Malaysia outlaws yoga for Muslims

Malaysia outlaws yoga for Muslims
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.
"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.

Lizi and Hintong's Wedding

One week after Powerman, I returned to Malaysia, this time for my good friends Lizi and Hintong’s wedding. I had the honour of being one of the best men. I had been looking forward to the event for quite some time now and I knew how much effort both the bride and groom had put into the organization of their marriage.

The best men needed to help the groom reach his bride by assisting him in some activities set by the bridesmaids and family members of the bride. As we reached the bride’s home on the back of a 4x4 pickup truck, the gate was closed and we weren’t allowed to enter. We were greeted by one of the bride’s sisters who gave us some garters to wear. One on our head, three on both wrists, and two around each ankle! I was already wondering what I had gotten myself into. The next moment though would scar me for life. We were asked to dance and sing, while holding carrots and cucumbers as microphones, to Dancing Queen sung by Abba. This was rapidly turning into a nightmare, but luckily one of the best men is an aerobics instructor who sort of guided us through this painful ordeal. Finally, we were allowed to enter the gate.

Next step was entering the house. We had to answer some questions about the bride and the groom. This went without too many hiccups, and before we knew it we were in the house. We had to do a few more dance routines and come up with a catchy phrase to “seduce” the bride. Unfortunately, Abba music continued dominating in the background and I felt like voluntarily admitting myself to the nearest mental institute. Eventually, we were allowed to go up the stairs where we faced a locked door. The bribing had begun: some ampows for the cousins, some cans of Tiger beer for the sisters and at last we managed to get the groom to his bride.

To seal the marriage, a traditional Chinese tea ceremony was held at both parties’ homes. It meant sharing tea with both the elders of the family and the younger ones. Once completed, the food was ready to be served.

The wedding party was held at the Equatorial hotel. Before the big bash, both the bridesmaids and best men joined a photo shoot with the newlywed couple. After showing off our lovely pink shirts, doing serious and silly poses, carrying bridesmaids up the stairs, being mistaken for being the actual groom, having Nicole David (World #1 squash player) pass by, we had a short break before the guests would arrive.

In the mean time, I had been told that I could stay in the bridal suite, in the room adjacent to Lizi and Hintong’s. The party was fantastic. The food in combination with the red wine was to die for. Plenty of rounds of both were great excuses for me not to enter the dance floor, all to the great frustration of some of the bridesmaids and the bride herself. Sorry ladies, I’m just not that big on dancing, plus I was still getting over my Abba experience. The scars were too fresh.

At the end of the night, some of us decided to go up to the bridal suite for some more partying and drinking. One by one though, most of us started passing out. It had been a long day and for me personally the fatigue in combination with French Chardonnay was taking its toll. I slept on a couch which was incredibly comfortable. Nobody had bothered to turn off the lights and that made a deep sleep quite difficult. After a while, I started hearing some pretty passionate noises next to my couch. Less than five meters from where I was sleeping, two friends of the couple started getting it on. I don’t need to draw any pictures, do I? I was so exhausted and disinterested that I just turned around and continued counting my sheep in dreamland. I must admit I was very tempted in telling them to get a room, but for some reason I was just knocked out, I didn’t have the energy. Finally, the naughty couple moved to the bathroom where she was certainly enjoying her climax and disturbing my sleep.

The next morning, I met up with everyone again and evidently we had a few things to talk about. The newly-wed couple was so exhausted they weren’t able to enjoy their wedding night in a way you might expect. But that’s where the irony starts kicking in! Guess who the naughty gentleman was? The bride’s ex-boyfriend! At least someone had some action.