Wa anta khair al-raziqin

The tuna fish with what looks like Arabic writing on its side

A fish with markings that resembled a Quranic text has been handed to the Kenyan Fisheries Department in Mombasa. The fish is being studied to find out if the Arabic inscription "You are the best provider" was natural or a hoax.

Sceptics say the writing was the work of someone who caught the fish and then threw it back into the sea.

But others say this would be impossible, and local imams are said to have been talking in the mosques about the fish.

The text is close to the Quranic verse: "Wa anta khair al-raziqin"

After being asked by Muslim leaders in Kenya, officials from Kenya's National Museum based at Fort Jesus in Mombasa had offered to take custody of the fish and preserve it for the country's heritage.

The mysterious 2.5-kg tuna was caught by fisherman Said Ali at the end of last week at Vanga, a small fishing port on the Kenyan coast, 50 km south of Mombasa.

Copyright 2003-2006 Azlan Adnan Legal Notice