September 1, 2005 | Read Time: 2 minutes
The Boy Scouts of America does not have a reputation for inclusiveness — largely because it rejects gay people and atheists — but the charity insists that it cares about diversity, particularly when it comes to religion, reports Time (August 29). People of every faith have become Scouts, the magazine says, and for at least 20 years, some Scout troops have been made up entirely of Muslim scouts and leaders.
Like other scouts, Muslim participants go camping and earn badges, but today they have an additional challenge, according to Time. “We’re just average American boys doing average American activities,” says Rehman Muhammad, a scout in Houston. “But after September 11, we also have to be ambassadors of our faith.”
Muslim scouts in non-Muslim troops, as well as those in a growing number of troops sponsored by mosques and Islamic schools, say they are routinely harassed by scouts of other faiths. Other boys call them names and poke fun at their prayers. Salman Mukhi, a 13-year-old scout in Houston, says some non-Muslims “copied us when we prayed and were sort of jeering at us. It wasn’t serious. … But sometimes it’s just easier to hang out with each other.”
While they may face obstacles to inclusion, Muslim scouts want to be treated the same, and some even joined the Scouts because they hoped to seem more American.
Their families, meanwhile, often see the Boy Scouts as an opportunity to inculcate in their children many of the tenets of Islam. “The values of scouting are so similar to what we learn in Islam,” says Siraj Narsi, whose son is in the Houston troop. Mr. Narsi notes that the 12 virtues in Scout law, which describe a scout as trustworthy, clean, and obedient, are principles valued highly in Islam.
The article is available online at http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1096510,00.html.
