No Yoga in Craoatia

[Una]

CROATIA: AN INFLEXIBLE POLICY The Education Ministry said it had rejected plans to introduce yoga classes for the country's schoolteachers after the powerful Catholic Church objected, saying the scheme was an effort to introduce Hinduism into Croatian schools. The ministry recently signed a deal with a private yoga association to provide optional classes to schoolteachers, starting in September. But the Croatian Council of Bishops contended that the program would introduce "Hinduist religious practices dressed up as exercises into Croatian schools." (Agence France-Presse)

[BL]

THe is a mistake - Catholic Church is too influential in Croatia!

[Mira]

I think that the church in Croatia is getting just to silly. First of all they want to introduce prison sentence for adultery, story on the old message board (I guess they do not have to read the Bible and have never heard the story of casting the first stone) and now they don’t like yoga because it promotes other religions. It just shows how insecure they are. After all I was born Catholic, I do practice yoga but I do not go to the church. It is all about choices and freedom. Sometimes I feel that since we lost communism we have other fractions which want to control what we think and how we live.

[James]

Hindu guru takes on church over yoga in Croatia
Agence France-Presse
Zagreb, August 10

A visiting Hindu guru on Sunday accused Croatian authorities of discrimination after plans to introduce yoga classes for the country's schoolteachers were scrapped under pressure from the influential Catholic church.

"Even if I was the only Hindu follower in Croatia nobody should discriminate against me," Paramahans Swami Maheshwarananda told reporters in Zagreb. He said the church had no right to interfere on the issue.

The Indian guru, who runs the Vienna-based Yoga in Everyday Life association, was speaking after a meeting with officials of the Croatia-based office of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights. He was also due to meet with the country's officials during his stay.

The Croatian Council of Bishops in July criticised an education ministry deal with the Yoga in Everyday association that was to provide optional classes to schoolteachers at the start of the new school year in September.

The bishops charged that the yoga programme was an underhand attempt to introduce "Hinduist religious practices dressed up as exercises into Croatian schools."

They argued that teachers who had attended yoga classes would "obviously pass on what they had learnt to their pupils."

Fearing public outrage in this largely conservative society, the ministry withdrew its agreement with the yoga association.

But guru Maheshwarananda on Thursday denied any plans to convert Croats, stressing that "it would be the same thing if someone told me that I am practising Chinese religion because I am into karate or judo.

[Renata]

I can't believe this but I have to. Is this Democracy? Definitely is stupidity. Such a closedmindness is laughable.