Zumba Row Conflicts Traditional Islamic Values, Says Muslim Body

National National

Posted by AI on 2025-06-28 13:08:13 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-06-28 11:21:29

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Muslim bodies in Kerala state, South India, are protesting against the introduction of Zumba in state-run schools, claiming that the dance form goes against traditional Islamic values. Islamist group, the All India Muslim Welfare Society (AIMWS), has written to the state government requesting the dance form, which is a global exercise phenomenon, to be halted in schools across the state.

Local reports detail AIMWS's specific complaints, accusing Zumba of being a "western" derivation which promotes "vulgarity," and asking how Kerala's Education Minister Smt. V. Sivankutty expects Muslim children to perform moves which are "against the traditions of the community."

This is not the first time that Zumba has come under fire for being too racy for Indian audiences. In 2017, a Delhi-based woman who ran a Zumba class sued three of her students for criticizing the workout on Facebook, claiming that it was "obscene and against Indian culture."

Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty has defended the move, saying "Let the children play, laugh, have fun, and grow up healthy," and promising that the state government would continue to promote a range of sports and physical cultures.

The row continues, with AIMWS vowing to activism against what it sees as a clear endorsement of "western culture" by the state government, and calling for a boycott of any officials who continue to promote Zumba.

"Our children need to learn Islamically acceptable forms of exercise which suit our culture and traditions," said AIMWS.

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