Muslims in Malaysia to be banned from yoga classes

[cathopologist]

[

Malaysian Muslims will be barred from practising or propagating yoga from next Friday when the National Fatwa Council will issue a ruling.

The ruling or fatwa is related to the faith of Muslims who practise yoga,

Department of Islamic Development Malaysia Director-General Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz said his department had carried out an in-depth study on the issue over six months and regretted the attitude of Malaysian Muslims 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 Islamic law and this can destroy the family institution,” he said.

Many Muslim practitioners and teachers of yoga have opposed the ruling.

The Hindus, the settlers from India from whom most of the yoga practitioners come, say it is open to the instructors and practitioners to keep religion out of yoga.

Yoga, they say, has been accepted as a science for physical and mental wellbeing in many countries across the world.

The debate in Muslim majority Malaysia was triggered after a lecturer, Zakaria Stapa of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Islamic Studies Centre advised Muslims who had taken up yoga to stop practising it for fear that they could deviate from the teachings of Islam.

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

](http://story.zimbabwestar.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/2411cd3571b4f088/id/425256/cs/1/)

 

[cathopologist]

I think this is the most unintelligent response from the Fatwa Council : “When those involved take them as trends, such cultures can lead to a serious crime according to Islamic law and this can destroy the family institution”.

People who do not understand Yoga as a form of Ayurvedic practice generally mistake it as part of a ‘religious exercise’. They think Yoga insists on combining Hindu religious beliefs with exercise.

Proponents of this misguided thought should also avoid Martial Arts that originate from the East - Gung Fu, Karate, Aikido, Tae Kwan Do, etc, as they all have some form of Taoist, Confucian, Ancestral and Buddhist worship. The educated ones are the exception of course - at least they know South Asian and Oriental forms of Martial Arts and exercises do not always have to be associated with religious beliefs.

 

[Reuben_J]

Is practicing Yoga got to do with associating partners with Allah? Muslims abhor associating partners with Allah and if Yoga has teeny weeny resemblance of associating partners with Allah, then I can understand why they throw it out of the window - with the baby and all.

 

[ralphinal]

I practice a fairly esoteric martial art that has stong Buddhist ties. In most countries, however, the two parts are separated so that you can take it with minimal exposure to Buddhist teachings or philosophy. Recently, however, in order to keep in line with Muslim laws in the Muslim Countries where it is taught, the whole thing had to be changed again.

 

[swariffin]

I think this is the most unintelligent response from the Fatwa Council : “When those involved take them as trends, such cultures can lead to a serious crime according to Islamic law and this can destroy the family institution”.

People who do not understand Yoga as a form of Ayurvedic practice generally mistake it as part of a ‘religious exercise’. They think Yoga insists on combining Hindu religious beliefs with exercise.

Proponents of this misguided thought should also avoid Martial Arts that originate from the East - Gung Fu, Karate, Aikido, Tae Kwan Do, etc, as they all have some form of Taoist, Confucian, Ancestral and Buddhist worship. The educated ones are the exception of course - at least they know South Asian and Oriental forms of Martial Arts and exercises do not always have to be associated with religious beliefs.

Well, brother. What can you expect from a country which forbid non muslims to use the word “Allah”.

 

[cathopologist]

Well, brother. What can you expect from a country which forbid non muslims to use the word “Allah”.

You got me there. Islam thinks it has monopoly over Allah.

 

[Sam_777]

What can you expect from a country which forbid non muslims to use the word “Allah”.

Really !!! , that means Arab Christians can not use that name in Malaysia?

 

[swariffin]

Really !!! , that means Arab Christians can not use that name in Malaysia?

Dear Sam,

I may be guilty of overgeneralizing. But, such rule is being discussed in their parliament, to ban non muslims to use the word “Allah”, they must use the Malay/Indonesian word “Tuhan” which means “God”. With their internal political problem regarding the current prime minister Ahmad Badawi, such issue never been heard again. Perhaps Cathopologist who is closer to Malaysia knows better.

 

[Me_4rm_India]

Yoga is the norm here when it comes to relaxation and strength…millions do it here (not me,its postures too funny ) including some muslims, but never the " true " muslim types…

Yoga has a strong hindu meditation link…there are certain breathing exercises where u say the word ’ Om ’ prolonged at various stages & certain words coined from hindu beliefs…

Our parish priest ( a yoga fanatic ) gets up at 4am every day and in breathing exercises he replaces ‘Oommmm’ with ‘‘Jeeesuuuussss’’ finishes it by 5am and celebrates an energetic mass at 6.15am that makes the youth(like me) of our parish appear like zombies. …He is 65 going and very strong mentally & physically …an embarrasment to us Youths… .

BTW Om(thing it means ‘the all’) or yoga has nothing against any faith but is just another breathing exercise & it works…

 

[Sister_Amy]

I know plenty of Muslims who practice yoga.

 

[cathopologist]

Really !!! , that means Arab Christians can not use that name in Malaysia?

That seems to be the case for Malaysian Catholics, because the Muslim community there have accused the Catholic Newspaper of misusing Allah’s name and only Muslims have the right to use it. The Malaysian government threatened to revoke its printing permit.

After much attention and complaints, the Malaysian government finally backed down on its threats early this year and re-issued a new permit without demanding them to ban the word, “Allah”. But the threat alone was enough to send shockwaves all over Malaysia and East Asia. Malaysia used to be tolerant of its non-Muslim citizens until former Prime Minister Mahatir Mohammad declared Malaysia to be a Muslim nation a few years ago - since then, extremists have been merry making in politics.

 

[cathopologist]

BTW Om(thing it means ‘the all’)

In its most generic form, Om is the humming sound of praising God and does not specify adherence to any religious belief. Which is why there is nothing wrong in Christians such as your priest saying, “Om Jesus” every morning. Brahmins say Om in honour of Brahma every morning when they baptize themselves in cold water by pouring it over their heads. It is perhaps one of the oldest known humming sounds to honour God and praise His creation of the world.