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Indonesia's ulema ban Hindu-heavy yoga for Muslims
Niniek Karmini , The Associated Press , Jakarta | Mon, 01/26/2009 4:50 PM | National
Indonesia's top Islamic body has banned Muslims from practicing yoga that contains Hindu rituals like chanting, the chairman of the group said Monday, citing concerns it would corrupt their faith.Cleric Ma'ruf Amin said the Ulema Council issued the ruling following weekend talks attended by hundreds of theological experts in Padang Panjang, a village in West Sumatra province. Though not legally binding, most devout Muslims will likely adhere to it because they consider ignoring a fatwa, or religious decree, sinful.
The ban, which follows a similar edict in neighboring Malaysia, was passed after investigators visited gyms and private yoga classes across the country to see what effect Hindu rituals like chanting mantras might have on Muslims.
Amin said clerics decided it could weaken their faith.
"Those who perform yoga purely for health reasons or sport will not be affected," he added. "We only prohibit activities that can corrupt Islamic values."
Indonesia is a secular country of 235 million people, 90 percent of whom are Muslim. Though most practice a moderate form of the faith, a vocal extremist fringe has gained strength in recent years.
In an unrelated trend, yoga – a blend of physical and mental exercises aimed at integrating mind, body and spirit whose roots lie in Hindu meditative practices – has been gaining many adherents in gyms, wellness centers, and yoga centers around the world.
In the United States, where it has become so popular that many public schools have started offering it in gym classes, yoga has also come under fire.
Some Christian fundamentalists and even secular parents have argued that yoga's Hindu roots conflict with Christian teachings and that practicing it in school might violate the separation of church and state.
Egypt's highest theological body also forbade Muslims from practicing yoga in 2004.
Indonesia's Ulema Council – which wrapped up its annual meeting for the issuing of fatwas late Sunday – decided to look into banning yoga after Malaysia's top Islamic body issued its fatwa late last year.
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Peace Lover (not verified) — Tue, 01/27/2009 - 7:15am
I think soon, MUI will ban muslim people talking with non-muslim.
I Will wait and see. MUI should ban people watching TV, driving a car, using internet and flying. No wonder why people call MUI = Many Un-educated indonesian. Good Luck...Stupid MUI.
Will MUI ban QATAR airline also? They are introducing Yoga onboard.
Please read this: http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/28910
STUPID... STUPID....Religious Dept should do something with this stupid organization. They should respect others...
Kenichi (not verified) — Mon, 01/26/2009 - 7:45pm
Again, another unnecessary stupidity by some people who claim to have control on the entire Muslim population of Indonesia. Faith is faith. If people believe in something, they won't lose it just because of some chants that they are practicing during yoga. They might not even know what the chants mean anyway.
Why are they so afraid of losing adherents? Faith is voluntary and you can't force someone to believe or not to believe in something.
You can legislate people behavior in front of the public but you can never punish what people believe or think in their mind. Why can't they just grow up a bit... Gawsh... is religion today only a contest, in which the religion with most adherents on earth would get the prize? I thought religion is much more profound than that!
No wonder our country is plummeting deeper every time I read the news. There are so many unnecessary stupid things happening. Most of us focus too much on not making mistake and forget to do affirmative actions to improve our country situation.
FACE IT, the problem is here, NOW. Not only after we all die...! Fix it or live with it...
Duk (not verified) — Mon, 01/26/2009 - 6:03pm
This, along with a ban on pregnant women smoking, just makes this group look even more ridiculous to people with more brain cells than limbs. The term "experts" would seem to be rather loose. Why do they not ban parents taking babies on motorbikes without helmets for example, or police taking bribes, or putting children on the streets to beg, or ban men from smoking lest they die of lung cancer and leave their families without any means of support, or polluting the environment, or turning the streets into garbage dumps with litter, or maybe even being bigoted against Chinese Indonesians and non Muslims? Maybe even teach people that it is unwise to have more children than they can support. It’s just pathetic. Get real and face to living in the real World 2009. Or even better, get a real job that will help develop your country and its people.