Malaysia outlaws yoga for Muslims

[JI7]

Source: bbc

Millions of people in Malaysia have been banned from doing yoga because of fears it could corrupt Muslims.

The Islamic authorities have issued a ruling, known as a fatwa, instructing the country's Muslims to avoid yoga because of its Hindu roots.

The ruling is not legally binding but many of Malaysia's Muslims abide by fatwas.

Yoga classes here are filled with mostly non-Muslim Malaysians of Chinese or Indian descent, but in the major cities it is not uncommon to see several Muslim women at classes.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7743312.stm

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i thought this was funny

[MNDemNY]

1. Religion Sucks. That is all.

[JI7]

2. is it religion or people that suck and religion is an easy way

for them to control others ?

[MNDemNY]

4. You can not separate religion from "sucky" people.There is no other basis for it.

You are right in your observation that religion is used by PEOPLE to control other people. PEOPLE should pull their collective heads out of their collective asses and realize that religion is NOTHING but "the opiate of the masses".

[davidinalameda]

13. your premise is full of crap

and your bigotry is showing

[MNDemNY]

15. Your ignorance shows.

Go pray to some made up shit, and shut up.

[uppityperson]

19. So you must be religious then?

[juno jones]

7. Spirituality is IMO a good thing.

I've seen it help unfold and calm the lives of others. I know I have gained from it and I am a better human for it.

Religion, on the other hand, implies a control mechanism. It has a lot to do with abuse and control. And the abusers would even want you to have absolute faith in a god who would continue that abuse after death. Unless, of course, you're slavishly devoted to handing all your power and even your soul to them. Then, after you're dead, you get a weird materialist rock candy mountain of jeweled palaces and daily luncheon with Jeezus and Daddy Bubba. Or 49 virgins, or whatever. (If you haven't seen Diane Keaton's '70's Oscar-winning documentary, "Heaven" try to look it up. It gives you a real weird look into what motivates some people.)

Spirituality seems to be generated from within.
Religion tends to be imposed from without.

[shireen]

12. 72 virgins, not 49.

Not from the Quran, but from the "Hadith",
Hadith number 2,562 in the collection known as the Sunan al-Tirmidhi says, "The least for the people of Heaven is 80,000 servants and 72 wives, over which stands a dome of pearls, aquamarine and ruby."


more at
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2329/does-the-...

[uppityperson]

18. Fundamentalism sucks. That is all.

[juno jones]

3. There's a corresponding x-tian fundie

version of yoga that's 'safe' for believers. None of that metaphysical meditation or energy channeling that might corrupt the true believer, just the asanas ma'am.

[ohio2007]

16. Guess they never heard of the Kama Sutra eh ?

It would be just one more "thing" to add to the list of 'things' they are being offended by.

http://theopinionator.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/01/thi...

[Darwins Doberman]

22. If they had heard of the Kama Sutra do you think the Middle East would be the clusterfuck it

currently is?

[tanyev]

5. Well, then, they obviously haven't heard of Janine Turner's Christoga.

Hey, maybe some enterprising Muslim female celebrity has-been can come up with Allahoga.

[Lars39]

20. I had no idea she had gone off the dip end.

good grief

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

6. Can't have people getting healthy.

You gotta get sick so you can pray it away. HEEEEEE-YOOO-ULLLL!

And do send money. Lots of money.

[Dorian Gray]

8. So stupid.

[Phred42]

9. Yoga Corrupts? Well, who knows how much yoga might distort a muslim

Now THAT's really paranoid.

[juno jones]

10. Open minds are dangerous minds.

[shireen]

11. Look out for the UMMYM!!

Underground Malaysian Muslim Yoga Movement.



They'll have to start practicing in secret undisclosed locations. The fatwa police will occasionally get tipped-off (probably by disgruntled former yoga students who could not do a particularly difficult posture), and will conduct yoga raids. Lawyers will be hired to defend clients accused of yoga.

What's next?

Tai Chi!

Qigong!

....

Kickboxing!!!


I'm a former Malaysian, having being born and raised there till I was 17, and I've seen some pretty silly stuff. This one tops them all!

I hope the Islamic authorities keep issuing similarly dumb fatwas. It will lead to their eventual downfall because most Malays in urban areas are pretty secular, and it's just a matter of time before they lose patience for this bullshit.

[ohio2007]

14. The Islamic authorities ? who the fuck are they to be ursurping power of the government?

bowling in Saudi Arabia to be banned as insulting to mohamad

[Odin2005]

17. The Malasian govt has become increasing spineless against Islamist ideologues in recent years

It's pathetic. I wonder how ling before the Islamists start running non-Muslims of Indian and Chinese acestry out of the country?

[Darwins Doberman]

21. A better headline would be "Islamic Clerics Continue to Prove Themselves to be Brain Damaged"

Does this mean Malaysian Islamic leaders forbid their Muslim adherents from accepting the theory of relativity because of its Jewish roots?

[silverojo]

23. Yet suicide-bombing is encouraged?

I hate Muslim fanatics as much as I hate Christian fanatics. I'm an equal-opportunity fanatic hater.

[leftstreet]

24. Probably burns more calories

[struggle4progress]

25. Regional Muslim intellectuals regret decision to declare yoga as haram

... “Yoga is practised for physical health, not necessarily for religion,” <Liberal Islam Network chairman Luthfi Assyaukanie of Indonesia> said when commenting on the National Fatwa Council’s announcement on Saturday of its decision to prohibit Muslims from practising yoga, citing that it is rooted in Hindu elements ...

Malaysian Institute for Policy Research executive director Khalid Jaafar questioned the process in which the fatwa was decided, asking whether experts on yoga or Muslims who practised the exercise were consulted ...

Mindanao-based Amina Rasul, a convenor for the Philippines Council for Islam and Democracy, said although Muslims in south Philippines are not used to yoga, they would find such a ruling peculiar ...

Jakarta-based Maarif Institute executive director Raja Juli Antoni ... characterised the fatwa as not healthy in contributing to Islamic intellectual practice in the region ...

http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/15256/84/

[struggle4progress]

26. Hindu Sangam says Fatwa Council should be more sensitive

PETALING JAYA, Nov 23 (The Malaysian Insider) — Malaysia Hindu Sangam has urged the National Fatwa Council (NFC) to respect the sensitivities of other religious communities in Malaysia ...

He regretted that the council did not consult the Malaysia Hindu Sangam to separate the religious and non-religious aspects of yoga.

“To call this ancient practice haram and say that it can ‘corrupt’ a person is very hurtful and demeaning,” Vaithilingam said.

Since many Hindus and non-Hindus practised yoga together in a non-religious manner, he added, the decree could drive a wedge between people of different faiths ...

http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/15250/84/

[struggle4progress]

27. Islamic ruling bans Malaysia's Muslims from practising yoga

Ian MacKinnon, south-east Asia correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Monday November 24 2008 00.01 GMT

... The ruling comes after the council said young Muslim women who wore trousers risked becoming sexually active or "turning" to lesbianism ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/24/malaysia-is...

[struggle4progress]

28. Yoga is okay (Singapore)

Nov 9, 2008
Yoga is okay
KL cleric had voiced concern about the exercise's Hindu origins
By Nur Dianah Suhaimi

A MUSLIM cleric in Malaysia has called on Muslims to stop doing yoga exercises, but some religious experts in Singapore do not share that sentiment ...

As a rule of thumb, avoid the spiritual forms of exercises and embrace only the physical aspects, said religious teacher and counsellor Abdul Manaf Rahmat, 50.

Teacher Hafiza Yahya, 26, who studied yoga through books five years ago, has been doing just that.

'In classes, instructors may ask you to say Hindu incantations. I simply did the exercises without all that,' said the mother of two, who shed more than 30kg through yoga after each pregnancy. She now weighs a trim 46kg.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Singapore/Sto...

[Sultana]

29. Cool it with the fatwas Malaysia...

If it were Christians banning yoga, all the Christian hate would be flying left an right on this thread.

[Ignis]

30. Bleh, this is ridiculous. I've been to Malaysia a few times...

And it's one of the most "progressive" Muslim countries. The easy blend of Malay, Chinese, and Indian cultures is one of the nicest things about Malaysia--well, that and the FOOD!

At least this isn't legally binding, but that doesn't count for much when a fatwa is involved.