Plumbing - Islamic toilet seat prompts religious protests

15/11/2007

A toilet seat emblazoned with verses from The Koran is at the centre of an escalating row.

Imported from China, the offending toilet seat had been available to buy throughout Italy.

However, following a wave of protest from religious groups it has now been largely withdrawn from the market.

The outcry is largely centred in the southern city of Lazio, where interior minister Giuliano Amato was ambushed by heckler Sheikh Yusulf while presenting Italy's new Charter of values, citizenship and integration for immigrants at Rome's Grand Mosque.

Mr Yusulf told Mr Amato: "This is an insult to the Muslim faith that we must react to."

However, as the threate of more protests looms, batches of the toilet seat are still on sale at markets in the Lazio region, adronokos.com reports.

After all that fussin' and fightin', those protestors are going to need a good sit down. They could do worse than opting for one of Heat & Plumb's range of novelty toilet seats, which are not only uncommonly comfortable but are unlikely to offend anyone except the most prudish.

You can choose a wide range of toilet fittings and accessories including novelty toilet seats with dolphin and barbed wire patterns.