Malaysia Islamic body bans yoga for Muslims

Malaysia Islamic body bans yoga for Muslims

www.iht.com

Malaysia's top Islamic body on Saturday banned Muslims from practicing yoga, saying the Indian physical exercise contains elements of Hinduism that could corrupt Muslims.

continued...

"It is inappropriate. It can destroy the faith of a Muslim," Council chairman Abdul Shukor Husin told reporters, noting that clerics in Egypt also issued a similar edict in 2004 that called the practice of yoga "an aberration."

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First let me say that I am not a Yoga guy.
But I do know that Yoga does not have to be "religion" affiliated.

This move seems to me to be a little extreme and paranoid on behalf of the clerics and somewhat surprising coming from Malaysia which is very multicultural and usually tolerant and moderate in its makeup. Perhaps that is the foundation for the clerics' fear, the loss of their muslim identity.

This fatwa also seems to have enraged a lot of local muslims who obviously feel it is excessive and insults their intelligence.




www.iht.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Further more by issuing this Fatwa, the clerics are denying muslims alternative healing methods including physical therapy.

For centuries, the science of Yoga has been used to enhance physical and emotional well being. Now, the therapeutic potential of yoga is being rediscovered in the modern world. When yoga is practiced with therapeutic intention -- Yoga Therapy -- it can prevent, or aid recovery from, physical and mental ailments.

Yoga for Health




[edit on 11/22/2008 by schrodingers dog]

Originally posted by schrodingers dog
Further more by issuing this Fatwa, the clerics are denying muslims alternative healing methods including physical therapy.

For centuries, the science of Yoga has been used to enhance physical and emotional well being. Now, the therapeutic potential of yoga is being rediscovered in the modern world. When yoga is practiced with therapeutic intention -- Yoga Therapy -- it can prevent, or aid recovery from, physical and mental ailments.

Yoga for Health

Bill ,good post-it seems muslim clerics also enjoy burning books and forbidding the ownership of dogs and cats,fashion and even the colour red:


Book burning in Egypt:
findarticles.com...

Banning dogs and cats as pets in Saudi:
www.foxnews.com...

Banning fashion in Saudi:
www.ft.com...

Banning the colour red in Saudi:
www.boingboing.net...






[edit on 02/10/08 by karl 12]

reply to post by karl 12


Karl, I know that the muslim faith can have many restrictions to say the least. But this doesn't make any sense. Especially for Malaysia.

The Malays form the majority of the population. Some Malays are of Arab[18]descent and there are sizable Chinese and Indian communities. Islam is the largest as well as the official religion of the federation.[5][19] The Malay language is the official language.[20] The Malay language was originally written in Pallava from India, the earliest known inscriptions in Malay were found in southern Sumatra and on the island of Bangka and date from 683–6 AD. They were written in an Indian script during the time of the kingdom of Srivijaya, but nowadays, the Roman alphabet (Rumi) is more often used.

wiki

And to further confuse the issue Yoga IS allowed in Saudi Arabia AND Iran and many other muslim countries.

Saudi Yoga
Inrternational Yoga

I have always been for tolerance regarding cultural and religious diversity. I live in an area of town that has many middle-eastern immigrants, both Christian and Islamic.
Right now there is a balance, but I can't help but worry about "what if" one day Muslim immigrants became the majority, and as such felt obliged to impose their Sharia laws upon the rest of us?
This article does not give me any comfort. It shows they are anything but tolerant of others.

Islam = The most boring religion ever.

They don't like pets, beer, certain typers of meat, cartoons, certain films, certain types of music and now yoga.

Pffft.

reply to post by schrodingers dog

Perhaps that is the foundation for the clerics' fear, the loss of their muslim identity.

look right next door

this may be one of those little things that is not little - or about what it's about

All religions have their rules. For example, orthodox Jews forbid the wearing of linen, have sex with their wives through a hole in a sheet, have two kitchens for kosher cooking, etc. The list is endless and the same goes for the Christian religion, lest we forget the Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses and extreme evangelicals.

The only reason the religion of two billion people, with all the inherent variations and peccadilloes, is being scrutinised is because there is an ongoing demonisation programme to justify the outrageous wars being conducted by the West against resource rich Islamic lands.

[edit on 22-11-2008 by masonwatcher]

reply to post by schrodingers dog

This move seems to me to be a little extreme and paranoid on behalf of the clerics and somewhat surprising coming from Malaysia which is very multicultural and usually tolerant and moderate in its makeup. Perhaps that is the foundation for the clerics' fear, the loss of their muslim identity.

While I am not familiar with how tolerant Malaysia is, I would agree with your post. It is such an extreme move it's almost unbelievable and I agree that it contains a high level of paranoia.

It would almost be like Christians banning jumping jacks because in the process of doing the movements someone might feel that the position the body makes appears to be an inverted cross or some type of satanic symbol.

Very strange decision. Thanks for sharing this information.



Jemison

I was just telling my husband about the article and he said that when he was growing up there was a Yoga Institute that opened in the small town he was living in (in eastern Washington). People went nuts and said that it was anti-Christian and that Yoga encouraged people to explore new age beliefs and metaphysical concepts that were banned in the bible. His Mom was one of those people that jumped on the bandwagon to have it shut down!



Jemison