Kuala Lumpur - The announcement of a ban on practice of yoga by Malaysian Muslims was postponed on Friday, but that has not stopped the debate on if, and how, yoga can affect the faith of those practising it.
The ban was scheduled on Friday. But it was put off because the National Fatwa Council chairman Abdul Shukor Husin was overseas on official business, Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) Director-General Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz said.
"A news conference will be held to make the announcement and the date will announced later," he told Bernama, the official news agency.
A lecturer of University Kebangsaan Malaysia`s (UKM) faculty of Islamic studies, Zakaria Stapa, said recently that yoga, which is based on Hindu elements, could affect the faith of Muslims practising it.
Yoga can make Muslims deviate from Islam, he said and pointed out that yoga could be traced back to Hinduism. He urged Muslims to stop yoga practise.
However, joining the ongoing debate, many yoga instructors and practitioners say they regard this ancient form of exercise as nothing more than a healthy pursuit.
How can stretching and breathing be threatening to one`s faith, they asked while talking to The Star newspaper.
The experts urge religious officials to attend classes and observe how it is taught first before coming up with an edict.
"If they do, they will see that it is purely physical," claims yoga teacher Roslin Mohammed Daud, a Malay Muslim.
"It is not like the enthusiasts here are all running off to India, living in ashrams and surrendering themselves without question to a guru. Here, I believe Muslims will go where they are comfortable with to learn yoga," he said.
Guidelines on the practice of yoga among Muslims are welcome, but not an outright ban, experts said.
This issue is, however, not a new one, or unique to Malaysians.
Around the world, debates have simmered through the years about whether yoga, which has been described as "incorrigibly religious" is in conflict with Christianity and other faiths.
Source:
http://www.ndtv.com (November 05, 2008)
