Facing Mecca During Defecation

I guess there is a rule written somewhere that says Muslims must turn their heads away from the holy city of Mecca when they defecate.

LONDON -- Olympic organizers issued detailed design rules for the 2012 London games Wednesday, including a mandate that at least some toilets in the Olympic park do not face the holy Islamic city of Mecca.

Just from one person's perspective, it would seem prudent to label those toilets that don't face Mecca. Think about it. Someone walks around all day and enters an arbitrary facility to relieve the urge and, whoa, how does he know which toilets face which way? I won't believe that all Muslims have the inherent ability to automatically know the direction of Mecca at all times.

To take it one step further, when a toilet is picked to be identified as not facing Mecca, it might be simpler just to indicate what it does face. Examples might include: China, Iran, North Korea, Barbra Striesand's Malibu mansion, Angelina Jolie's swimming pool, etc. Of course, labeling all toilets with directions faced would be a decidedly frivolous expenditure of taxpayer dollars.

Silliness aside, the whole subject of Mecca-facing toilets is moot if one considers that the Earth is a globe. Furthermore, Mecca sits at approximately 40 degrees E. longitude and 20 degrees N. latitude and on the other side of the Earth, straight through the core, sits Tahiti (approximate enough for discussion purposes). Now, for a Tahitian toilet to face Mecca, it would have to be mounted on the wall, facing downward toward the center of the Earth. Obviously, a wall-mounted toilet would not be functional.

However, it is also obvious that any functional Tahitian toilet could not possibly face Mecca. When the curvature of the Earth is taken into account, any toilet out of the region surrounding Mecca can't possibly face Mecca.

I would suggest that the only toilets actually able to face Mecca are within 100 miles of the city or they are mounted at an angle to the floor. In Britain, at 0 degrees longitude, a toilet would have to be tilted 40 degrees from the plane of the floor to face Mecca. Chances are that a user would find it difficult to defecate at a 40 degree down angle.

So, if a respected Islamic scholar could rule that the Earth is not flat and it's impossible to face Mecca at most points on the planet, the dumb defecation requirement can be repealed.

Companion post at The Jawa Report