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Malaysian Muslims urged to avoid yoga
Malaysian Muslims should avoid yoga because it will "erode their faith" in Islam, a senior Islamic cleric said on Saturday.
- Agencies
- Published: 09:54 November 22, 2008
Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Muslims should avoid yoga because it will "erode their faith" in Islam, a senior Islamic cleric said on Saturday.
"Yoga is forbidden for Muslims. The practice will erode their faith in the religion," Abdul Shukor Husin, chairman of the National Fatwa Council, told reporters.
"We advice Muslims not to practise yoga. It does not conform with Islam," he said in response to a call to ban Muslims from doing yoga
Muslims make up more than 60 per cent of the population of Malaysia, where yoga is a popular stress reliever.
Zakaria Stapa, a Malaysian professor, recently called on Muslims to stop doing yoga as it could cause them to "deviate from their faith".
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