Malaysian Islamic body bans yoga for Muslims

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia _ Malaysia's top Islamic body fresh from banning tomboys issued an edict Saturday that prohibits Muslims from practicing yoga, saying that elements of Hinduism in the ancient Indian ...

[Bairn of Ecgtheow]

Next thing you know they will ban yogurt too. Just cause it sounds like yoga.

Freedom is a dirty word. Ban that too.

[nimari]

muslims are full of fear all the time for their extinction.so they try all possible tacts to save their hatred based barbarism.
its a pity for them and their followers that they can not have good things from society which benifits them for health or any other development.
the muslims want their followers to be corked minds so that they can not rise against the barbaric preachings contained in unholy books.

[Alen]

Bairn of Ecgtheow wrote:

Next thing you know they will ban yogurt too. Just cause it sounds like yoga.
Freedom is a dirty word. Ban that too.

Sunnis are like that but not all of them.
I met some hard core sunnis as well as some nice ones.

[Cutris Lowe]

Thank God! Yoga is so stupid.

[Alen]

Cutris Lowe wrote:

Thank God! Yoga is so stupid.

Why?

[Curtis Lowe]

Alen wrote:

<quoted text>
Why?

http://www.gtfbtw.com/links.php... .

Here ya go! It's stupid.

[yea]

lagi lagi, ulama bodoh rakyat pun bodoh

[Anti Satan]

Alen wrote:

<quoted text>
Sunnis are like that but not all of them.
I met some hard core sunnis as well as some nice ones.

Thank god sunnis only make up 80% of muslims. We have nothing to worry about then. Because those Shiites in Iran are so much more loving & peaceful.

[Anti Satan]

Curtis Lowe wrote:

<quoted text>
http://www.gtfbtw.com/links.php... .
Here ya go! It's stupid.

Great. Yoga is so stupid because a monkey says so.
And which of the primates do you belong to? The Neanderthal cave dweller Muhammad?

[Uh Oh]

Edict? Eh? That is why you see the people suffer so under this form of government. And you thought ruling through a dictatorship was rough. This is the kind of rule these kind of "Edict People" want to put the world under. 8th Century law. This is why they still roll around in donkey carts and live in dirt huts after all these centuries, no matter what country or civilization, as long as these edict maker are in place.

[Prabhakar- India]

To declare that yoga has nothing to do with Hinduism is just false. Yoga includes chanting of 'OHM' because this word alone syntheses with breath. Concentrating on God is a Hindu practice ( Dhyana) but one is not needed to denounce 'Allah,is one of the contributions of Hinduism to the human race, along with Tantra, Astrology,and Ayurveda. But one need not fear that his religion will be under any sort of threat by practicing Yoga because Hinduism never threatened another faith, nor does it require allegiance to Hindu faith. Hinduism does not preach to convert. If muslims want to remain within the dogma of Fatwas, then it is their loss, if they want to progress by imbibing positive values of other faiths it is their gain.

[anonymous]

Cutris Lowe wrote:

Thank God! Yoga is so stupid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch...

[anonymous]

caution rated R youtube

[george whyte]

"Yoga Ban: Don't question fatwa, says Council," by Farrah Naz Karim for the New Straits Times, November 23:

PUTRAJAYA: As expected, the National Fatwa Council yesterday announced that Muslims are prohibited from practising yoga.
In declaring yoga haram, the council said it could be traced back to Hinduism and concluded that yoga could erode the faith of Muslims.
Council chairman Datuk Dr Abdul Shukor Husin said the decision was made as yoga involved elements that were against the beliefs of Islam in its physical movements, chanting and worship.
"Many Muslims in the country fail to understand the ultimate aim of yoga.
"It combines physical movements, religious elements, chanting and worshipping for the purpose of achieving inner peace and ultimately to be one with God," he said at a press conference to announce the decision yesterday.
Shukor said once the fatwa was gazetted, it would be passed on to the states to decide on the enforcement.
Malaysia, he said, was not alone in prohibiting yoga among Muslims as the Singaporean and Egyptian Islamic councils had done the same.
Shukor said renowned Islamic scholars were also of the view that yoga could erode the faith of Muslims.
Asked if practising yoga with the intention of promoting physical health was also against the fatwa, he said although it did not include the chanting and beliefs, it was discouraged.
This, he said, was because the physical movements of yoga were a component of the practice which was haram.
"In Islam, one must not do things which can erode one's aqidah (belief). Yoga, even the physical movements, is a step towards the erosion of a Muslim's belief, hence they must avoid it."
Muslims, he added, should be careful and conduct thorough studies before embracing rituals and practices that could threaten their faith.
He said Islam had long paved the way for Muslims to achieve spiritual peace and health and they should stick to these teachings, which included praying five times a day.
The Islamic Development Department (Jakim), he said, would start a programme to educate Muslims on why yoga was against the teachings of Islam.
Expecting a backlash from Malaysians on the decision, Shukor reminded non-Muslims not to question the fatwa.
"We respect the harmony and freedom of practice of other races [i.e., non-Malay - M.]. This is not something for non-Muslims to interfere in or question as this matter involves Muslims and their faith.
"It may not be acceptable to other races, but this is about Islamic teachings," he said.
Yoga practice among Muslims recently became an issue when Professor Zakaria Stapa of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Faculty of Islamic Studies said the practice could cause Muslims to deviate from Islam.
He had pointed out that yoga could be traced back to Hinduism and urged Muslims who practised it to stop and return to the teachings of Islam.
Yoga, which dates back more than 5,000 years and is a form of spiritual practice in India, is one of the six classic systems of Hindu philosophy that stresses self-control, discipline, postures, breathing, restraint of the senses, steadying of the mind, meditation and contemplation.

[well said]

ohm is not required if we do not wish to chant.

Prabhakar- India wrote:

To declare that yoga has nothing to do with Hinduism is just false. Yoga includes chanting of 'OHM' because this word alone syntheses with breath. Concentrating on God is a Hindu practice ( Dhyana) but one is not needed to denounce 'Allah,is one of the contributions of Hinduism to the human race, along with Tantra, Astrology,and Ayurveda. But one need not fear that his religion will be under any sort of threat by practicing Yoga because Hinduism never threatened another faith, nor does it require allegiance to Hindu faith. Hinduism does not preach to convert. If muslims want to remain within the dogma of Fatwas, then it is their loss, if they want to progress by imbibing positive values of other faiths it is their gain.

[THUNDER]

WTF, is so bad about yoga?? It's just a form of excercise which is good for you. Any sport or excercise is good for you!! Allah hates everything doesn't he??

[MeInUSA]

Cutris Lowe wrote:

Thank God! Yoga is so stupid.

Yoga is absolutely awesome. It has even helped people get out of wheelchairs and walk. It's great for the body, spirit & mind.

[MeInUSA]

"We are of the view that yoga, which originates from Hinduism, combines physical exercise, religious elements, chanting and worshipping for the purpose of achieving inner peace and ultimately to be one with god,' Abdul Shukor said."

Yeah, they wouldn't want Muslims to have any inner peace, now, would they? They'd rather keep them dumbed-down in hatred. Isn't that what all cults do?

[MeInUSA]

george whyte wrote:

"Yoga Ban: Don't question fatwa, says Council," by Farrah Naz Karim for the New Straits Times, November 23:
PUTRAJAYA: As expected, the National Fatwa Council yesterday announced that Muslims are prohibited from practising yoga.
In declaring yoga haram, the council said it could be traced back to Hinduism and concluded that yoga could erode the faith of Muslims.
Council chairman Datuk Dr Abdul Shukor Husin said the decision was made as yoga involved elements that were against the beliefs of Islam in its physical movements, chanting and worship.
"Many Muslims in the country fail to understand the ultimate aim of yoga.
"It combines physical movements, religious elements, chanting and worshipping for the purpose of achieving inner peace and ultimately to be one with God," he said at a press conference to announce the decision yesterday.
Shukor said once the fatwa was gazetted, it would be passed on to the states to decide on the enforcement.
Malaysia, he said, was not alone in prohibiting yoga among Muslims as the Singaporean and Egyptian Islamic councils had done the same.
Shukor said renowned Islamic scholars were also of the view that yoga could erode the faith of Muslims.
Asked if practising yoga with the intention of promoting physical health was also against the fatwa, he said although it did not include the chanting and beliefs, it was discouraged.
This, he said, was because the physical movements of yoga were a component of the practice which was haram.
"In Islam, one must not do things which can erode one's aqidah (belief). Yoga, even the physical movements, is a step towards the erosion of a Muslim's belief, hence they must avoid it."
Muslims, he added, should be careful and conduct thorough studies before embracing rituals and practices that could threaten their faith.
He said Islam had long paved the way for Muslims to achieve spiritual peace and health and they should stick to these teachings, which included praying five times a day.
The Islamic Development Department (Jakim), he said, would start a programme to educate Muslims on why yoga was against the teachings of Islam.
Expecting a backlash from Malaysians on the decision, Shukor reminded non-Muslims not to question the fatwa.
"We respect the harmony and freedom of practice of other races [i.e., non-Malay - M.]. This is not something for non-Muslims to interfere in or question as this matter involves Muslims and their faith.
"It may not be acceptable to other races, but this is about Islamic teachings," he said.
Yoga practice among Muslims recently became an issue when Professor Zakaria Stapa of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Faculty of Islamic Studies said the practice could cause Muslims to deviate from Islam.
He had pointed out that yoga could be traced back to Hinduism and urged Muslims who practised it to stop and return to the teachings of Islam.
Yoga, which dates back more than 5,000 years and is a form of spiritual practice in India, is one of the six classic systems of Hindu philosophy that stresses self-control, discipline, postures, breathing, restraint of the senses, steadying of the mind, meditation and contemplation.

"He said Islam had long paved the way for Muslims to achieve spiritual peace and health and they should stick to these teachings, which included praying five times a day."

Obviously, Islam has greatly failed at achieving spiritual peace. Muslims believe every single thing they need to know about life is told about in the Quran/hadiths. They need not know anything else.

[Flynn]

Cutris Lowe wrote:

Thank God! Yoga is so stupid.

Why are the people being surpressed ?
Govt. banning Yoga ?
This shows a society being controlled one way.
Yoga has solutions for many ailments...practise in every Country of the World.
Been around since early civilization days.

One step back Malaysia