Fatwa on Yoga : Rulers made final decision - Jakim

IPOH: It is the prerogative of the state religious authorities and their Rulers to accept or reject the National Fatwa Council’s decision to bar Muslims from practising yoga.

Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) director-general Datuk Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abd Aziz said the council’s fatwa (edict) prohibiting Muslims from practising yoga would be discussed in the state fatwa committees, whose members were appointed by their respective rulers.

“After it is agreed upon by the committees, the matter will then be presented to the various state religious councils before it is brought before the Sultan for consent.

“This is the process of how a fatwa is implemented in the state,” he said.

“It is the state’s prerogative to decide whether to implement a fatwa,” he said after chairing a meeting with the country’s state Islamic religious council heads here on Tuesday.

The various stands of certain state authorities on the matter did not reflect a difference in opinion between the state bodies and the council, he added.

Since the council came out with the fatwa on Saturday, the Sultan of Selangor has said that the fatwa could not be implemented as the state Fatwa Committee had yet to deliberate on the matter.

Perak Religious Department director Datuk Jamry Sury, who had earlier been quoted as saying that the state would abide by the fatwa, retracted his statement a day later.

Jamry clarified that the fatwa had not been discussed by the Perak Fatwa Committee and brought to the attention of the State Religious and Malays Customs Council before being presented to the Sultan of Perak for consent.

Perlis Mufti Dr Asri Zainal Abidin had also spoken out against the fatwa, saying yoga with the non-Muslim elements removed should be allowed, while other states were set to go ahead with the implementation.

Wan Mohamad explained that Jakim’s duty, as the secretariat of the National Fatwa Council, was to coordinate the process by conducting research on an issue before presenting it to the council.

On the statement by Dr Asri that yoga should not be banned entirely but an alternative should instead be offered, Wan Mohamad said:

“Did the Perlis Fatwa Committee meet before the mufti voiced his disagreement? The matter has to be discussed first before it is agreed or disagreed upon.”

Wan Mohamad pointed out that discussions generated by various quarters over the council’s decision showed that Malaysians were interested in understanding Islam better.

“There is good and bad. It is good that at least now we can take the opportunity to explain the beauty of Islam to non-Muslims.

“As we live in a multi-religious country, it is good for our religious authorities to share information and knowledge with one another,” he said.

However, he reminded the people that Islam was the official religion in the country, as enshrined in the Constitution, and hence should be respected by all.(TheStar)

Click this link to read more!

JAKIM lodged a police report against Raja Petra

The Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) and several Muslim bodies lodged a police report here on Friday against Malaysia Today website editor Raja Petra Kamarudin for allegedly insulting the Malays, Muslims and Islam.

Director-general Datuk Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz said the department wanted authorities to take action against the editor, who is already facing charges of criminal defamation.

"There are articles on his website, which are clearly insulting Islam and the Prophet. Such views expressed will affect the good relationship Muslims are trying to build with those from the other religions and the Government's agenda.

"These will also hamper the Prime Minister's efforts to see more inter-religious understanding," he told reporters when met at the police station.

The allegedly offensive articles cited by Jakim were "I promise to be a good, non-hypocritical Muslim" and "Not all Arabs are descendants of the Prophet".

Among others, Raja Petra wrote "only Muslims pretend to be good when they are actually bad" and compared Prophet Mohammad to Osama bin Laden.

Wan Mohamad said the department had been monitoring Raja Petra's activities and blog since it was first established on the Internet.

"Action against Raja Petra is necessary because Jakim may not be able to control the anger of the Muslims, particularly when the articles came so soon after the Bar Council forum on Conversion to Islam," he said.

Besides Jakim, the other Muslim bodies that lodged the report were Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah, Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department, Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia and Federal Territories Ministry and the Federal Territory Islamic Council.

The department, he warned, was also monitoring articles on several blogs and websites, and had identified several others whose writings were offensive.

It was reported that all 21 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the country had been ordered by the Communications and Multimedia Commission (SKMM) to block Raja Petra's website. The notices were sent out on Tuesday in accordance with Section 263 of the Communications and Multimedia Act.

The Government had since denied that it issued a directive to SKMM to block the access.

Wan Mohamad denied that the report was "politically motivated".

"It's up to the public to perceive what they want," he said.

Excerpt from http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/9/5/nation/20080905142912&sec=nation

Click this link to read more!