MIDDLESEX, N.J. (RNS)—As Boy Scout Troop 114 cooked lunch during the recent Highland Games near their tents in a Middlesex County, N.J., park, a senior Scout summoned his fellow members.
The Scouts huddled around tree trunks in Thompson Park and stroked the bark with their palms before rubbing their arms and faces in a ritual cleansing.
Then they knelt in the forest facing Mecca and prayed.
RNS photo by Noah K. Murray/The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J.
Imam Chebli leads evening prayers at the Islamic Society of Central Jersey, which sponsors an all-Muslim Boy Scouts troop.
New Jersey's first all-Muslim Boy Scout troop has surged in popularity since it was founded with a dozen members in 2002 by leaders at the Islamic Society of Central Jersey. The troop now numbers about 46 Scouts, including 16 who joined this fall.
Troop 114's participation in the recent Highland Games for Boy Scouts gave other troops a chance to interact and break down barriers that otherwise might have seemed intimidating, said Yassine Ezzyat, a 17-year-old member of Troop 114.
“A lot of the kids don't realize it, but they represent our religion through this troop,” Ezzyat said. “It's good that we can show other kids we aren't weird or different.”
The national Boy Scouts of America is steeped in a tradition that believes recognition of a duty to God is an important part of developing good citizens, though no God is specified, said Gregg Shields, spokesman for the organization.
He said participation by Muslim-based organizations has grown to about 100 Boy Scout and Cub Scout organizations nationwide, with about 1,500 youths participating. Most are founded by local mosques or Islamic associations, Shields said. The Boy Scouts of America also has members of the Islamic Society of America on its national board, he said.
Troop 114's weekly meetings are held in the group'' full-time Islamic parochial school, Noor-Ul-Iman, at the Islamic Society of Central Jersey building.
Troop meetings open with Scouts reciting the opening chapter of the Quran, the “Surah Fatiha,” followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the Scouting oath.
Other typical Scout lessons have practical applications for Muslims. Skills like locating simple directions based on the sun, for example, help young Muslims locate their position for prayers to Mecca. Camping trips are taught to parallel the outings in the wilderness of the Muslim prophet Muhammed.