By Ken Vin Lek and G Vinod
KUALA LUMPUR: Astro had pulled the plug on an episode called Project Alpha which was to feature Yoga instructor Ninie Ahmad.
The episode, which was supposed to be aired on the HITZ.TV channel on July 4, was supposedly scrapped because of the Fatwa Council's prohibition on Muslims practicing Yoga.
In her blog posting, Ninie said: “(On Sunday, July 4) I was informed that Astro will not air my episode of Project Alpha that is scheduled tonight because the Quality Control (QC) department said that under Fatwa law, they could not air a Malay person teaching yoga.”
This is not the first time that she has faced such problems with regards to Astro.
Back in June 2008, Ninie was invited to be a guest on the talk show called ELEH hosted by comedian Afdlin Shauki, but Astro did not screen the recording.
“To my utmost surprise and biggest horror, they replaced my (almost 20 minutes of full-on) interview with ‘the best footage’ out of all 26 episodes...
“They could have had the courtesy to at least call and inform me in advance. I feel sorry for them for they feel the need to do this and for the Malaysian media which still feel reluctant to feature me and help promote yoga even though it’s not banned in Malaysia,” she said in a blog posting then.
Despite numerous attempts, FMT could not contact Astro's officials for comments.
In November 2008, the Fatwa Council declared that Muslims are prohibited from pacticing Yoga because of its Hindu roots.
The move drew flak from several quarters, including the royalty, with Negeri Sembilan's Tunku Naquiyuddin Tuanku Jaffar asking, “Where do we draw the line?”
"Islam is a progressive religion and the ulama (scholars) should be confident of the followers' faith rather than micro-managing their way of life.
"If I go to a church or a Buddhist temple, is there any fear of me converting?” he said.
On Nov 26 that year, former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Muslims could continue practicing Yoga, minus the chanting of mantras.
Fatwas or religious edicts are not legally binding, but they are highly influential in Malaysia, where Malay-Muslims form just over half of the country's 27 million people.
