# Do the Lebanese use toilet paper? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 28, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113 "2003-10-28T22:28:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![recal101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d6d6ee/32.png) [@recal101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/recal101)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/1 "2003-10-28T22:28:29Z")
I was reading an article, Exile on BlissStreet [http://counterpunch.org/long08232003.html](http://counterpunch.org/long08232003.html) When I came across this statement. “There is the usual sense of estrangement associated with language, religion, and culture. The estrangement begins in fundamental ways for the Lebanese, like many cultures outside the U.S. and Western Europe, do not use toilet paper, and the Arabic toilet replaces the usual commode.” I have 2 questions. 1. The first one, is it true that the Lebanese do not use toilet paper? 2. If they don’t use Toilet paper, then what do they use? Anyone got an answer? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/2 "2003-10-28T23:34:59Z")
1. Why wouldn’t it be true? Many world cultures do not use toilet paper. 2. I would assume they use what the other non-TP world cultures use–a jug of water and a hand. Unless you’re a tourist. [http://www.ziyara.com/travel\_recreation4.html](http://www.ziyara.com/travel_recreation4.html) > [@](#): > > Toilets: In some tourist sites and in restaurants and hotels, otherwise have toilet paper with you. ---
**Author:** ![recal101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d6d6ee/32.png) [@recal101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/recal101)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/3 "2003-10-28T23:41:05Z")
Thanks for the info. I was going to retitle the thread because I didn’t mean to single out the Lebanese. A hand and a jug of water seems like it would be very unsanitary. Are there higher incidents of hepatitis, etc with non-TP use? ---
**Author:** ![recal101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d6d6ee/32.png) [@recal101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/recal101)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/4 "2003-10-28T23:45:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duck Duck Goose \* > \*\*1. Why wouldn’t it be true? Many world cultures do not use toilet paper. > 2. I would assume they use what the other non-TP world cultures use–a jug of water and a hand. > > Unless you’re a tourist. > [http://www.ziyara.com/travel\_recreation4.html](http://www.ziyara.com/travel_recreation4.html) \*\* Thanks for the info. I was going to retitle the thread because I didn’t mean to single out the Lebanese. A hand and a jug of water seems like it would be very unsanitary. Are there higher incidents of hepatitis, etc with non-TP use? ---
**Author:** ![xejkh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/22d042/32.png) [@xejkh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xejkh)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/5 "2003-10-29T14:51:18Z")
Strangely, toilet paper doesn’t seem much more sanitary either. Water probably cleans better than wiping with paper. ---
**Author:** ![Satyagrahi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f475e1/32.png) [@Satyagrahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satyagrahi)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/6 "2003-10-29T17:16:22Z")
A quick clarification here: Many Muslims refuse to use toilet paper for religious reasons. The Quran, attempting to impose sanitary habits in a desert world where water was often rare and paper non-existant, specified that a good Muslim should use a smooth, round stone, held in the left hand, for cleaning himself after defecating and that, further, only the right hand be used for eating and drinking. This was a practical, pragmatic method for controlling diseases such as cholera and got itself included in the sacred book now revered by many millions of people no longer short of water or paper. Thus, when you hear the phrase that [some Muslims] don’t use toilet paper, keep in mind that they are doing so as a refusal to do other than as the Prophet dictated. I understand that many hotels in Indonesia, for instance, include a basket of smooth stones in the modern washrooms, sitting right next to the toilet paper, so that users can take their pick. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/7 "2003-10-29T18:10:46Z")
What a nightmare for the local rockhounds. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/8 "2003-10-29T18:13:20Z")
Speaking as a geologist who’s always on the lookout for unusual stones, what a nightmare for the local rockhounds. ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/9 "2003-10-29T19:47:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Satyagrahi \* > \*\*A quick clarification here: Many Muslims refuse to use toilet paper for religious reasons. > > The Quran, attempting to impose sanitary habits in a desert world where water was often rare and paper non-existant, specified that a good Muslim should use a smooth, round stone, held in the left hand, for cleaning himself after defecating and that, further, only the right hand be used for eating and drinking. This was a practical, pragmatic method for controlling diseases such as cholera and got itself included in the sacred book now revered by many millions of people no longer short of water or paper. > > Thus, when you hear the phrase that [some Muslims] don’t use toilet paper, keep in mind that they are doing so as a refusal to do other than as the Prophet dictated. > > I understand that many hotels in Indonesia, for instance, include a basket of smooth stones in the modern washrooms, sitting right next to the toilet paper, so that users can take their pick. \*\* I know this isn’t GD, but can you provide a cite for this? Almost ever Muslim home I’ve been to has toilet paper, and I’ve never heard a Muslim object to using it on religious grounds… ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/10 "2003-10-29T20:20:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Satyagrahi \* > \*\*I understand that many hotels in Indonesia, for instance, include a basket of smooth stones in the modern washrooms, sitting right next to the toilet paper, so that users can take their pick. \*\* How are the stones disposed of? Or are they washed and put back in the basket for the next user? Not wanting to be a smartaleck, just want to know in case I wake up some morning in Indonesia. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/11 "2003-10-29T20:49:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by recal101 \* > \*\* > > A hand and a jug of water seems like it would be very unsanitary. Are there higher incidents of hepatitis, etc with non-TP use? \*\* Actually, a hand and water seems probably more sanitary and certainly cleaner than using a piece of paper. For instance, if you’ve been sweating a lot during a hot afternoon, when coming back home, would you rather take a shower or rub yourself with TP? What would be more sanitary and cleaner, according to you? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/12 "2003-10-29T21:06:39Z")
What about at Mecca or any other assembly place where large numbers of Muslims congregate. You’d have to have a working quarry to handle the number of rocks required for everyone to get their own. How do they handle the very large numbers with such a method? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/13 "2003-10-29T21:14:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Satyagrahi \* > **This was a practical, pragmatic method for controlling diseases such as cholera** No doubt this is heresy to Muslims, but I really can’t see how this has any actual practical effect in preventing disease. Surely their left and right hands would touch each other during the day, and so any germs on one would be transferred to the other. Seems unlikely to me that this ‘separation of duties’ for hands would have any real effect. Do you have any cites to show that Muslims get cholera less often than people of other religions in the same area? ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Mahma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@Joe\_Mahma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Mahma)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/14 "2003-10-29T22:40:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by clairobscur \* > \*\*Actually, a hand and water seems probably more sanitary and certainly cleaner than using a piece of paper. \*\* How can getting feces all over your hand be considered more sanitary that wiping with paper??? ---
**Author:** ![recal101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d6d6ee/32.png) [@recal101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/recal101)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/15 "2003-10-29T22:58:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by clairobscur \* > \*\*Actually, a hand and water seems probably more sanitary and certainly cleaner than using a piece of paper. For instance, if you’ve been sweating a lot during a hot afternoon, when coming back home, would you rather take a shower or rub yourself with TP? What would be more sanitary and cleaner, according to you? \*\* I would prefer a shower to wiping down with a piece of TP. But I’m not so sure that the comparison between sweat and the remnants of excretement are the same. One can cause a lot more health problems then the other. I think it would be preferable to use TP and then get in the shower. Also, I wouldn’t be completely confident in the hand method unless I had a HUGE jug of water. Okay, this may seem gross, but do you wipe with the hand and rinse it with the water, or do you pour the water on yourself and clean with the hand? It seems that it might be more hygenic to pour the water on yourself and use the hand, using half of the jug to rinse the hand at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/16 "2003-10-29T23:13:16Z")
Recal, you may be interested in these selections from the archives. [Muslims - No toilet paper?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=208009) [What did people wipe/wash with before toilet paper.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=188736) And, the Master speaks… [In the Third World, do people wipe with their left hands?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/011130.html) ---
**Author:** ![recal101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d6d6ee/32.png) [@recal101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/recal101)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/17 "2003-10-29T23:26:00Z")
Thank you Duck. This is something I’ve pondered but it’s not exactly a topic of conversation I would choose to introduce when out with friends. “BTW, do you ever wonder what people did before we had toilet paper. Could you pass the spaghetti?” thanks for the links. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/18 "2003-10-29T23:27:35Z")
Keep in mind that half of the population of Lebanon is Christian, and thus would not be obligated to follow Koranic edicts. ---
**Author:** ![hapaXL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/94ad74/32.png) [@hapaXL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hapaXL)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/19 "2003-10-30T00:39:43Z")
I got my wings in Indonesia. You pour the water over the “affected area,” using your hand to do a quick scrub. Then you wash your hands. It’s more sanitary than the dry TP method. I’ve never heard of anyone still using stones, either. ---
**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113/20 "2003-10-30T02:01:18Z")
I’m assuming they use soap when washing their hands after scrubbing poo off their butts?? Lately I’m of the opinion using only TP is just not enough. For the past few years I’ve kept baby wipes on my toilet tank. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-lebanese-use-toilet-paper/210113.md?page=2)