Exclusive: Muslim Yoga teacher Rafia Naaz's house attacked in Ranchi while talking to Zee

Ranchi: Some unidentified persons on Friday hurled stones at the house of Rafia Naaz - a Muslim girl who is facing the ire of her community members for teaching yoga in Jharkhand's Ranchi.

The shocking incident occurred while Rafia Naaz was sharing her views with Zee Media on the fatwa issued against her by the members of her community recently.

Some members of the community gathered outside her house in Ranchi and hurled stones, which further petrified the young girl while was live on Zee Media and sharing how she was being targeted for teaching yoga. 

Meanwhile, noted yoga guru Ramdev has now come out in her support. 

Reacting to the incident, Ramdev today said, ''From Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan to Saudi Arabia so many Muslims practice Yoga. It is an exercise which is good for mental and physical wellness.''

''Religion shouldn't be brought into this,'' Ramdev said while reacting to reports of stones being hurled at Rafia Naaz's house in Ranchi.

Earlier, Maulana Saif Abbas, a prominent Shia cleric, has come out in her support.

"What is wrong if some woman teaches yoga?" Shia cleric Maulana Saif Abbas had said while referring to the fatwa issued against Naaz.

"Protesting this is highly condemnable," he said, adding, "Some people have made religion a joke."

The reactions from the Shia cleric and Ramdev came days after a fatwa was issued against Naaz after which the Jharkhand government decided to provide her adequate security.

The matter was brought to the notice of Sanjay Kumar, Principal Secretary to Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, and on his instructions, the police stepped up the security of the girl.

Acting on the instructions, Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kuldeep Dwivedi even sent a police team to meet the girl.

She was later provided two security guards - one male and one female.

A resident of Doranda locality in Ranchi, Rafia Naaz ekes out a living for her family by teaching yoga. She is the eldest of her siblings and also doing M.Com from a local college.

Naaz rose to fame after she shared the stage with yoga guru Ramdev in the city sometimes back.

Her family members are scared of threats issued by the members of her own community. 

However, a determined says that she will continue to do yoga and teach yoga till her last breath.

While admitting that she and her family had received many threats, Naaz also expressed her gratitude to the Jharkhand government for providing her with security.