Close X
Sunday, November 24, 2024
ADVT 
India

Chant 'Allah' If Not 'Om': Minister Tells Muslim Leaders

Darpan News Desk IANS, 11 Jun, 2015 11:14 AM

    Ayush Minister Shripad Yesso Naik on Thursday appealed to the Muslim community to participate in the International Yoga Day in a big way and said people who do not want to chant 'Om' can say 'Allah'.

    Naik told IANS after his meeting with a delegation of Muslim leaders on Thursday that they have extended full support to the Yoga Day to be observed on June 21.
     
    "I met the Muslim delegation today to discuss about the Yoga Day. They have extended full support to the cause and will join us on the Yoga Day. Our motive is to unite people for a better world," Naik said.
     
    He said the government took 'surya namaskar' out of the Yoga Day activities as it can be a tough yoga posture.
     
    Naik said people with spondylitis and other medical issues will not be able to do it as well.
     
    "We do not want any controversy or opposition over this surya namaskar. If people do not want to chant 'Om', they can say 'Allah'," Naik told IANS.
     
    He said yoga was for the well-being of all and has nothing to do with any particular religion.
     
    During his interaction with the Muslim leaders, Naik said there was no compulsion on anyone to practise yoga, but it was good for the body and soul.
     
    He said people should make it a part of their lives and contribute in the celebrations of the International Yoga Day on June 21.
     
    The Muslim leaders, who included Majlis Ulema e Hind (Uttar Pradesh) president Maulana Syed Kaukab Mujtaba Abidi, and Daudi Bohra community representative Abbas Ali Bohra, applauded the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Yoga Day.
     
    The leaders said namaz too has yogic postures.
     
    Bohra said that out of the 177 countries which have expressed their desire to participate in yoga sessions on the International Yoga Day, 47 were from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
     
    These countries have expressed desire to participate in yoga sessions being organised in the Indian missions, he said. "We as Indians should support Yoga Day as it is on the initiative of India."
     
    Some minority groups had objected to the inclusion of surya namaskar in the programme.
     
    The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) had said it will launch a campaign against any move by the union government's move to make yoga and 'surya namaskar' compulsory in schools.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Why Congress Doesn't Give Manmohan The Credit He Deserves

    The Narendra Modi government's chief economic advisor, Arvind Subramanian, has said that the rate of poverty reduction from 2005-06 to 2011-12 was the fastest in the country's history. The reason, according to him, was "fast GDP growth".

    Why Congress Doesn't Give Manmohan The Credit He Deserves

    Notice To Punjab Over Illegal Buildings Near Golden Temple

    Notice To Punjab Over Illegal Buildings Near Golden Temple
    The court, while issuing notices to the government and the Municipal Corporation of Amritsar, directed them to file reply on July 2.

    Notice To Punjab Over Illegal Buildings Near Golden Temple

    India's 7.3 Percent Growth Neck-and-neck With China's

    India's 7.3 Percent Growth Neck-and-neck With China's
    India may have just fallen short of surpassing China as the fastest-growing emerging market economy in 2014-15, but its 7.3 percent growth is expected to have matched that of the Asian neighbour, according to official data released

    India's 7.3 Percent Growth Neck-and-neck With China's

    Smriti Dares Rahul To Debate In A War Of Words

    Smriti Dares Rahul To Debate In A War Of Words
    A war of words broke out on Friday between Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and union HRD Minister Smriti Irani on Twitter over IIT-Madras's censure of a students' group for criticising the Narendra Modi government.

    Smriti Dares Rahul To Debate In A War Of Words

    Killer Heat Wave Continues To Sweep Across India, Toll Over 1,700

    Killer Heat Wave Continues To Sweep Across India, Toll Over 1,700
    The searing heat wave continued unabated on Thursday in many parts of India, claiming another 414 lives in Andhra and Telangana alone to take the toll above 1,700 while rains brought relief in some states, officials said.

    Killer Heat Wave Continues To Sweep Across India, Toll Over 1,700

    Varun Gandhi's Immature Offering Butchers Poetry

    Varun Gandhi's Immature Offering Butchers Poetry
    If there is something that really stands out in this book, it has to be the images, contributed by different photographers, to complement the poems. 

    Varun Gandhi's Immature Offering Butchers Poetry