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Enough is enough. Stop simply abusing Islamic as a religion. It is sounding like when a child loses a fight then he will threaten that my Dad is stronger than your Dad. To begin with, is there an International Islamic Body to oversee how Islamic law is being implemented in each country? The UMNOmuslims and government is simply interpreting the Islamic Law for their own benefit and politicing them. It is such a waste to pay this so called politicians to fight over religious matters made political by them. Cannot lose face when LGE quoted something so TRUE, by the way LGE is saying it with love to remind muslims in his state. Truth hurts.......

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Thank you for telling us that in Malaysia, islam is narrow mindedness with the blinds following the blinds. Don't think its ideal to start a new islamic civilisation in Malaysia based on such absurdity. Obviously the fatwa was issued without any basis. Makes a laughing stock of muslims in Malaysia amongst ASEAN.

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In Malaysia, politics is race-based. Malays are the majority race. All Malays are defined in the Constitution as Muslim. In their efforts to control the Malays, the political authorities are using religion, a Muslim Council, to make silly decisions without consulting experts (whether Muslim or others).

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Suddenly Singapore is a model example...is Singapore an Islamic country?

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Knowing how simple minded these JAKIM folks are.......we can try and go around this fatwa by simply renaming those yoga-based exercises lah......to perhaps, comething like "Y-robics"?

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Malaysian Fatwa Council, wake up, wake up! Even your regional Muslim brothers are now trying to wake you up. You guys are living with blinkers on! To be politically biased and engaged is not holy or divine.

Let truth prevail. Yoga is a form of excellent exercise and it does not hurt any religion. Yoga is in practice for so long that if it hurts anything, anyone or anyone's faith, it would have taken its effect long long time ago. Your edict is therefore weak, unfounded and baseless. Repent!

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Attempts like this will soon qualify Malaysia to be the "Sick man of South East Asia".

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The Fatwa Council's fears are fully justified. Malays who practise yoga generally gain clarity of mind, tranquility of soul, and energetic balance of body - qualities that tend to enhance the powers of perception & expand the consciousness to the point where the individual evolves beyond the control of reactionary dogmas carried over from the Dark Ages.

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Alamak!! Relax guys! Last night, I got vision and inspiration from him that the Malaysians' Fatwas will started from the mild one to the hard one. Just wait and see. Malaysia Islamic's Fatwa is the best Fatwa among all other Islamic countries.

Sabar! Sabar itu separuh dari IMAN. Soon or later, Fatwa will really mould us to be civilize NATION. Free from SINS and any SATANIC's entities.

Cannot wait!!

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Why NFC has not come up with any fatwa about UMNO, they should make it a HARAM political party becos the word UMNO is synonmous with Mother of all CORRUPTION. Is our NFC condoning corruption is Islam. This people in NFC give Islam a bad name. They should be disband if they cannot issue a fatwa to HARAM this UMNO.

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Those hare-brained idiots get to have so much say because greater idiots put them there...

xxx

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These delegates were fun people ... they were enjoying themselves, laughing, dancing (I nearly joined them!). Now I know who they were ....

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Dear Fatwa Council

Your decision to ban Yoga is an amiable one, I applaud the Council's move to ensure that Muslims in Malaysia remain true to the practice of Islam.

By the way, I understand that although many Muslims in Malaysia practice Yoga, even MORE resort to a practice called 'BOMOH'ism to maintain their 'health' too. Is receiving advice and treatment from the Bomohs in Malaysia permitted since there is NO FATWA AGAINST BOMOH-ISM?

Considering that this practice is not new in Malaysia, I guess the Fatwa Council is well aware of its existence, and by virtue of NOT banning the practice, means that the Fatwa Council condones such a practice?

And has not any Islamic Scholars and Professors in Malaysia conducted any research or study on this practice to see if in any way it may stray the Muslims in Malaysia as Yoga does?

The latest report that a woman had her vagina inserted with prayer beads by a Bomoh because she felt she was 'possessed', is that an Islamic way of dealing with the Syaitan?

I wonder what the Fatwa Council has to say about that.

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Bukan saja Yoga! Majlis Fatwa ini bercadang nak fatwa banyak perkara lagi.
tunggu dan lihatlah

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Stop parcticing tai chi, qi Gong, taekwondo, akido, tansudao, kali and all martial art acep silat.

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The fatwa council members need to be replaced. These guys do not speak for Islam, they are not only pulling the Muslims of Malaysia down not only against their fellow non-Muslim citizens, but also against the Muslims in the region.

This is not the way the fatwa council should come out of irrelevance.

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From BBC News 21. November 2008
Malaysia clerics issue yoga fatwa
By Robin Brant
BBC News, Kuala Lumpur


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.

To most people yoga is simply a sport - a stress-busting start to the day.

Malaysia's National Fatwa Council said it goes further than that and that elements of the Indian religion are inherent in yoga.

Announcing the decision, the council chairman Abdul Shukor Husin said practices like chanting and what he called worshipping were inappropriate and they could "destroy the faith of a Muslim".

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.

Prayers and gym

For Muslims across Malaysia the day starts at 5.30 in the morning, as the call to prayer goes out.

A handful of the most devout arrive at a mosque in the western outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.


Over the other side of the road, in the shadow of the Mosque's golden dome, a few others start arriving to start their day - at the gym.

Each is carrying a yoga mat, slung over their shoulder.

Adam Junid is a Muslim Malaysian who does both - prayers and gym, specifically yoga.

An engineer in his 30s, he goes to a weekly class for about 30 people.

"I don't think it interferes with the religion at all," he says.

"In fact it helps you, makes you healthy and more aligned and it helps you become self aware," he adds.

Adam is a rarity because it is mostly women and not many Muslims who do this.


Islam is able to cater to the needs of Muslims - spiritual needs, intellectual needs and other needs, material needs - there is no need to bring in elements from outside
Professor Osman Bakar

"The yoga masters repeat that it actually can be quite compatible with religion," he said. "It makes you a better person."

Yoga comes in many forms. For some it is a stress-busting sport. For others a serious bit of soul searching.

What Adam does once a week is the serious stuff. The class I sat in on was two hours long.

Spiritual experience

It included breathing exercises, with the help of the tick-tock of a metronome.

There was meditation, then half an hour of darkness for intense relaxation.

Before that some of the class managed a very stable headstand. Others could touch the back of their head with their foot.

"It can go with any religion," instructor Mani Sekaran told me.

"Or it can go with those who don't believe in any religion, because it's purely sports," he added.

He is also founder of the Malaysian Yoga Society. A bald and very fit man, he once did martial arts.

"If I want to train for an Olympic gold medal... whether I believe in a religion or not doesn't matter. I just keep on training."


"Based on that we can use yoga to enhance whatever we are doing, whether it is religion or whether it's spirituality... but it [yoga] is stand alone."

During the class I sat in on, yoga's Hindu roots were mentioned, albeit briefly. A spiritual experience was on offer for those who wanted it.

This is the point where some Muslims in Malaysia worry about yoga. They think it is encroaching on their way of life.

One Muslim student told me that she combined yoga techniques with prayers. That concerns some Islamic experts.

"If people want to practice yoga, the physical exercise, I think that is no problem," Professor Osman Bakar, from Malaysia's Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies, told me.

"Many Muslims would say fine. But they would object to the mixing of the two things."

"Islam is a complete way of life. Islam is able to cater to the needs of Muslims; spiritual needs, intellectual needs and other needs, material needs. So there is no need to bring in elements from outside," he added.

Adam's yoga class ended with a quick discussion about self-awareness, concentration and why people do yoga. I was not sure if this was a weekly occurrence or for my benefit.

He told me that yoga has made him a better person. He has no plans to stop.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7743312.stm

Published: 2008/11/22 09:37:48 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

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This is the problem when a religion is politicised. Those who are appointed become mindless and everything is dictated by politics. Religion of all faiths are by themselves beautiful because they all preach universal peace and love for humankind. Everything is pushed to the extreme because of skewered interpretation of one's religion and for selfish gain.

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How far Malaysia want to go with the islamic state? There must be a full stop somewhere along the line. Painful it may be we have to accept other people religion. Let GOD deal with them. The important part is make sure you, yourself a good Muslim.
Have a read on this report. It may well be a western propaganda.
http://atheistnews.blogs.fi/2008/11/13/attackers-spray-acid-at-afghan-school-girls-5032016

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“The yoga that they practise deal with things like exercises, internal muscles, breathing and control of mind,” he said, adding that the council should allow discourse and discussion on such a matter before making a decision.

That precisely what yoga is all about and until the Fatwak Council put their big foot in it I never in my wildest dreams linked it with religion. However, this is an issue between the Fatwa bigwigs and their followers, and for those of us who are non-Muslims who pratise yoga all I can say is: HAPPY YOGAING!

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Dear all,
kindly do not simply comments on FATWA Councils rulings because in the first place, FATWA is only related to ISLAM and MUSLIM people. You must be a muslim if you wanna comments. The Muslim people world wide knows what the FATWA means to them and whose are in FATWA councils.
It is not any TOM, DICK and HARRY that rule out the FATWA.
I have attended a Yoga class where they ask me to do Surya Namaskar. To tell the truth, Islam does not allow it 's believer to perform Surya Namaskar. This is just a simple beginning of Yoga practice. I prefer not to do this. I am a tamil speaking person and roughly know what is Surya Namaskar. It is agains Islamic teachings.

So, to those non Islamic believers, pls abstain yourself from this topics.
this is my humble request to all the MT Bloggers. Let the FATWA council reply to Sultan.

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