Posted on 05/11/2006 8:57:51 AM PDT by radar101
A devout Muslim, Lallia Allali was drawn to the Girl Scouts because it shares many of the values of her religion, such as an emphasis on moral character, service and charity.
That's why about two years ago, Allali founded three Muslim Girl Scout troops at the Islamic Center of San Diego, the largest mosque in San Diego County, where her husband is the imam.
“In Girl Scouts, it teaches you to be confident. In Islam, it says you should be confident and never give up,” said Layla Elmi, 10, who attends school at the Islamic Center. “You can be friends with people of any skin color or religion. In Islam, it's the same thing.”
The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have for years been reaching out to Muslims and other religious groups, working with them to offer patches or medals tailored to their faiths. The Girl Scouts has made it known that the word “God” in its oath can be substituted with Allah (God in Arabic) or other words to fit one's beliefs.
“The Girl Scouts appreciates diversity. That's very important. It's important to teach our girls to accept our diversity, our differences,” said Allali, mother of three daughters, one a Brownie.
Muslim Girl Scout troops have formed in Phoenix, Nashville, Washington, D.C., and Santa Clara, but the organization does not track how many exist. The Islamic Committee on Girl Scouting in Connecticut estimates almost 1,000 Muslim girls participate in scouting. The Boy Scouts of America has counted nearly 2,000 Muslim Boy Scouts in 104 units affiliated with mosques and Islamic schools.
The Muslim troops, in some ways, serve as goodwill ambassadors for their religion and people. They reach out to peers who might have little or no understanding of Islam and whose exposure to it comes from television images of terrorism and Muslim extremists.
A Muslim Girl Scout troop from Santa Clara was featured in an ad campaign, “We're Americans and We're Muslims,” sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations. A picture of smiling Muslim troop members from a recent multicultural fair at the Islamic Center adorns the 2005 annual report of the Girl Scouts' San Diego-Imperial Council.
During the opening ceremony of the February multicultural fair, Muslim Girl Scouts wearing head scarves linked hands with girls in jeans and T-shirts to make a big circle.
Together, they sang “It's a Small World” and recited the Girl Scout Promise. Later they visited one another's booths and sampled ethnic food. Some had their names written in Arabic and got their hands painted with intricate henna designs.
Non-Muslim guests were won over by the hospitality of their hosts.
“They are people instead of something you read about in newspapers,” said Megan Alcock, 15, who lives within a short distance of the Islamic Center and only recently became aware of its existence. “It's just a couple of people who make the image bad for everyone,” said Ari Schechter, 15, who came with Alcock. “These people I've seen and met are really nice people.”
Assimilation factor Throughout history, minorities have sought out scouting to help them integrate into American society. “When you get into the more ethnic churches, then assimilation becomes more predominant as a motivation” to join the scouts, said Donald York, director of the relationship division for the Boy Scouts.
Immigrant parents, he said, want their children “to learn American ways and associate with other American citizens.”
In the 1920s and 1930s, large numbers of Jews enrolled their children in the Boy Scouts. In recent years, Armenian youths on the East and West coasts have embraced scouting on a large scale.
Like the Muslim troops in Clairemont, ethnic groups that form their own troops often combine standard scouting activities with cultural and religious activities that help their youngsters preserve their heritage.
The spiritual principals of Islam are a big part of Muslim troops. Their leaders try to reinforce values taught in scouting by citing relevant verses from the Koran.
Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world – about 80,000 to 100,000 Muslims call San Diego County home, and 6 million to 7 million followers live in the United States.
But it's also one of the least understood religions, according to a poll conducted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations in 2005. One in four Americans associates Islam with hatred and violence, and almost 60 percent say they know little or nothing about Islam.
Muslim leaders formed the National Islamic Committee on Scouting in 1982, after noticing there were no Muslim religious emblems in a well-established program that encourages youths to be stronger in their faith. The religious emblems program also includes Buddhists, Jews and others.
The Islamic Committee on Girl Scouting, which coordinates separate religious awards, has also been around for some two decades, as part of a larger faith-based recognition program sanctioned by Girl Scouts.
In 1993, Girl Scouts decided that the word “God” in its pledge could be substituted.
“We felt it's important girls can substitute the word 'God' with whatever is comfortable to them or their families,” Girl Scouts spokeswoman Marion Swan said. “We are very proud of the fact we are a very inclusive organization.”
The Clairemont-based Muslim Scouts are ardent advocates of tolerance, keenly aware that their acceptance of others is crucial to others accepting them.
“Even if you have different religions, you can be friends,” said Medeeha Khan, 9.
Do doo do doo, do doo do doo....
Is it true Girl Scout cookies are made from real Girl Scouts?
Yet, there is no mention of God in the GS pledge. They dropped that years ago and embrace lesbianism and other liberal "causes".
Girl Scouts went downhill during the short time my kids were involved 15/20 years ago. They hated it and got out. In the nick of time, I guess.
It's a Small World
And now we've got some nukes
Your borders, they are porous
We can take out San Diego anyt-i-i-ime!
And the other three quarters just aren't paying attention
On the surface, it looks OK, but the GSA is known for generally left-wing ideas, so I'm morally certain this isn't about just letting muslim girls participate. They have an agenda.
Sounds like 25% have a pretty good understanding actually...
They are only made from INFIDEL Girl Scouts.
from the official Girl Scout site: http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_central/promise_law/
The Girl Scout Promise DOES contain God, while the Law does not. As for the liberal causes, well, yeah. But there are strong pockets of resistance to that within the organization. As a former staff member of our local Council, I can personally vouch for the resistance!
Girl Scout Promise and Law
The Girl Scout Promise and Law are shared by every member of Girl Scouting. The Girl Scout Promise is the way Girl Scouts agree to act every day toward one another and other people, and the Law outlines a way to act towards one another and the world.
The Girl Scout Promise
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God* and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
The Girl Scout Law
I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.
* The word "God" can be interpreted in a number of ways, depending on one's spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is okay to replace the word "God" with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate.
Ignorant infidel apostates!
>>“We felt it's important girls can substitute the word 'God' with whatever is comfortable to them or their families,” Girl Scouts spokeswoman Marion Swan said. “We are very proud of the fact we are a very inclusive organization.” <<
How about replacing it with the word "Satan?" I guess that the Scouts would be okay with that, huh?
"But it's also one of the least understood religions, according to a poll conducted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations in 2005. One in four Americans associates Islam with hatred and violence, and almost 60 percent say they know little or nothing about Islam."
As they say, everything I needed to learn about Islam, I learned on 9/11.
"They have an agenda."
Ya think???
"Together, they sang “It's a Small World” and recited the Girl Scout Promise. Later they visited one another's booths and sampled ethnic food. Some had their names written in Arabic and got their hands painted with intricate henna designs."
Was someone passing out the Kool-Aid before this occurred?
I'm surprised they didn't get out the cans of Coca-Cola and sing "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing In Perfect Harmony."
In the future I will not be surprised if a Jihadi Boy Scout goes to "help" an infidel elderly woman cross the street and either blows himself up, stabs her, or shoots her. That's called service with an "Allah Hu Akhbar!".
Pretty soon the Jihadi Girl Scout troops will be doing jihad against infidel Girl Scout troops.
How will the media spin the story with their expertise in propaganda dissemination? Any one care to comment on a future headline?
Does this mean that Girl Scout cookie sales will now be used to fund terrorism?
BWAHAHAHA!
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