Slippery slope

In Malaysia recently

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Abdul Shukor Husim, the Muslim council's chairman, said: "We are of the view that yoga, which originates in Hinduism, combines a physical exercise, religious elements, chanting and worshipping for the purpose of achieving inner peace and ultimately to be at one with god.

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For us, yoga destroys a Muslim's faith.

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There are other ways to get exercise.

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You can go cycling, swimming and eat less fatty food."

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The ruling comes after the council said young Muslim women who wore trousers risked becoming sexually active or "turning" to lesbianism.

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Gay sex is outlawed in Malaysia

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The government recently had to back away from a proposal to restrict women travelling abroad alone, after derision from women's activists across the country.

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But it has banned the use of the word Allah by other religions.

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An influential Christian group claimed Bibles were also being seized at border entry points.

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Of Malaysia's non-Muslim population, 25% are ethnic Chinese and 8% are ethnic Indian, mainly Hindu.

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The council's ruling does not apply to them and is not legally binding.

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But most of the country's Muslims heed the edicts out of deference.

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The fatwa was applied based on the incorrect conclusion that terms like asanas used in Yoga are "Hindu" in nature

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Fact yoga did not originate in Hinduism

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Yoga evolved long before Hinduism in humanities distant past as a means of controlling the mind and finding peace of mind

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Several seals discovered at Indus Valley Civilization (c. 3300–1700 BC) sites depict figures in a yoga- or meditation-like posture, "a form of ritual discipline, suggesting a precursor of yoga" that point to Harappan devotion to "ritual discipline and concentration",

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The main textual sources for the evolving concept of Yoga are the middle Upanishads (ca. 400 BCE), the Mahabharata (5th c. BCE) including the Bhagavad Gita (ca. 200 BCE), and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 300 BCE-200 BCE

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But this factual origin of yoga is not the point of this blog intolerance and ignorance are

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In over one thousand three hundred and ninety eight years (610Ad is the generally agreed start of Islam) not one Muslim leader anywhere has ever implied or said that there is anything dangerous to Muslims in the practice of yoga

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Nor has any Muslim leader ever created any relational connection to Hinduism in the practice of yoga

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Yet again we see rules and regulations being introduced that have nothing to do with the stated purpose but a lot to do with ignorance and control for the sake of control

Intolerance is rising in many societies

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In Malaysia this is noticeably true and the imposition of these rules on Malaysian Muslims does little to help race relations or better understanding between the different peoples of that country

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Slippery slope indeed