Putrajaya, Dec 3 : Malaysia''s Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has said that vernacular schools will continue to be a part of the country''s education system as long as the Malay Chinese and Malay Indian communities need them.

"For as long as the Indian and Chinese communities need to have the vernacular schools, it will continue to be a part of the national education system," Razak said after chairing the 61st meeting of the National Council for Local Government here on Tuesday.

Putrajaya (Malaysia), Nov. 22: Malaysia’s National Fatwa Council has declared that yoga practices which involve physical movements, worshipping and chantings are haram (prohibited) in Islam.

The Star reported that the announcement was made on Saturday.

Recently, Professor Zakaria Stapa, a lecturer of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Islamic Studies Centre, advised Muslims who had taken up yoga to stop practicing it for fear that they could deviate from the teachings of Islam.

Putrajaya (Malaysia), Nov 19 : The Malaysian Government’s Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) has said that the National Fatwa Council will come out with a ruling on yoga exercise this week.

Director-general Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz, Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), remained tight-lipped when asked if the fatwa would ban Muslims from taking up yoga.

However, he said, the council and Jakim would not hesitate to issue a fatwa or rulings to ensure Muslims do not deviate from the teachings of Islam.

“Just like the ruling we issued recently on tomboyish behaviour, our decision on yoga has to be made to preserve the faith of Muslims,” The NST Online quoted Wan Mohamad, as saying.

Putrajaya, Oct 28 : Eleven members of the banned Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), who were arrested under the Societies Act after they held an illegal gathering outside the Prime Minister’s office on Thursday, have been released. 

Their release papers were signed at noon on Sunday by Kajang magistrate’s court registrar Bonney Empoh, The NST Online reported. 

Puchong Member of Parliament Gobind Singh Deo said they were released on 1,000-ringgit police bail each and would have to report to the police station in a month’s time.

“We were told that police were still investigating their cases before forwarding their recommendations to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.”

Putrajaya (Malaysia), Oct 25 : The action against the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) should not be construed as a clampdown on Indians or Hinduism by the government, said Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar.

He said the action taken so far against the outlawed movement was simply because of their association with militancy and their extremist views, the NST Online reported.

Putrajaya (Malaysia), Oct 25 : The ten supporters of the outlawed Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), who were arrested for gathering outside the prime minister''s office on Thursday, face a maximum five years'' imprisonment if convicted under the Societies Act 1966, reports nstonline. com.

Those convicted could also be slapped with a maximum fine of RM15000 under section 48 of the Act.

Yesterday, they were produced before magistrate Nurdiana Mohd Nazir who allowed the police to detain them up till Oct 26 to carry out investigations, added the report.

Earlier, investigating officer ASP Rajali Agong applied to the court for a 14-day remand order to enable police to find out the motives of the assembly and who the organisers were.