by Todd
Each Wednesday, we’re posting images that we think speak loudly for themselves, with little commentary needed. We want to hear from you: What do these images say to you? What do you see in them, and what feelings do they bring about?
Today’s images come from a 2005 Minnesota Public Radio piece and 2007 New York Times story that looked at Muslim Girl Scouts in America. To me, one of the most powerful anecdotes comes from the NYT article, quoting Girl Scout Asma:
All in all, scouting gives the girls a rare sense of belonging, troop leaders and members say.“It is kind of cool to say that you are a girl scout,” Asma said. “It is good to have something to associate yourself with other Americans. I don’t want people to think that I am a hermit, that I live in a cave, isolated and afraid of change. I like to be part of society. I like being able to say that I am a girl scout just like any other normal girl.”
Meet the Scouts below.
Hodo Ibrahim and her fellow Scouts form the closing circle, a traditional Girl Scout breakout, at the end of their weekly meeting. (MPR Photo/Bianca Vazquez Toness)
Ayan Ibrahim, 11 at the time, and her sister Hodo, are first year Girl Scouts in Farheen Hakeem's mostly-Muslim Girl Scout troop in Minneapolis. (MPR Photo/Bianca Vazquez Toness)
Hodo Ibrahim, 10 at the time, belongs to the same troop, which originally only included Muslim girls but has opened to others in recent years. (MPR Photo/Bianca Vazquez Toness)
Farheen Hakeem, a membership coordinator for the Girl Scout Council of Greater Minneapolis, leads four mostly-Muslim Girl Scout troops in the city. (MPR Photo/Bianca Vazquez Toness)
Three Muslim Scouts, wearing Girl Scout merit badge sashes, do the Girl Scout pledge in front of the Al-Amal School, one of Minnesota's only all-Muslim schools. (Photo/Farheen Hakeem)
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Bita or Todd, River Valleys. River Valleys said: So great to see our girls! RT @FindingBibi New post! – #Muslim Girl Scouts: "Just Like Any Other Normal Girl." – http://bit.ly/5jME4Q [...]
My daughter is new to Girl Scouts and she has a diverse troop in Central Indiana. I was wondering about Girl Scout Week. My daughter invited her troop to Girl Scout Sunday and I also know that there is a patch for this and for Girl Scout Sabbath for the Jewish faith. Is there an equivalent patch for Islam during that week? Also, are there patches for learning about faiths other than one’s own? I believe one of the girls in our troop may be Muslim and I would like for our troop to be inclusive of her and learn about her faith as well. There may be other faiths represented in her troop as well. Her troop is very ethnically diverse.
Hi Donna –
I think the best way to have your fantastic questions answered would be to contact the Girl Scouts directly. You can e-mail them here: http://www.girlscouts.org/contact/email.asp or call (800) 478-7248. That will get you in touch with their national office, which should be able to help you from there.
You may have more luck on a local level. You can e-mail the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana here: girlscouts@girlscoutsindiana.org or call them (877) 474-2248.
I hope this helps!