Tuesday, September 07, 2010 21:21 PM
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An authority on religious affairs in Malaysia has issued a fatwa saying Yoga is forbidden for Muslims.
The fatwa, announced by the National Fatwa Agency on Saturday, deems
Yoga incorporates physical movements, musical sounds, singings and
adorations that are not inline with Islamic teachings.
The agency said that the fatwa was not legally binding and that it
would only serve as a formal opinion representing members of Muslim
community in Malaysia. According to the latest census report, currently
there are about 27 million Muslims in the country or about two-third of
the total population.
The controversy about Yoga in the largely Muslim populated country
became a public attention recently, following a statement of a lecturer
at the Malaysia National University, Zakaria Stapa, which said that
Yoga is an element of Hindu teachings and that it could affect the
faith of Yoga practicing Muslims.
He argued that Yoga distances Muslims from Islam.
In response to his statements, a civil society group -- Malaysian
Muslim Solidarity Movement --- launched a counter argument saying that
Yoga is only a type of sports and adapted by Muslim to the betterment
of health. (and)
