How yoga ensures India appears divided

June 21 will be marked as the United Nations International Yoga Day, this year and every year after this. Yoga means unity, and India, the land of unity in diversity, stands divided on what was supposed to be a diplomatic coup of sorts. The problem is that it was credited to PM Narendra Modi, who is supposed to be a divisive leader, and it becomes imperative on some of us to ensure that everything he does is properly opposed. Those of us will litter to fritter away the gains of the Clean India Mission.

So do not expect us to not be extremely argumentative about yoga, which is rooted in the India before the advent of Islam and Christianity on earth, hence not Islamic or Christian. We can fight over anything, and since the International Yoga Day is drawing closer, we have decided to make this controversial enough to regret later. Making any issue a Hindu-Muslim one adds the necessary bitterness.

Hindu

The hardcore Hindutvawadis have suddenly had a change of heart. They now claim that yoga is not about the Hindu religion, but a secular, physical exercise regime. Some liberal Muslims have joined in, saying that yoga is part of our Indian heritage and people should not communalise the Yoga Day celebrations. They are arguing against some hardcore Muslim leaders and other opposition leaders who genuinely believe that yoga is being imposed on impressionable school children as part of the saffronisation programme of the Sangh. I am pretty agnostic about gods and demigods, but what lies are we spewing in the name of arguments?

Yoga is as Hindu as it gets. Okay, a little Buddhist as well. But it's definitely un-Islamic. So, those who truly believe in Islam, fear the wrath of Allah and are scared by the mention of jahannum (hell), should be wary of even thinking about it. Just because the Christian West has adopted it with some modifications, why should the true Muslim follow it? Middle America discovered the physical benefits of yoga, because Americans are profit-seeking by nature. They resolved the Christian dilemma by rebranding Surya Namaskar as the Opening Sequence. Since they are also good at selling, they ensured the new postures sounded equally exciting. The Lotus Position became "Criss-Cross Apple Sauce." It rhymed. But Americans, as popular Islamic preachers declare every Friday, are destined for hell.

Religion is not about what you get here. Religion is about what you get hereafter. If the Shariah doesn't allow it, believers have to be prepared for hellfire. It's not pretty thinking of fire, cauldrons, brimstones and the devil doing all that to you.

Argumentative

No. Yoga is contrary to Tawheed, and that should close the debate. But the argumentative brigade won't have any of it. They will go ahead and cite the example of Iran where yoga is quite popular. Iranians, of course, avoid the chanting and utterances of Om. Some of them use a Sanskrit alternative, Soham. That doesn't make it Islamic. That's why hardcore fundamentalists address the Shia Iran as Rafidah, disbelievers. The Islamic State doesn't believe Shias are Muslims. The world doesn't recognise the Islamic State. Neither does the Islamic State recognise the world. Even Steven. While the world condemns the medieval mindset of the Islamic State, let us stick to Islamic scholars when we talk about Islam. I trust a physicist to explain physics and an astronomer to understand the galaxy. Fools go to astrologers. If I have to understand the Vedas, I would reach out to somebody who knows Sanskrit. Not every pandit is a pundit. Journalists or liberal Muslims waxing secular on TV debate panels are not scholars. They have wasted time reading books other than the Holy Book and the books accompanying the Holy Book. That kind of education itself can be un-Islamic, if one goes to the right Islamic school for a desired fatwa against education. Yoga has all the failings to fail the test of Islam. You can call the Surya Namaskar the Opening Sequence, but can you take the sun out of the picture? Now, in Islam, it's forbidden to worship the sun. Then there are asanas named after animals. These postures will be termed obscene if Islamic principles are rigorously applied. There are some who ask: Why should we apply the principles so rigorously? Well, religion is rigorous. Take it or leave it. If you fear the fundamentalist tag, ignore the fundamentals. If you ignore the fundamentals, what is left?

Optimism

Now let us look at the brighter picture. This country has a very few Muslims who observe Islam strictly. We are also fortunate to have a very few Hindus who observe Hinduism strictly. Like the rest of the world - well, most of the world - we have moved on from the dogma of religion, carrying only the benign and benevolent with us. We don't want to let go of it absolutely, but we don't allow it to come in our way because we want to move. We are a country of half-Muslims, half-Hindus, half-Christians and other better halves. Because we realise how being full has halved the others.

There are nations that are destroyed by notions. Of course, the very few manage to make a lot of noise every time there is an opportunity. Ghar wapsi or yoga, they make sure we appear divided. The silent majority ensures that appearances are deceptive. Yoga is just some stretches. It's good for everyone. Om is just a sound. The sun is a star our planet revolves around. Also, that ball of fire is responsible for all life on earth. The International Yoga Day is a good day to be proud of what we, as Indians, have given to the world. Or you can look at it as a Hindu worship ritual that Islam doesn't agree to. How does it matter as long as you are doing some stretches! Please do not stretch it so much that it breaks.