Is 'Girl Scouts' Pushing Islamic Rhetoric on Its Troops?

An exclusive report on Islamic practices within Girl Scouts of America (GSUSA) has prompted both misinformation and questions about religious expression.

The Report: "Mosque-based troops are embedding 'Islamic Values' into Girl Scout programs across America," stated White House correspondent Natalie Winters in the Substack exclusive, released on August 22nd.

The programs reportedly operate in states such as California, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Virginia, "embedding prayer, hijab rules, Ramadan, Islamic education and mosque outreach into Girl Scouting," according to the investigation. Winters specifically criticized the "Share Ramadan with a Friend" badge, Ramadan "lock-in" events, and the invitation to non-Muslim girls to participate in Islamic practices. One event "for the broader Girl Scout community" in Sacramento, California, reportedly featured a "hijab photo booth, modesty lessons, [a] mosque tour, [and an] 'informative booth about Palestine'" in 2025.

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Winters clarified in her report that the National Islamic Committee on Girl Scouting (NICGS) created and runs the curriculum – not GSUSA. However, she notes that GSUSA approved both the curriculum and adornment of "Girl Scout of the Islamic Faith" medals on GSUSA uniforms.

For Context: GSUSA's program sanctions over 100 medals for various types of Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism – touted as "religious recognitions created by faith communities for its members who are Girl Scouts." The list, last updated in August 2012, includes four medals classified as "Islamic." Religion-specific badges, however, were not included on GSUSA's "Badge Explorer" page as of Monday morning.

How The Media Covered It: New outlets on the right covered this story most prominently, though coverage was sparse across the political spectrum. Some conservative social media commentators inflamed and sensationalized the report, however, slanting its claims and contributing to misinformation. Snopes (Lean Left bias) emphasized in its fact check, "GSUSA does not require scouts to earn any specific patches, meaning participation in programs like the NICGS' are voluntary."

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Key Quotes: Girl Scouts released a statement on X Tuesday, citing circulating "misinformation." It asserted, "Girl Scouts is not a religious organization and does not teach religion. For more than a century, we've welcomed girls of every faith and background. Our national My Promise, My Faith pin invites girls to connect the Girl Scout Law with their own faith. Any other faith-based patches are developed by independent faith organizations, not Girl Scouts of the USA."

Winters responded, "This is modern feminism's pathetic endpoint: Girl Scouts defending Islam's incorporation into its programs— as Islamist regimes treat women as second-class citizens and stone them to death."

Religion's Place In Scouting Organizations: The Post Millennial (Right) cited a 2006 report in which "Muslim parents were seeking ways to combat American culture in the US and looked to the Boy Scouts." The Post also noted that "there are many Muslim-only troops across the US that are affiliated with mosques and engage in Islam-specific customs."

Fox News (Right) highlighted an alternative scouting organization, American Heritage Girls (AHG), that transparently promotes its religious mission of Christianity. An AHG spokesperson reportedly told Fox, "Every family is told upfront, before they ever join a troop, that our programming – including our curriculum, activities, or any other facet of the ministry – is built around a relationship with Jesus."

Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission. Suggest an improvement to this summary. Image via Natalie Winters on X.