British, Mecca and Toilet

Got this news from the writer during our plurk time last night :

clipped from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/olympic-park-toilets-will-not-face-mecca-941030.html

Toilets which do not face the holy Islamic city of Mecca are among a raft of
design principles announced today aimed at making London's Olympic Park the most
inclusive and accessible so far.

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) want its procurement, design and construction framework - or Inclusive Design Strategy - to produce an ideal venue for people of all cultures, faiths, ages and accessible to disabled people for the 2012 Games and beyond.

ODA chairman John Armitt is confident that future generations will be left with London's "most accessible and inclusive public park and sporting venues" after the Games.

An ODA spokeswoman said "a percentage of general toilets will not face Mecca" out of sensitivity. The numbers have not yet been confirmed.

Special washing facilities linked to prayer rooms are also planned for the Park, set in multiculturally diverse east London.

This is the typical miss-understanding of religion. There’s no connection between Mecca and Toilet direction. Just because Moslem people have Mecca during their prayer, doesn’t mean that the toilet not allowed facing Mecca.

The tolerance should be in the right place, not just copied the concept of Moslem prayer into public facilities. People will laugh because its shown of their superficial understanding towards Islam.

Toilet for Olympic is one of the examples of the superficial knowledge of Islam. There is a lot of superficial knowledge towards Christian, or Budha or Hindu, which finally led to another fight or “war” between religions. A war that created because we respect other believes in a wrong way, not because we don’t know how to respect, but because we are too stubborn to ask to the right person.

According to Wikipedia ..

clipped from en.wikipedia.org

In Islam, this only lasted for seventeen months after Muhammad's arrival in Medina,^[1]after which the Qiblah became oriented towards the Kaaba
in Mecca. According to accounts from the prophetMuhammad's companions, the change
happened very suddenly during the noon prayer in Medina, in a mosque known as Masjidal-Qiblatain (Mosque of the Two Qiblahs). Muhammad was leading the prayer when he received revelations from Allah instructing him to take the Kaaba as the
Qiblah (literally, "turn your face towards the Masjid al Haram")

Muslim people are banned to cult Mecca, precisely Kaaba. Mecca or Kaaba is only a focal point for prayer.

clipped from en.wikipedia.org

In Muslim religious practice, supplicants must face this direction in prayer. Muslims do not worship the Kaaba or its contents; the Kaaba is simply a focal point for prayer. If someone is inside the Kaaba, they are allowed to pray facing any direction.

So, back to the toilet issue, ODA makes it exaggerate. There’s no relation of toilet face direction to “face Mecca” direction.

I don’t’ understand why the ODA didn’t gain their understanding first before put their design in place. Are British going to rectify their mistake since their invasion in Jerusalem long time age and Iraq war recently ?

If they want to rectify their mistakes, then it is the time to make it right by asking to their Moslem community, to understand Moslem point of view of Mecca or Kaaba. Instead of making those silly statement of toilet will not face Mecca.