Egyptian Cleric Says Yoga is Against Islamic Law

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JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, September 20, 2004: The growing enthusiasm for yoga in Egypt has received a setback with a mufti reportedly issuing an edict declaring it un-Islamic. The edict signed by mufti Ali Gomoa, considered the highest theological authority, says that “yoga is an ascetic Hindu practice that is forbidden for use in any manner — neither for exercise or for worship,” local media reported quoting an Al-Hayat report (a Saudi-owned, Londdon-based newspaper). “It is an aberration,” whose practice in any form is “forbidden under Islamic law,” the edict says. Yoga centres are said to have sprung up at all the tourist resorts in Egypt and are said to be very popular among Western tourists.