Islamic Leaders In Turkey Allow Muslims To Use Toilet Paper After Defecation

Turkey’s top religious leaders issued on Wednesday a fatwa in an attempt to keep up with the times. The country’s Directorate of Religious Affairs, or Diyanet, allowed Turkish Muslims to use toilet paper after they answered the call of nature when there is no water to clean themselves.

Diyanet noted that while some sources think toilet paper is not suitable as cleaning materials after one poops or urinates, in the case of women, because paper is used for writing, the directorate said using toilet paper is now okay, reports the New York Post.

It issued the fatwa to be up-to-date with the times because the Qadaa-al-Haajah, the Islamic toilet etiquette, was written before toilet paper was invented. That code also states Muslims must squat or sit, but not stand, when relieving themselves. They must also keep quiet while in the loo and leave with the right foot first while saying a prayer.

Another update is allowing Muslims to use hand sanitisers which contain alcohol. Islam forbids its followers to drink substances with alcohol, it provided an exemption to the sanitisers because it was specifically produced for cleaning. It added places cleaned with alcohol does not need to be washed before praying.

Outside religious considerations, there is a debate on the use of toilet paper versus water for washing. Scientificamerican.com considers washing more sanitary than toilet paper.

It cited Justin Thomas, editor of metaefficient.com, considers the bidet a key green technology because it saves trees. Yearly, Americans use 36.5 billion rolls of toilet paper which is the equivalent of 15 million trees pulped.

In turn, it required more than 473 billion gallons of water to produce those toilet paper and 253,000 tonnes of chlorine to bleach it. Thomas adds that toilet paper clogs pipes and adds loads on sewer systems.

To contact the writer, email: v.hernandez@ibtimes.com.au