Lols..funny...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/malaysiareligionislamcultureyoga
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – Muslims in Malaysia should not practice yoga because it will erode their faith in Islam, a senior
Islamic cleric said Saturday.
"Yoga is forbidden for Muslims. The practice will erode their
faith in the religion," Abdul Shukor Husin, chairman of the
government-backed National Fatwa Council, told reporters.
"We advice Muslims not to practice yoga. It does not conform
with Islam," he said in response to a call to ban Muslims from
doing yoga
Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, where more than 60
percent of the population of 27 million are Muslim Malays who
practice a conservative brand of the religion.
Yoga, an ancient Indian aid to meditation dating back thousands
of years, is a popular stress-buster in Kuala Lumpur.
Zakaria Stapa, a professor at the Islamic faculty of the
National University of Malaysia, recently called on
Muslims to stop doing yoga as it could cause them to "deviate from
their faith".
Abdul Shukor said yoga involved physical and religious elements
of Hinduism including the recitation of mantras.
He could not say how many Muslims were practising yoga but
called on state authorities to punish those who do.
The fatwa council, one of Malaysia's highest Islamic bodies,
recently banned women from dressing or behaving like men and
engaging in lesbian sex, saying it was forbidden by the
religion.