Analysis: The anonymous and famous
A couple of stories which popped up recently.
The first is about an unnamed European Muslim cleric who warned that women shouldn't handle certain fruits and vegetables. The story itself is not outlandish - I remember reading something about a Saudi cleric saying something similar a few years ago - but this story specifically sounds weird.
For one, fatwas aren't given by anonymous clerics. And, as straight.com points out, the only source for this story is an Egyptian site with a possible agenda.
Another story that made the rounds is a claim that the Norwegian justice minister said 'Israel must be glad to hear' about Muslim rapes in Oslo.
Again, no names. No sources. And the story has been wiped from the original article. Personally, I found this story quite improbable, for many reasons.
Bottom line: The fact that a story appears on a supposedly respectable news site, doesn't always mean its true. Any story about a famous anonymous person should be taken with a healthy helping of salt.
