insignificant items.  A staple food for hundreds of years now is un-Islamic.

From the Mail Online July 26 by Stewart Maclean

Islamist group in Somalia bans samosas after deciding they're too Western

Somalia's al-Shabaab group has banned samosas after ruling the popular snacks are 'offensive' and too Christian.

Militant Islamist fighters last week used vehicles mounted with loudspeakers to announce the bizarre ruling across the regions of the war-torn country it controls.

The extremist group has offered no official explanation for the ban on the triangular snacks, which are commonly cooked up and served across the Horn of Africa.

'Offensive': The samosa is said upset militant Islamists due to a supposed resemblance to the Christian Holy Trinity


The bizarre ban comes just days after militants linked to Al-Qaida in Somalia refused to let some aid workers into the country as tens of thousands suffered in the nation's massive famine.


Aid groups including the UN Food Programme say they were not given permission by militants to provide aid in the country, where it has been warned that 800,000 children could die from starvation.

It is now thought islamist militants have taken offence at the three-sided samosa's supposed resemblance to symbol of the Christian Holy Trinity.

Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper today reported that residents of the Somali town of Afgoye, 20 miles south of the capital Mogadishu, had confirmed the samosa ban had been imposed.

The fried snacks, usually filled with spicy meat or vegetables, have been served for centuries in the East African country.

But the newspaper said locals believed al-Shabaab leaders had decided the triangular shape was not compatible with their strict version of Islam

The unexpected move means Somalis could now expect to be punished if caught cooking, buying or eating samosas, known locally as sambusas.



The ban is the latest in a string of authoritarian rulings introduced by al-Shabaab, a violent Islamist organisation linked to al-Qaeda and classified by several countries as a terrorist group.

The extremist army has taken command of several provinces of Somalia and is fighting the country's official government for total control.

However it has been widely criticised for its strict enforcement of Shariah law and unmerciful treatment of the population.

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