Maldives religious extremists disrupt Yoga Day event
MALE, Maldives (AP) — Maldives police have arrested six people after religious fundamentalists disrupted and chased away participants in a government event marking International Yoga Day. The Indian and British ambassadors were among those attending the event in the capital of the Indian Ocean archipelago when Islamic fundamentalists carrying flags and placards entered, shouting “God is Great” in Arabic. They held placards which said practicing yoga is against the Islamic concept of one deity because yoga involves bowing to the sun. Maldives, popular for its luxury resorts, is a Sunni Muslim nation where preaching and practicing other faiths or secularism are outlawed.
