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Indonesia’s Muslims banned from practicing Hindu yoga

by Yuliya Talmazan | January 26, 2009 at 05:11 pm

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Indonesia’s Muslims will be banned from practicing yoga with elements of Hindu mantra chanting. Engaging in such activities is believed by some clerics to have the potential to “corrupt Islamic values." Practicing yoga as a form of exercise or sport will still be allowed.

Muslims in Indonesia are now banned from practicing yoga that contains Hindu rituals like chanting, but will continue to be allowed to perform it for purely health reasons, the chairman of the country's top Islamic body said Monday.

Cleric Ma'ruf Amin said the Ulema Council issued the non-binding ruling following weekend talks attended by hundreds of theological experts in Padang Panjang, a village in West Sumatra province. Although the ruling is not legally binding, most devout Muslims are likely to adhere to it - as they consider it sinful to ignore a fatwa.

The Ulema Council decided on the ban, which follows a similar edict in neighbouring Malaysia, over concerns that the faith of Muslim yoga practitioners would be weakened if they take part in Hindu rituals like chanting mantras, Amin said.

"Those who perform yoga purely for health reasons or sport will not be affected," Amin said. "We only prohibit activities that can corrupt Islamic values."

Indonesia is a secular nation of 235 million people, 90 per cent of whom are Muslim. Most practice a moderate form of the faith, but a vocal extremist fringe has gained strength in recent years.

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Sanjay Jha

at 19:58 on January 26th, 2009

Good Post. However there is nothing called Hindu Yoga. It is a therapy developed by Hindu Saints in the olden times and in practice for thousands of years by all the faith. The clerics decision of banning Yoga has triggered off a heated debate about practicing the Yoga. But reacting to this ban, Islamic scholars in India said that they don't find anything objectionable in Muslims practising Yoga. Chanting mantras like Om that has religious connotation is not needed for Yoga and Muslims can even replace then with verses from the holy Koran or references to Allah.

Wina Van Dijk

at 23:44 on February 19th, 2009

Interesting post! I know and read about this Statment too. But I thought is not finally Statment for easy go in Public. Long Term Progress and many opinions to make decided. Let's will see :)

I'm living and working in Indonesia, will cross checking of them as well as possible. Thank you for sharing in this post !

israeli.agent

at 23:52 on February 19th, 2009

:-))

Hahahahaha....!!!!!

Can't think of anything else.

"Indonesia is a secular nation of 235 million people, 90 per cent of whom are Muslim. Most practice a moderate form of the faith, but a vocal extremist fringe has gained strength in recent years."

Way to go....!!!!

.Agent.