Author: Sarah El Deeb
Publication: Associated Press
Date: September 20, 2004
A religious edict saps the energy
out of yoga enthusiasts in Egypt, where clerics say the 5,000-year-old
practice violates Islamic law.
Answering a religious question put
forward, Egypt's highest theological authority called yoga an "ascetic
Hindu practice that should not be used in any manner of exercise
or worship." The undated but recent edict was signed by the mufti,
Ali Gomoa. The edict, published in the pan-Arab daily newspaper Al-Hayat
and obtained Sunday by the Associated Press, called the practice
of yoga "an aberration" and said mimicking it is "forbidden religiously."
Yoga is a collection of spiritual
techniques and practices, aimed at integrating mind, body and spirit.
In recent years, classes have started at gyms and in dedicated yoga
centers. Tourist trips to Red Sea mountains and beaches also are
arranged around yoga classes. The religious edict said yoga could
distort Islamic beliefs, relying on a saying from Islam's founding
Prophet Muhammad about how if Muslims hold on to what he has instilled
they will never stray from God's book or the prophet's teaching.
To Mukesh Kumar, a yoga instructor
in Egypt for three years and diplomat at the Indian Embassy in Cairo,
considering yoga an aberrant faith is a stretch.
"It is neither a religion nor claims
to be a substitute for any religion in the world," he said. "I am
amazed (and wonder) why this kind of statement is coming."
Kumar said the Indian cultural center
in Cairo introduced yoga classes in 1992, and that the center is
now operating at maximum capacity _ 120 registered participants.
Eighty percent of them, he said, are Egyptian.
Kumar said yoga's therapeutic aspects
have proved helpful to Egyptians living in Cairo, one of the world's
busiest cities with a population of 18 million.
"I don't think it is haram (forbidden
religiously). It is a way of life. It relieves people from stress,"
he said, adding that Egyptian officials and diplomats are among those
enrolled in his classes. "It is a boon for humanity. We have to carry
it, and spread it."
