The central government is all set to release a book titled ‘Yoga and Islam’ amid controversies surrounding yoga, according to sources.
The book has been prepared with help from Muslim Rashtriya Manch, the Muslim wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
According to sources, the 30-page book will dispel various myths surrounding yoga including that it is “non-Islamic”.
The message of United Nations chief Ban-ki Moon on yoga emphasising that it “does not discriminate” will also be mentioned in the book.
With June 21 declared as the International Yoga Day by the United Nations General Assembly, several statements made by politicians in India on yoga over the past few days have triggered controversy.
Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Laxmikant Bajpai, in a retort to Samajwadi Party Azam Khan’s statement, had said, “If Khan finds Yogi stinking, then we find Ulemas stinking.”
He later said that his statement was not meant as an insult to any religion but directed at Khan who had said that BJP MP Yogi Adityanath should “offer namaz to set his mind on the right track”.
The BJP leader had earlier said that those opposed to doing ‘Surya Namaskar’ should “drown in sea”.
Another BJP MP, Sakshi Maharaj, triggered fresh controversy after he reportedly dubbed Prophet Mohammed as a “great yogi” and the biggest practitioner of yoga.
Also, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owisi had earlier objected to the celebration of International Yoga Day in schools claiming that it is prohibited in Islam and Muslims are being forced into it.