Malaysia to ban yoga?

RULING ON YOGA THIS FRIDAY

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 (Bernama) -- The National Fatwa Council will come out with a ruling on yoga exercise on Friday, said Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) director-general Datuk Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz.

He said the ruling would be made after an in-depth study over six months was done and after the matter was referred to the council three times.

The ruling is related to the faith of Muslims who practised yoga, Wan Mohamad told reporters after officiating a seminar on 'akidah' (faith) at the Wilayah Persekutuan Mosque here today.

Recently, a lecturer, Prof Zakaria Stapa of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Islamic Studies Centre, advised Muslims who had taken up yoga to stop practising it out of worry it could deviate their belief.

Yoga, related to health, has been practised since 3,300BC and is said to help slow down aging, reduce risk of diabetes, asthma and heart-related diseases.

The daily exercise practice has many poses, positions and concentration techniques based on elements of Hinduism.

Also, Wan Mohamad said he regretted the attitude of Muslims in the country who were easily influenced by foreign cultures to the point of affecting their faith.

"When those involved take them as trends, such cultures can lead to a serious crime according to syariah law (Islamic law) and this can destroy the family institution," he said.

Wan Mohamed said the recent National Fatwa Council ruling to ban tomboyish behaviour, that is women looking like men whether in appearance or dressing, was to preserve the faith of Muslims.

He said syariah law can be brought to bear on Muslims who practise culture that can deviate their faith.

I think the National Fatwa Council has totally lost the plot. First, they ban tomboys. Now, they want to ban yoga. Are the faith of Muslims in this country is so fragile that they have to issue decrees to keep Muslims in line? Really now, don't the council have more pressing matters to attend to?

In all my time practising yoga, I have not prayed to any Hindu gods or deities, and neither have I chanted any mantras. Yoga, like any other form of exercise, helps release stress and improves health. It's a great alternative for people who are not keen on high impact sports such as running or tennis or whatever. Honestly, I don't see why they got their knickers in a knot over yoga.

And you know what else is funny? Now, certain Christian groups are jumping onto the bandwagon. They're like "Oo... now that you've mentioned it, we actually felt the same about yoga all along".

Such third world mentality. I pity my country.