
PUTRAJAYA: The National Fatwa Council declared that yoga practices which involve physical movements, worshipping and chantings are haram (prohibited) in Islam. The announcement was made Saturday. Recently, Prof Zakaria Stapa, a lecturer of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Islamic Studies Centre, advised Muslims who had taken up yoga to stop practising it for fear that they could deviate from the teachings of Islam. Yoga, a health-related exercise, has been practised since 3,000BC and is said to help slow down ageing, reduce risk of diabetes, asthma and heart-related diseases.History of Yoga ? HereYoga is intimately connected to the religious...