The Ministry of Youth Affairs was not asked by any government agency not to celebrate International Yoga Day, the Ministry has said.
The Ministry said this after it emerged that the Islamic Ministry had asked Maldives Police Service to stop unreligious practices such as yoga.
Dated June 16, the Islamic Ministry had sent a letter to the Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed requesting to stop such activities from being practiced in the Maldives. The letter, signed by Senior Executive Director of the Islamic Ministry Hisham Ahmed, clearly explained the ruling on yoga by Islamic scholars and fatwa councils.
The letter said yoga is being used in the Maldives as meditation or exercise and in the name of healing various diseases. However, in September 2004, the Egyptian Fatwa Council issued a fatwa stating that yoga is forbidden to Muslims and is not permissible even as a sport because it is associated with Hindu worship. In 2008, Malaysia's National Fatwa Council also issued a similar fatwa stating that yoga is forbidden to Muslims and should not be practiced as a sport or as a form of worship.
The Ministry's letter said that meditation is part of the Hindu religious practice of yoga. During meditation, kneeling to the sun during the sunrise is practiced, and music used by Hindus in Buddhist worship is used, the letter further said.
"... For the above reasons, such activities are contrary to Islamic Shariah and prohibited under the Protection of Religious Unity Act of the Maldives. Therefore, it is hereby directed to identify those who practice yoga and take appropriate action in order to uphold Islamic Shariah and Maldivian laws and regulations," the Ministry said.
The Youth Ministry celebrated International Yoga Day at an event held at the Galolhu Stadium. The event was stormed by a group of youth who disagreed that yoga could be practiced, ensuing unrest. Nineteen people, including two scholars, have been arrested in relation to the incident.
The Youth Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the Ministry celebrated Yoga Day this year the same as other years, this time in collaboration with the Indian High Commission. The Ministry said it had been participating in yoga activities since 2014 in the same way that youth ministries of other countries consider yoga as part of exercise and sports.
The statement said no government agency had asked the Youth Ministry not to celebrate International Yoga Day. The statement further read that the Ministry would not do anything strictly forbidden in Islam and contrary to the Constitution and laws.
The Youth Ministry noted that some issues are controversial among scholars, and it is important that the authorities clearly express their views on such issues within the relevant policies.
Youth Minister Ahmed Mahloof
