Yoga fatwa on hold
PETALING JAYA: The implementation of the fatwa (edict) banning the practice of yoga by Muslims has been put on hold in two states.
- The Sultan of Selangor said the fatwa could not be implemented in the state yet as it had not been presented to the state Fatwa Committee,
- Perak Islamic Religious Department director Datuk Jamry Sury withdrew his earlier statement that Perak would adopt the fatwa, saying that several procedures including seeking the consent of the Sultan, had to be carried out first,
- Perlis Mufti Dr Asri Zainal Abidin spoke out against the edict, saying yoga with the non-Muslim elements removed should be allowed,
- Most other states said they would take the necessary steps to enable the edict to be implemented,
- However, Sisters in Islam said the fact that the states had differing views on the matter seemed to suggest that there was no consensus on the ban.
Give alternative version of yoga, says Perlis Mufti
By ZIEMAN
KUALA LUMPUR: Perlis Mufti Dr Asri Zainul Abidin said the National Fatwa Council should have offered an alternative version of yoga instead of banning Muslims from practising the ancient form of exercise.
He pointed out that many other sports activities like tai chi, judo and taekwondo were picked up from other cultures.
“These sports did not have anything to do with Islam but have been practised because of its known health benefits,” he said in a telephone interview with Mstar yesterday.
“Yoga practitioners who are Muslims should be given an alternative by practising a version of yoga that does not resemble the version practised by other religions,” he said, adding that chanting while practising the exercise should also be stripped. He maintained that yoga was a good exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle if done minus the extra bits that are against Islamic teachings.
Dr Asri is believed to have not attended the National Fatwa Council’s meeting on the edict on yoga because he felt uncomfortable with the discrimination by Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) and its director against his views on an alternative solution. “The fatwa (edict) announced in this day and age should not be too rigid. The human movement does not necessarily have a connection with religion,” he said.
From Harian Metro, Monday 24 November 2008
24 comments:
sis Ninie,Mufti perlis ni bijak pandai..brilliant..he was former lecturer in USM teaching Munakahat and other islamic studies..he has great speech to deliver..so you can count on his words and i tell you..he will win no matter how..because he has fact and it is true!!
Ninie, I wish u all the best! *HUGS*
If I can begin MY comment box with:
Kindly stop suggesting,
'If you can't do yoga, do Pilates.'
I do Pilates (not my first choice of workout though, because IMHO it's painful, monotonous and makes me lose my flexibility at certain body areas). I also go to the gym for weights and running. I play futsal, rockclimb and golf (at driving range) on a weekly basis.
But it is yoga that complements all my other exercises, sports activities and makes me less-prone to injury.
Thank you for your time, concern and thoughtful suggestions though :). I am blessed by your kindness.
I am still not the first on MY comment box, hiks.
Super pantas you all ni,
cemerlang! He hee..
Dear Ninie...
Sometimes I just could not understand why is it so hard to accept that Yoga is just simply another form of Exercise!!
Be strong!! :) :)
be strong Ninie
i'll support u no matter wut happen
-ur truly fan-
Ninie,
i wish you be stronger walaupun ramai org yg bg negative komen kat blog you...rasanya lepas kecoh2 benda nie semua rasanya popular la yoga nanti yek..bagus gak kan...insya-Allah...
Take care....
Now I am proud of my hometown!
Go Perlis!
Kalau nak ban pon, bagi la cara alternatif untuk orang ramai..
main ban je apa cerita.. Hee hee!
woohoo, half battle won.
high fiver!
:)
i do really think mufti perlis is the coolest among all other muftis.but too bad he's resigning and will end his service by the end of this month. *bummer*
and yeah YI, it's certainly NOT over yet!
go mufti perlis.haha..sumthing to be proud of, of being a perlisian (wahh bunyi cam parisian gitu..boleh?)
and to dear ninie, there will be lights at the end of every tunnel:)
saya orang perlis juga.
Bangga!
:)
'Yoga Fatwa on hold'
That's a good sign...
Good luck babe!
Quoted from "Fatwa Yoga: Kekeliruan yang Ada Titik Temunya."
Fatwa Pengharaman Yoga oleh Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan baru-baru ini mengakibatkan banyak tentangan daripada NGO-NGO tertentu, golongan non-muslim dan juga golongan muslim yang mengamalkan Yoga. Lebih teruk, isu ini seolah-olah dihisteriakan oleh pihak penentang fatwa, manakala pihak pembela fatwa berikrar akan mempertahankan fatwa ini habis-habisan. Maka, tidak semena-mena institusi fatwa negara dibicarakan seolah-olah tidak lagi relevan, dan menyusahkan rakyat yang berbilang kaum.
Hakikatnya, isu ini telah dihisteriakan sebegitu teruk oleh pihak tertentu adalah hasil daripada ketidakfahaman mereka terhadap kandungan fatwa dan hakikat Yoga itu sendiri. Ini adalah akibat daripada liputan separuh masak media masa terhadap kandungan fatwa dan mungkin juga niat jahat sesetengah pihak tertentu terhadap institusi berautoriti Islam dengna hanya menunggu peluang dan ruang untuk menyerang habis-habisan. Selain itu, kekeliruan juga berlaku apabila di Malaysia istilah Yoga (falsafah yang berkaitan dengan agama Hindu) dan Asana (sejenis senaman zahir yang berkaitan Yoga) tidak dibezakan.
Majlis Fatwa mengeluarkan fatwa dengan cukup jelas. Yoga menjadi haram apabila ia diamalkan bersama-sama dengan unsur kebatinan, spiritual dan mantera yang tidak difahami serta pemujaan kepada unsur selain ALLAH SWT. Manakala jika hanya melibatkan pergerakan fizikal sahaja maka ia tidaklah menjadi haram. Ini yang dijelaskan oleh Pengerusi Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan , Prof Datuk Dr Shukor Husin. Maka, jelas di sini bahawa, jika senaman Yoga tersebut bebas daripada unsur kebatinan maka umat Islam boleh beramal dengannya.
Fatwa ini bukanlah baru. Bahkan ia meliputi seni mempertahankan diri lain selain dari Yoga juga. Sudah berapa banyak Perguruan Silat yang difatwakan haram oleh Majlis Fatwa kerana ia mengandungi unsur mantera yang tidak difahami, kebatinan dan pemujaan kepada selain ALLAH SWT. Namun, jika silat tersebut tiada unsur-unsur seperti yang dikatakan di atas, ia bebas untuk diamalkan. Seni Silat yang berasal daripada tanah Melayu sendiri harus mengikuti kehendak Islam. Tiada kompromi. Oleh itu, format yang sama juga perlu diikuti oleh semua amalan lain termasuk Yoga.
Masalah yang lain adalah, di Malaysia, istilah Yoga tidak dibezakan dengan Asana. Yoga merupakan salah satu daripada 6 mazhab ortodoks di dalam agama Hindu. Manakala Asana adalah senaman yang biasanya dikaitkan dengan Yoga yang bertujuan untuk meningkatkan tahap kelenturan tubuh, kesihatan dan ketenangan fikiran. Saya fikir, adalah lebih tepat dikatakan senaman Yoga yang diamalkan oleh pakar-pakar kesihatan di Malaysia dinamakan kembali sebagai Asana. Agar kekeliruan ini tidak timbul kerana Yoga adalah sejenis mazhab Agama. Oleh itu, sememangnya untuk menjaga akidah Umat Islam, Yoga dalam erti kata sebenar tidak patut dipelajari oleh Umat Islam kecuali untuk tujuan penyelidikan. Namun, senaman yang bersih daripada unsur syirik, sudah tentu ia tidak menjadi masalah.
Oleh itu, kalau lah semua pihak mencari titik temu di dalam isu ini, maka histeria ini tidak akan berlaku. Kepada pengamal Yoga, bersihkan amalan mereka daripada sebarang mantera dan unsur syirik. Itupun kalau selama ini ada. Kalau mengikut Datin Suleiha Merican, Pengusaha Moya Yoga Studio, selama inipun mereka tidak mengamalkan sebarang unsur syirik dan mentera kecuali hanya senaman sahaja. Dan lebih baik menamakan kembali senaman Yoga mereka sebagai Asana. Manakala umat Islam tidak terburu-buru menghentam pihak yang mengamalkan senaman Yoga selagi tidak mengetahui asal usul suatu perkara tersebut. Selain itu, Yoga dalam erti kata yang sebenarnya iaitu salah satu daripada ajaran Hinduisme maka ia tetaplah haram. Keputusan Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan harus dijunjung, tetapi siri-siri penerangan haruslah dibuat agar semua umat manusia tidak mempunyai kefahaman yang salah terhadap Islam. Sikap sentiasa ingin berkelahi seperti yang ditunjukkan oleh NGO tertentu seperti Sisters in Islam (SIS) tidaklah menbantu di dalam meredakan isu ini.
Selain Yoga, marilah kita sama-sama membanteras juga sesetengah amalan kebatinan dan persilatan yang berselindung di atas nama Islam yang turut mempunyai pelbagai mantera pemujaan yang tidak ada asasnya dalam Islam. Ia juga turut haram bukan.
Fadhlur Rahimi Ahmad Bustami
Timbalan Pengerusi
Jaringan Siswazah Malaysia (JASA)
i can see the light coming!:-). luv u always!
Dear ninie,
I saw your post on Kak Yasmin's blog. I fully support you that yoga is just another exercise. They should focus their time n energy on bekas suami yang tak bayar nafkah, single mother dillema, kebajikan orang cacat and not doing this nonsense fatwa. We as Muslims of course know that we cannot worship other than Allah, they don't even need to tell us. I read the Quran and I know what is Allah's teaching. I am really tired of these people who are making Malaysia a laughing stocks in international news. Btw, they said Singapore also ban yoga, but from the singapore news i read, their Mufti already cleared that Singapore has no such rules or fatwa. The people know what they should do and don't need such a fatwa.
Be strong my sis.
salam ninie
i wish you all the best and be strong okay..
yang pelik baru sekarang nak keluarkan fatwa tu..
love you and take care
Hi, it's KJ again from singapore.
The same article was also reported in Singapore's Straits Times.
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/SE%2BAsia/Story/STIStory_306526.html
Why ban yoga which give us good health?! Why don't they ban smoking which give us nothing but bad health.
Ninie, there is nothing wrong doing yoga, in fact many people gain better health from practicing yoga from you.
Hahha. ni suma propaganda kerajaan ni.. harga global minyak dah turun gile2. so... nak divert attention dari economy, die attack la yoga..
kalau takde issue yoga ni, sure orang dah piket suruh turun kan lagi harga minyak.
hish. aku malas aa nak cite. buat sakit ati je.
relekla ninie. ko nye isu yoga ni nanti lenyap di telan masa.. macam kes 'black metal' yg hangat satu ketika dulu. ataupon mat rock rambut panjang.
ni suma divert attention je ni..
As for now, I KEEP PRAYING the FATWA is CANCELLED. Otherwise, Brunei nanti pun terikut sama. Nauzubillah.
look at this positively...tak payah la kita sebagai umat islam pun nak join the bandwagon of bashing Majlis Fatwa
From Nuraina A Samad's 3540 Jalan Sudin
Monday, November 24, 2008
Now I Can Do Yoga.....
I'm almost a fitness fanatic. Aerobics, Qi Gong, Pilates, jogging, Zumba, gym work-out. belly-dancing, hip-hop, salsa -- done them all and is still doing some.
Now Yoga....I have always been interested in this form of exercise but never ever got around to registering in any Yoga class. So many people have encouraged me to do Yoga for its physical benefits.
There are many Yoga centres and I never tire of finding out one that is suitable for me....
Years ago in the 70s, I followed a TV programme on Yoga. I'd follow the exercises and enjoyed doing them because they were so soothing and gentle yet helped firmed up the body.
When I closed my eyes, it was just to rest my body. To calm down my senses.
I have several books on Yoga. Some were given to me as gifts. Some I bought. I am aware of the origins of Yoga and the meditative and spiritual elements, though I am no expert.
I have always believed that there is nothing "haram" with the physical element of Yoga. Frankly, I am sure it is the same with other Muslims. I was (and still is) aware of the un-Islamic elements of Yoga. I am sure other Muslims must be too. I believe that Muslims who do Yoga, exclude these elements.
So, now that the National Fatwa Council has confirmed my own belief about the physical element of Yoga, I am pleased that I can do Yoga without any doubt or skepticism. I had none, in the first place. But I feel vindicated.
My concern is that if and when the respective State Islamic councils decide to adopt the "fatwa' (edict), some overzealous and unthinking officers will start a "crackdown" of Yoga centres and round up Muslims.
That will be really crappy and I fervently hope that it will not happen. Still, I am pre-empting any such decision -- I firmly protest any such crackdown.
When the fatwa council announced that it was going to issue a fatwa on Yoga, I must admit that I was one of those who thought the whole issue was laughable. Also insulting to me as a Muslim. Am I that weak or stupid to go astray, or what?
And after Yoga, what next, I thought.
I thought it was unnecessary because I was firm in my own belief about Yoga. So I dismissed the council's action as trivial. You know, making a mountain of a molehill.
In a way, I am glad now that the council has confirmed that it is okay to do Yoga -- minus the spiritual elements, of course.
ninie, you might be teaching exercise based / physical based yoga. but not my yoga centre. the yoga instructor turned on some music with chants while we were doing yoga (some sessions if not all), sounded just like in the temple.
i was extremely uncomfortable and that was the reason why i stopped yoga. i think this is how the confusion start. not all yoga instructor teach the same thing. at least not mine.
Wira telah memperincikan hujah-hujah terkandung dalam blog anda. Kami dapat lihat aspek positif terutamanya melibatkan senaman dan menjaga kesihatan diri. Teknik-teknik yoga yang berupaya membantu perjalanan darah dalam tubuh badan merupakan satu elemen yang baik bagi pengamal-pengamal yoga.
Pada pandangan wira yoga merupakan senaman yang agak tua diamalkan oleh penduduk-penduduk di India beribu-ribu tahun. Mereka ini menggunakan senaman ini sebagai satu cara untuk mendapat ketenangan jiwa dalam menghadapi cabaran-cabaran yang sudah lama wujud di benua itu.
Walaupun, Orang Islam termasuklah di Egypt tidak terpengaruh dengan budaya yoga kerana perbedaan tamadun, ia lebih ketara di India. Kenapa?
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