Photo: Brittney Bush
Most people tend to think of yoga as separate from religion, or at least non-dogmatic and non-denominational.
Not so to Islamic leaders in Malaysia: in November, 2008, Muslim clerics banned the practice of yoga by followers of the religion. The National Fatwa Council Abdul chairman Shukor Husin stated that:
“Many Muslims fail to understand that yoga’s ultimate aim is to be one with a God of a different religion.”
Indonesia leaders followed suit a month later.
Insiya Rasiwala-Finn, a yoga teacher based in Vancouver and a practicing Muslim, was appalled by this ruling, especially considering she watched her devout father practice yoga every morning while growing up.
Yet she understands that yoga was originally a Hindu practice, and Hindu philosophies still pervade the tradition.
Should all Muslims, which number over 10 million in the US and Canada alone, refrain from taking part in the spiritual practice of yoga?
Does this also cause a problem for other religions, especially the fundamental factions found within many faiths?
Share your thoughts below.
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9 Comments... join the discussion!
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…to be one with a God of a different religion? How about to become one with your tight hamstrings, yes that makes much more sense.
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It's a similar reason some people like the idea of meditation, but want it removed from any Buddhist concepts/traditions. I think it's entirely possible to honour the tradition while not having to "accept" these aspects as integral to the value of the practice.
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I think that yoga and mediatation are vehicles that carry you somewhere as opposed to prostylizing your faith. I happen to be Christian and practice mediation as a means to become one in the presence of the God of my understanding but I direct that path and decide on my God. The vehicle just gets me there.
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Yoga is ortho-praxy, “correct practice.” Islam (like the other Western faiths) is ortho-dox, concerned with “correct belief.”
There is nothing in yoga that has anything to do with belief, other than a vague belief that good health is….well, “good.” It is about performing correct actions, stretches and breathing and whatnot, you the practicer may believe whatever you want. (This is incidentally why gurus and charlatans can exist side-by-side in ortho-praxic religons.)
So, basically, the Islamic Councils of Maylaysia et. al. are showing the world that they are supremely ignorant of anything resembling true faith, and merely telling their followers to avoid yoga because they are afraid of India’s regional power.
For shame!
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after enrolling on a Yoga Class, i am not stress free and is more relaxed than ever. Yoga is really very helpful both in physical and mental health.
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i am currently enrolled in a Yoga class. the health benefits of Yoga on myself is great. I am more relaxed and i can sleep well at night.
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While correct in a certain capacity, the Muslim leaders fail to recognize that Yoga could be used as a means to strengthen individual Muslim’s connection to their own religion; the same way it is used for the Hindu religion.
It is up to the practitioner to determine what their focus is on.
This is where their logic is faulty.Jared Krauss
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thank you for this great article, I love it.
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