Reports that some Girl Scout troops and local councils have incorporated mosque visits, Islamic prayer, Ramadan observances, hijab education and Muslim religious awards into scouting activities are drawing criticism online, although the programs described are not a nationwide requirement for all Girl Scouts.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
The Girl Scouts of the USA is facing criticism over reports that some troops affiliated with mosques around the country have incorporated Islamic religious education and practices into scouting activities, including prayer, Ramadan observances, lessons about the hijab and religious recognition programs.
The controversy centers on activities documented at individual troops and local councils rather than a Girl Scouts of the USA requirement imposed nationally on all members.
Reports describing the programs say girls have participated in mosque visits and learned about Islamic beliefs, including the Pillars of Islam, while some Muslim Girl Scouts have been able to pursue religious badges and medals associated with their faith.
According to WND, the issue quickly generated strong reaction on social media, where critics questioned why an organization historically associated with scouting and youth development was facilitating activities involving Islamic instruction.
“I will not buy a box of Girl Scout cookies ever again until this bull—- is removed. What are we doing here?” one commenter wrote.
Another critic, responding through a separate social media post, urged parents to remove their daughters from the organization.
“Mothers, get your kids out of this organization!! First they went trans now they go Muslim. Is this really what Girl Scouts was built on??” the commenter wrote.
“I’ll never buy Girl Scout cookies ever again,” another person said in an online response.
Others questioned whether comparable instruction about foundational Christian or American civic principles was available.
“Do they have a badge for the 10 commandments? Or, the key concepts of the Declarstion (sic) of Independence? Or the first 10 amendments to the constitution?” a commenter asked in another social media post.
Additional details about how Islamic activities have been incorporated into some scouting programs were published by Twitchy, which cited an investigation by White House correspondent Natalie Winters.
“Girl Scout troops across the U.S. are incorporating Islamic religious instruction, prayer and activities into scouting programs, according to a new investigation by White House correspondent Natalie Winters.
“Winters reported that mosque-based troops in several states have used Girl Scout programming to teach Islamic practices, including prayer, Ramadan and hijab. The examples appear to involve individual troops and local councils rather than a nationwide requirement imposed on all Girl Scouts.”
That distinction is significant because the reported activities do not amount to a national requirement that all Girl Scouts study or participate in Islamic religious practices.
Girl Scouts of the USA does, however, recognize religious award programs administered by outside faith organizations, according to the report.
“The Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) does officially recognize religious award programs operated by outside religious organizations. Its own faith materials identify the Islamic Committee on Girl Scouting and say it offers ‘Girl Scouts of the Islamic Faith’ religious recognition awards, including medals. GSUSA also directs families toward religious organizations for information about the programs,” Twitchy reported.
The Islamic Committee on Girl Scouting therefore operates within a broader structure in which religious recognition programs are administered through outside organizations rather than necessarily created and managed directly by Girl Scouts of the USA.
Winters’ investigation described what she characterized as a pattern extending across multiple parts of the country.
She reported finding a “nationwide pattern of Girl Scout troops based at mosques incorporating Islamic prayer, Quranic instruction, and lessons on hijab into activities conducted under the Girl Scouts banner.”
Among the examples cited was programming connected with the SALAM Islamic Center in Sacramento, California.
Winters reported that one event organized at the mosque included several activities intended to familiarize participants with Islamic religious and cultural practices.
“A standout attraction was the hijab photo booth,” the SALAM Islamic Center said of the event, according to Winters.
The report said girls were encouraged to try wearing the Islamic head covering while receiving instruction about its religious meaning.
“Girls were invited to try on hijabs while learning about ‘the significance of modesty.’ The event also included mosque tours and ‘an informative booth about Palestine.’”
The Sacramento mosque specifies that its programs “shall be in accordance with the ideology of SALAM and its principles.”
The relationship between Girl Scouts and programming at the Islamic center was not described as a recent development.
According to Winters, the Girl Scouts Heart of Central California council documented troops operating at SALAM more than 15 years ago.
“Girl Scouts Heart of Central California knew about SALAM’s religious integration years earlier. The council’s 2009 annual report said four troops with 30 girls began meeting at SALAM and incorporated Girl Scouting into the mosque’s youth programming. It highlighted a Ramadan sleepover involving fasting and girls ‘praying through the night.’”
The investigation cited similar examples in several other regions of the United States, including Naperville, Illinois; Virginia; Brooklyn, New York; and San Diego, California.
The programming documented in those locations has included “prayer, Ramadan, Muslim badges, hijab discussions, and outreach to visiting Girl Scouts,” according to the report.
The disclosure has revived broader debate among critics of the organization who have previously objected to Girl Scouts policies or activities involving transgender issues and abortion-related advocacy.
The current controversy, however, specifically concerns the extent to which locally operated Girl Scout troops and councils may incorporate religious practices when those troops are based within mosques or Muslim community organizations.
The material cited in the reports indicates that such activities can include Islamic prayer, Quranic education, fasting during Ramadan, discussions about hijab and modesty, mosque tours and religious-recognition programs.
At the same time, the reporting makes a distinction between local or mosque-based programming and Girl Scouts of the USA imposing Islamic instruction throughout the national organization.
The examples described involve particular troops, councils and outside religious organizations, while GSUSA’s national role includes recognizing externally administered faith-award programs and directing participating families to the religious groups responsible for them.
The dispute has nevertheless prompted calls from some critics to stop purchasing Girl Scout cookies or withdraw children from the organization, reflecting a wider argument over the place of explicitly religious instruction and practices within scouting programs operating under the Girl Scouts name.
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