I ran into a deluxe version of a squat toilet in France, south of Gneneve, Suisse.
A 40’ dia. or so round structure, with roof, walkway around interior side of wall, a set of foot prints and a hole in the center of the sunken bowl around which water flowed like a whirlpool to flush the center and down the drain. No paper, hose etc. You were on your own in those respects.
It was my understanding that Muslims were to use sand, and maybe a clean rock.
I haven’t looked at the site, but I wanted to comment on actually being *able/i] to squat. I damaged my knees in high school. I can’t squat. I just tried, and my position would place my trousers directly in the line of fire.
[sub]Erm… Perhaps 'line of fire isn’t a good phrase when talking about this subject.[/sub]
The Chinese man with the long pinky finger may be fulfilling a promise, or putting a curse on somone, or following some kind of astrological (feng shui) type rule for invoking luck on him or bad on his enemies.
I have seen it a lot in Japan, often on middle aged smooth types with chunky gold wristbands and designer suits. I’ve asked for explanations but never got closer than the above.
Back to squat toilets - they are AWFUL if you are pregnant. At about 6 months, when I was still agile if upright, I hurried into a stall, boinged down to squat and banged my knees on the bump! OUCH. I thought it was going to shoot out between my legs there and then, and I was winded. Bet the poor baby was none too happy either…
A couple incidences concerning squatters.
You (guys) always have to watch your aim more carefully. A guy in my mission wasn’t paying attention and pissed all over his pants. Apparently, since he and his companion had an appointment, he then tried to iron it dry. Big mistake.
My English friend also discovered that this spring when they brought their little boys back over to Tokyo. We were visiting their old neighorhood and the 3 year old boy had to go No. 2. The only restroom around was in the park, and was a squatter. She helped the boy and hadn’t realized the possible trajectory until it was too late to prevent wet pants. :eek:
If you don’t follow the advice in the site which Monty links too, and pull your pants all the way down to your ankles, as **Brain Wreck ** says, then make sure you remove your wallet and everything else from your back pocket! I dropped a dictionary directly into mess. It landed open page side down. :smack:
Most Western people can’t squat with their feet flat. We tend to go onto the balls of our feet, which makes balance more difficult. Japanese squat with their feet flat. My sister is a yoga instructor in the States, and says that there are yoga positions which are based on this ability and are more difficult for Westerners.
Back to Monty’s comments. For guys, you need to face the hood or you may splash. Just make sure to lock the door! 
Related question: How does one perform these acrobatics in heels? Or does the issue not come up very often?
Well, no one tackled the left hand portion of the question. “Yes.” In large parts of the world, communal eating is done with the right hand only. All are thankful for the other use of the left. East is East, West is West, etc. …
You’re unlikely to have a wet spot running down your pant leg in Saudi as most of the time most men aren’t wearing pants. There may be a pajama-like undergarment beneath the dishdash, and that would catch any wetness; doubt that’d be visible.
Some Asian man like the long fingernail as a sort of fashionable accessory. It’s usually kept pretty clean (in fact I believe this is the point; long fingernails carry a non-physical-labor status I should think) so I kinda doubt that it’s there for the asscrack.
In some parts of the world the hose is more for flushing and cleaning the toilet (low water pressure otherwise) than for your butt. In fact in large parts of Latin America one tosses the TP in a trash can as opposed to the toilet because the septic systems can’t handle it.
Geez, two more points:
I believe that the Muslim asswashing is handled in the hadith, not the Quran. Thus it’s observation of how (dependant upon which you accept as true hadith, a matter of some theological disagreement among sects) Mohammed did and said things in what is considered the proper way. It’s therefore the example of God’s messennger but I don’t believe that the implication is that Allah micromanaged that directly; perhaps a trifling point.
Heels? In most of the squat toilet world, heels are pretty recent and still relatively rare. We’re talking a bit of a luxury item for women not doing physical labor, which is a distinct minority. That said, I should think that anyone who could learn to walk in heels could learn to squat in them. In fact, in SE Asia the squat position is considered a natural resting stance, and I imagine the learning curve, if any, i minimal.