BJP’s Azaan: Namaaz has eight yoga postures and yoga is not un-Islamic, says Shripad Yesso Naik

NEW DELHI: The Islamic prayer, namaaz, involves eight yogic postures and hence it would be wrong to say yoga is un-Islamic, according to the Modi government’s ‘yoga minister’ Shripad Yesso Naik.

He was responding to recent statements by a few Muslim organisations slamming government plans to have mass yoga demonstrations across the country, including in schools and colleges to mark the first International Yoga Day on June 21, which are to be led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The outfits had said yoga, especially the sun salutation, or surya namaskar, was un-Islamic since a Muslim could bow only before Allah.

“Yoga is the product of sadhana of learned men and women, which are beyond religion and pertain to one’s physical and mental well-being. It is wrong to say that it is un-Islamic. Why, look at the postures of namaaz, there are eight yoga postures in it including vajrasana,” Naik told ET.

Kamal Farooqui, member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), countered the minister’s “yogic namaaz” formulation.

“If the minister has found yoga in namaaz, then why not make that compulsory in schools? We don’t have objections to yoga, just the fact that it is being imposed and impinges on our religious freedom,” he said.

Naik said that invites have been sent to ambassadors of all countries that supported the UN resolution to celebrate International Yoga Day, including envoys of several Islamic countries. The minister, who holds independent charge of the ministry of AYUSH, or Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy, said he has been labouring to make the programmes around Yoga Day all inclusive and “cannot understand” the backlash.

Naik was prompt to take a dig at the Congress and said he failed to understand the party’s reservations about participating in celebrations to mark Yoga Day, which was supported by 130 countries. “Indira Gandhi was the foremost disciple of Dhirendra Brahmachari who set up the major Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga. She did yoga almost every day, I believe even Sonia Gandhi practices yoga,” he added. “We have extended invitations to senior Congress leaders, we hope that they attend this function,” he said.

Naik said a yoga tape with 15 asanas has been sent across to schools and other institutions for the mass yoga demonstration that will be held on June 21.

“We have kept very simple 15 asanas, without surya namaskar as that is tough and not everyone will be able to do it,” he added. Naik also said BJP fellow traveler and yoga guru Baba Ramdev – who was conspicuously absent from preparations for the event – has also confirmed his participation.

“Our larger aim is to include yoga in the school curriculum, to split the physical training or games period into two, with one half being devoted to yoga. I have spoken to the prime minister about it,” he added.

And while many may feel that the connection between yoga and namaz may be a stretch, it reveals that nimbleness required for political asanas is no less than that required from the real thing.