Why is the left hand dirty?
In many parts of the world, the left hand is considered unclean, usually because it's used for “ablutions”. If you're left-handed and visiting places like India, Nepal and the Middle East, you may have to pretend to be ambidextrous – it's incredibly rude to eat, pick anything up or hand over money with your left.
Why Was 'Left' Considered Evil? The association of the directional left with evil is likely attributed to the dominance of right-handed people within a population, and consequently the awkwardness of motions made from the left side of the body.
But the left hand is typically used to clean one's self after going to the bathroom. Thus, trying to do a lefty handshake or even waving at someone with your left hand could be considered insulting to some people.
Saudis generally observe a separation between the functions of the hands. This custom is tied to Islamic principles that prescribe the left hand should be used for removal of dirt and for cleaning. It should not be used for functions such as waving, eating or passing items.
'BEING LEFT-HANDED MEANS YOU'RE A DEVIL' Muslims ...
It may cause you to think differently
Society tends to associate the left side of something with the bad (“two left feet”), and the right side with the good (“my right-hand man”). But if you're left-handed, you might not think the same way as righties, according to a 2009 Stanford University study.
Centuries ago, the Catholic church denounced left-handed people as servants of the devil. For generations, left-handed Catholic children were forced against their will to become right-handed. Just a few short decades ago in Japan, the fact that your wife was left-handed could be cited as grounds for divorce.
Millions of Muslims and Hindus around the world were bowled over by this need to buy toilet paper since they typically wash their backsides with water. According to Sahih al-Bukhari, one of the six significant Hadith collections in Sunni Islam, the left hand should be used for anal ablution after defecation.
Moreover, for religious reasons, some Muslim women and some Orthodox Jewish women do not shake men's hands.
Much like in India, eating with the left-hand is considered disrespectful, and one should use their thumb and first two fingers to pick up and push food into your mouth. Before sitting down to eat, two water bowls will be placed in front of you for washing your hands before and after the meal.
Are most Arabs left-handed?
The countries that use right-to-left writing systems are predominantly Arab and Asian and they all have left-handedness rates below 6 per cent. In Muslim countries, the advantage of smudge-free handwriting is outweighed by the fact that the left hand is considered unclean.
Shaking hands, pretty much anywhere
In fact, colloquially across the United States, the term “left-handed handshake” is considered an insult and refers to insincere promises. Sources: Emily Post Etiquette: “Passing Food at the Table” Quartz: “Your smartphone performs better in one hand than the other”
In Saudi Arabia, the most common form of greeting is a handshake and the phrase “Assalaam 'alaikum” (May peace be upon you), to which the reply is “Wa 'alaikum assalaam” (And peace be upon you). Handshakes are most common in business settings and always use the right hand.
-Counting how many people are left-handed is more difficult than it looks, because of variations in preference and skill from task to task and because of left-handers having been forced to write with their right hand, but the best estimate we have is that roughly 10% of the world population is left-handed.
According to Ayurveda, the nerve endings of the fingertips are believed to boost digestion. In fact, you become more aware of the textures, taste and aromas as you eat using your hands and engaging the fingertips. Eating with your hands has more health benefits than eating with spoons.
In India, as right across Asia, the left hand is for wiping your bottom, cleaning your feet and other unsavoury functions (you also put on and take off your shoes with your left hand), while the right hand is for eating, shaking hands and so on.
Those with left-handed relatives excel in episodic memory test. Lefties--or at least relatives of lefties--may be better than right-handed people at remembering events, according to a new study.
In the late 20th century, left-handedness became less stigmatized, and in many countries, particularly the Western world, left-handed children were no longer forced to switch to their right hand.
Special or not, lefties are born, not made: Genetics are at least partially responsible for handedness. Up until last year, it was assumed that hand preference comes from asymmetrical genes in the brain—two hands, two brain hemispheres, one is dominant.
A straightforward genetic link hasn't been proven, and it is possible for two right-handed parents to have a left-handed child. Theories include: Genes – perhaps genetic factors predispose a child to favour the right hand. A single gene might be passed from parents to children to influence which hand a child favours.
