Recently the National Fatwa Council (NFC) of Malaysia issued a fatwa or religious edict declaring yoga as haram (prohibited) in their latest fight to save the soul of Islam. Their argument is that there are religious elements inherent in yoga that the council feels are against the tenets of Islam. This follows another recent fatwa against tomboys, declaring also that girls that act like boys are in violation of the tenets of Islam. Last year Pakistani Clerics sought a fatwa against hugging which has been said to denote a trend towards conservatism by those in authority, and whether or not it is right or wrong is not my place to say, but I do see it as a threat to Reiki in that Reiki and Yoga (as well as other spiritual pursuits) share some strikingly similar fundamentals.
Most people who practice Yoga do so for the asanas, or postures, as they have been proven over thousands of years to promote health. The spiritual aspects of Yoga are seldom taught and are not even understood by most Yogis… especially those outside of India. The same holds true for Reiki, that is, the spiritual aspects are quite neglected and most Reiki practitioners do so for the physical, mental and emotional health benefits. This includes most of the Reiki practitioners here in Japan.
I know many Muslims practice Reiki, as there are also many practicing Yoga, and if a fatwa is issued they will simply stop without question. I think a better alternative would be to create a style of Reiki that is geared strictly towards Islamic Spirituality as I know there are strict guidelines which need to be adhered to. For a deeper understanding of this you might want to have a look at The Spiritual Path of Islam, as it explains it much better than I ever could.
After reading that article I can see how both Reiki and Yoga could be considered to be against the spiritual path of Islam in its strictest sense, but I also see a very clear definition of how Reiki could be adapted to fit quite nicely into Islam, which I feel would be the best alternative, because, by my limited understanding of Islam it would be against Islam to deny oneself and others of an ability that was only made possible by Allah in the first place. Therefore, IMHO, an Islamic Reiki would be the best alternative for everyone.
For further explanation or discussion, your thoughts are most welcome and highly encouraged, please feel free to comment below!!!
