[Mary-M]

My brother-in-law says people from Arab countries wipe their behinds with their bare hands. Is it true?

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Name : Mary-M, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Jacksonville, State : FL, Country : United States, 

[G-Smith]

I spent some time in Senegal, a predominantly Muslim country. There, most people use their left hand along with water to clean themselves after going to the bathroom. Toilet paper is a rare find in rural areas. As to whether this is common in all Muslim countries, I do not know. The fact that the left hand is taboo in Arab countries leads me to believe that at one time it was common. But, this is only an assumption. Anyone else have any ideas?

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Name : G-Smith, Gender : M, Age : 40, City : New Orleans, State : LA, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, 

[Kemal]

Not only Arabs, but most Muslims, wipe their behinds with their hands. They believe it is cleaner as long as there is plenty of water and soap available. I would ask: Would it be better to use toilet paper but leave some behind that has not been completely wiped off?

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Name : Kemal, City : Antalya, State : NA, Country : Turkey, 

[M.K.]

Only in Western countries is it usual to use dedicated toilet tissue for anal ablutions (washings). Asian countries (including, I guess, the Middle East) mostly use water. This ensures a thorough cleaning, eliminating the ‘klingons’ and ‘widgets’ that plague Western behinds.

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Name : M.K., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 31, City : Sydney, State : NA, Country : Australia, Education level : Technical School, 

[Karim]

The only place I ever read about that was in an American encyclopedia a few years ago. I have lived in Egypt all my life, and I know no one uses their left hand for wiping off. The part about using water is truer: most people here use both toilet paper and water.

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Name : Karim, Gender : M, Age : 23, City : Los Angeles, State : CA, Country : United States, Social class : Middle class, 

[Lisa-M]

It is important to note that toilet paper wasn’t invented until 1880. For most of history, the preferred tool for cleaning up was the left hand and water. In some countries, toilet paper is still very scarce, and it is considered a luxury. Some of these countries are in North Africa and the Middle East, but the practice of wiping with the hand is found in many places around the world. It does not apply to all Middle Eastern cultures. It is a practice that is tied very closely to cultural tradition and economics.

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Name : Lisa-M, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 28, City : Minneapolis, State : MN, Country : United States, Occupation : Multicultural Student Services, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Sharmina Z.]

Being a Muslim born and raised in the US, I was taught to use both toilet paper and water. We were taught to ‘wipe, wash, and wipe again’ so as to avoid getting anything on our hands, and to make sure we were clean and dry. Muslims are required to wash after using the bathroom. When visiting overseas it was a bit annoying not to always have toilet paper, but you have to understand that a lot of the people in the developing world are just now starting to wear underwear under thier traditional garb. Therefore that wet feeling is not an issue. I must say though, I can go without toilet paper, but not without water. Also this washing is one reason why most children are encouraged to eat with thier right hands, not thier left. Like my Uncle says, just like you wouldn’t just wipe off your dirty dishes with a napkin and then expect them to be clean, you can’t just wipe your bottom. Besides look at the growing popularity of wet wipes for adults. And what else is a bidet for?

User Detail :  

Name : Sharmina Z., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Southeast Asian, Religion : Muslim, Age : 32, City : Richardson, State : TX, Country : United States, Occupation : med student/homemaker, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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