Girl Scouts face backlash over Islamic events, badges

Conservative political commentators and media figures, including Laura Loomer, Laura Ingraham, and Matt Van Swol, on Monday called for boycotts of the Girl Scouts over the organization’s associations with Islam. The controversy trended on X.com, with a post by Loomer, for instance, receiving over 10,000 likes by Tuesday morning. Commenters raised concerns that the Girl Scouts were being used to promote Islam. The national organization has said it seeks to include members of all religious groups.

The controversy sparked after right-wing political commentator Natalie Winters posted an article on Substack highlighting several Girl Scout troops that are hosted by and integrated with local mosques. For example, a troop hosted by the Sacramento Area League of Associated Muslims promotes “Strong Islamic Values,” according to its webpage. The Girl Scouts website also includes articles about a troop hosting a Ramadan dinner and Muslim scouts organizing mosque visits and Islamic education.

The Girl Scouts of the USA told WORLD that misinformation was circulating online. The organization is not religious and does not teach religion, it said in a statement. Its My Promise, My Faith pin invites girls to connect the Girl Scout Law with their own faith, the organization said. Other faith-based patches are developed by independent faith organizations and are optional, the Girl Scouts said.

Many online commenters took issue with the Girl Scouts’ Islamic merit badges, which include the “Share Ramadan with a Friend” patch and other awards for Islamic prayers and memorization. However, the Girl Scouts recognize religious achievements and awards from a wide range of third-party religious organizations. Scouts can also earn badges associated with many Christian denominations, as well as other major world religions including Buddhism and Hinduism.

Dig deeper: Listen to Daniel Suhr’s WORLD Opinions commentary on a possible turning point for the Boy Scouts organization.