Girl Scouts Approve Islamic Medals, Mosque Visits and Ramadan Programs

Mosque-based Girl Scout programs across the United States are incorporating Islamic prayer, Quranic instruction, Ramadan observances and hijab requirements into activities conducted under the Girl Scouts banner.

The programs operate in California, Illinois, New York, Virginia, Maryland and other states, according to exclusive reporting by investigative journalist Natalie Winters.

Some activities extend beyond Muslim troops and invite non-Muslim Girl Scouts to enter mosques, learn about Islamic practices and observe salah, the Islamic ritual prayer.

‘Strong Islamic Values’

The SALAM Islamic Center in Sacramento, California, openly advertises “Strong Islamic Values” as a feature of its Girl Scout program.

SALAM’s bylaws require youth groups, including Girl Scouts, to operate in accordance with the mosque’s religious principles.

“Such programs shall be in accordance with the ideology of SALAM and its principles,” the bylaws state.

At a February 2025 event offered to the “broader Girl Scout community,” girls could visit a hijab photo booth and learn about “the significance of modesty.” The program also featured a mosque tour and “an informative booth about Palestine.”

Girl Scouts Heart of Central California documented SALAM’s integration of Islam into scouting as early as 2009. Its annual report described a Ramadan sleepover involving fasting and girls “praying through the night.”

“We just incorporate our religion into the framework that Girl Scouts provides,” a Troop 972 leader said.

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Islamic Awards and Outreach

The National Islamic Committee on Girl Scouting administers four religious awards approved by Girl Scouts of the USA. Their medals read “Girl Scout of the Islamic Faith,” and the curriculum includes Quranic surahs, Islamic prayers and their meanings.

The organization’s “Share Ramadan With a Friend” program encourages younger girls to invite non-Muslim friends to an iftar meal. Older girls may take friends to a mosque, explain its dress code and invite them to observe Islamic prayer.

Other programs include a Hajj patch, a 16-page “Hajj Passport” and an “All About Islam” patch. The latter teaches girls at every level about the Five Pillars of Islam, beginning with the Shahada, Islam’s declaration of faith.

Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital materials have also advertised Ramadan lock-ins and instructed participants to bring prayer garments. Local mosque-based troop rules have required girls to wear white hijabs or jilbabs during Girl Scout activities.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.