Issues of the day: `Indonesia's ulema ban Hindu-heavy yoga'

Tue, 02/03/2009 3:36 PM  |  Reader's Forum

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.

Your comments:

The word yoga means "to join". Joining God is the purpose of all religions (from re legare - to join again. To rejoin God). One of the processes of joining God is through prolonged meditation.

Meditation needs concentration in order think only of God. Yoga asanas (postures) are to train your body to meditate peacefully for long periods.

The chanting of mantras during yoga practice is to enable your mind to focus on a single thought to the exclusion of all others, God. During the advanced stage of meditation the chants disappear and you are blissfully as one.

The mantras used were originated in Sanskrit and they can be replaced with words from the Koran, the Bible or whatever the practitioner chooses to make his mind focus on God. It is the objective that matters, not the words. Therefore, it is a shame that ignorant people dictate the norms.

Siwa

The MUI is quite correct in issuing a fatwa forbidding the practice of yoga that involves Hindu chants.

Obviously this issue had come to the attention of the MUI and a decision had to be made in order to clearly inform those who practice Islam (not talking KTP here!) or desire to practice Islam correctly that they need to be careful of not shirking. Well done, MUI.

Khalid Abdullah

I don't know whether it is sinful or not. Even if it is sinful for some people, it might not be considered sinful by others. After all, sinful or not, it is not us who decide so. It is God's business (for people who believe in God, if they don't then this argument is invalid from the very beginning).

What is written in the Bible is interpreted by human experience and therefore we cannot always say that it is 100 percent what God wants us to do or not to do.

Through the ages the Bible and Koran have been interpreted from one generation to another, and when it is learned in different languages, there is a always possibility of mistranslation or misinterpretation.

Therefore, you cannot just blindly follow what is written there without further contemplation using logic or experience. If it says kill people from religion X, does it mean that we all have to follow that? Does it justify crimes?

When another verse says "love your enemy", which should be prioritized?

I believe most of us are smarter than that, and able to judge which one makes more sense.

The problem is the MUI is acting like God, deciding what is sinful and what is not.

They could have simply debated the issue or they could have used persuasive means instead of coming up with a fatwa (or whatever they call it).

Unless the MUI members are lacking what we refer to as "brain cells" which are necessary in order to argue and persuade people in an intelligent way.

Kenichi

The problem with mantra chanting is it is often in Sanskrit, and involves saying things like "Hail Ram" and "Long live Lord Shiva." Repeating these phrases, even if mindlessly, is the problem because people are inadvertently praising Hindu gods, and that is a sin for many people, even if they do not really believe the praise.

If you mindlessly say in English "I believe Lord Jesus, Son of God, is my savior", but do not know English, you can see why it may trouble some people.

Sure, people could just stop saying the phrases, but no one knows Sanskrit, and since chanting is an integral part of yoga, people just do it because their instructors tell them to do so.

You can not just assume that everyone knows what yoga mantras involve, because I bet most yoga practitioners do not know that these chants are praising Hindu gods.

Personally, I wish the council would have simply started an information campaign to educate people as to what they are really saying.

But the ulema council people did not - and so their good intentions look as if they are just trying to control people.

Riduan

Dear Indonesia's ulemas, I have a request, please don't change Indonesia, such a beautiful place, by Talibanisation, by giving the wrong information about yoga. It is just an exercise.

And please do not support things which Malaysia is doing and asking you guys to do as well. We all love Indonesia.

Sandeep

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