Bhopal: While Madhya Pradesh government is
making all efforts to make the 'Surya Namaskar' exercise on Swami Vivekanand's birthday here Thursday, a world record, Muslim leaders have opposed the move by issuing a fatwa
against it.
Leaders of the minority community have termed the move as
un-Islamic and equated it with idol-worship, which is
prohibited in Islam. They also issued a fatwa in this regard yesterday which was also ratified by the Shahar Qazi, Sayyed Mushtaq Ali Nadvi.
The school education department has made elaborate
arrangements to ensure maximum participation in the Surya
Namaskar exercise so that a world record can be created by
registering the feat in the Guinness Book of records, official
sources said.
Directives have been issued to all the government and
government-aided schools to ensure maximum participation in
the exercise so that it can become a world record.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has
clarified that the participation in the exercise is not
compulsory.
State School Education Minister, Archana Chitnis told
reporters, "Surya Namaskar is a Yogic exercise aimed at
improving one's health and those not interested in taking part
in it have an option to stay away from it. Sun is neither
saffron nor green."
However, Muslim leaders have termed the move as an
attempt to saffronise the education system.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, January 11, 2012, 14:14