Indonesia, which has the world’s largest Muslim population, will not follow Malaysia’s move to ban Muslims from practicing yoga, the country’s top clerics said.
“It is okay if it’s for sport but I do not know if it is proven that it can destroy our beliefs as Muslims or contains ideas of polytheism,” Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) deputy chairman Umar Shehab was quoted as saying by The Jakarta Post.
He said there was no need to ban yoga as no Muslims were found practising it in Indonesia. “If they are, they are not publicly visible, so there is no problem.”
Yakub added that the Indian influence in Indonesia was not as strong as in Malaysia and limited to music.
Shihab said more research had to be done before a decision can be made to prohibit yoga, and the council had not received any objection about it from the public.
In Malaysia, the National Fatwa Council declared the practice of yoga by Muslims to be “haram” (prohibited).
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