Local Muslim scouts celebrate Ramadan

Like many girls, 11-year-old Duha Mohamed, of Kirkland, feels proud when she puts on her Girl Scout uniform.

The pride goes beyond the badge on the green vest she's worked so hard to earn. For her, the uniform "makes me feel like an American."

Mohamed, a thoughtful sixth-grader who was born in Sudan, says she's noticed that people stare when she wears her head scarf, long-sleeved shirt and pants to the park. But they stare less when she wears the Scout uniform in addition to her head scarf.

"When I put on my uniform," she says, "I feel like I am part of the community."

Mohamed is one of several dozen girls who have formed what are believed to be the state's first all-Muslim Girl Scout troops, based on the Eastside. An all-Muslim Cub Scout pack also has started up — the first in this area in many years.

The groups were established earlier this year with the aim of shaping the kids' identities as Americans and Muslims, developing their sense of community and their leadership potential, and providing an outlet for their energies.

"I want them to feel they have a lot of responsibility to make America a better place for everyone," said Wael Ashmawi, president of the Seattle chapter of the Muslim American Society, the nonprofit organization that's sponsoring the Scouting units.

Though still a small percentage of all Scouting programs, more all-Muslim units have been formed nationwide in recent years, bringing a new dimension to what traditionally has been associated with Christian, particularly Mormon, churches.

Local Muslim troops start meetings with an Islamic prayer and the Scout oath. They incorporate teachings from the Quran and hadiths — the sayings and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad — into their work toward merit badges. They strive for "religious emblems" — medals that can be pinned to uniforms much like merit badges, earned for learning about subjects such as Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, which ends this week.

So far, Scouting has been a hit among local Muslim families. Waiting lists have formed, and organizers hope to create more troops.

The nice thing about Scouting, said Cub Scout leader Mohammed Abdel-Aziz, is that it provides structure and opportunities to interact with other Scouting groups, not just Muslim ones. Plus, "it builds character. It's fun."

Long ties with religion

Religious organizations have long sponsored Scouting groups. The Mormon church, for example, charters more than 36,000 troops.

There are currently about 90 Boy Scout units — including Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venturing Crews (for young men and women ages 14 to 20) — chartered to Muslim organizations. That's up from 58 eight years ago.

The Girl Scouts of the USA, a separate organization from the Boy Scouts of America, doesn't keep track of membership by religion.

Both the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts have permitted organizations to create programs in which Scouts can earn religious emblems similar to merit badges.

For the Boy Scouts, the National Islamic Committee on Scouting, formed in 1982, awards religious emblems for Scouts who memorize sections of the Quran or learn about subjects such as Ramadan or hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca.

For the Girl Scouts, the National Islamic Committee on Girl Scouting offers similar emblems, patches and awards for participating in longer-term programs such as social-service projects.

Locally, the troops try to incorporate teachings of Islam into their work on nonreligious badges as well.

For instance, while Girl Scouts are working on nature and fitness badges, leaders talk about what the Prophet Muhammad said about the importance of planting trees, and about how important it is to keep one's body — a gift from God — healthy, said Nada Aboelseod, a troop leader.

Good times, too

But for the boys and girls involved, it's mainly about fun.

During a recent gathering of the troops for iftar — the evening meal breaking the day's fast during Ramadan — they talked excitedly of their recent Scouting activities.

Ihsan Halimun, a Redmond 9-year-old, laughed as he talked about moving wood chips in a wheelbarrow to lay a path at a local park for a day of community service.

Sally Elhousieny, 10, also from Redmond, thinks "it's just cool" that she got to go hiking and jump rope with her friends on Scout outings.

Duha Mohamed, the 11-year-old from Kirkland, especially liked swimming with her troop, the windows at the pool covered for the girls' privacy. "I have fun being with my friends and helping the community," she said. "I'm proud of being a Girl Scout."

Janet I. Tu: 206-464-2272 or jtu@seattletimes.com