Indian Islamic Leader: Yoga Should Be Taught In Mosques
Maulana Umair Ilyasi, President of the All India Masjid Imams Organization (AIMMO - a leading group of mosque prayer leaders), has rejected misconceptions among Muslims that yoga is not for Muslims, according to an Indian magazine.
In a statement, Maulana Ilyasi (right in the above image) rejected some clerical interpretations that Muslims should not do yoga as it involves use of the word 'Om' - a Hindu symbol.
Arguing that God has different names, he said that yoga can thus be practiced and taught even in mosques, according to a report in The Milli Gazette, a fortnightly magazine.
Ilyasi's organization claims to have a membership of about half-a-million Imams. His statement about the validity of yoga in Islam comes amid reports that some Muslim countries like Malaysia and Indonesia have prohibited Muslims from practicing yoga.
Source: The Milli Gazette, India,
