Girl Scouts of the USA has pushed back against reports that mosque-based troops incorporated Islamic prayer, hijab lessons, and faith-specific patches into scouting activities. The organization stated that these are optional programs independently run by outside faith organizations, not by Girl Scouts.
"Girl Scouts is proudly for every girl," a GSUSA spokesperson said in a statement. "Contrary to misinformation circulating online, 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."
The organization clarified that its national My Promise, My Faith pin invites girls to connect the Girl Scout Law with their own faith. Any other faith-based patches, it said, are developed by independent faith organizations and participation is always optional.
GSUSA's national website includes a chart listing approved religious-recognition programs created by faith groups, allowing their insignia on official uniforms. The chart features four Islamic recognitions—Bismillah, In the Name of Allah, Quratula’in, and Muslimeen—alongside programs for Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Baha’i, and other faith communities. It directs Muslim families to the Islamic Committee on Girl Scouting for further information.
Some local materials, such as a 2025 faith toolkit from Girl Scouts of Orange County, California, mention that the Islamic Committee on Girl Scouting provides Muslim Girl Scouts with activity booklets and medals. These toolkits also list churches, mosques, and temples as potential venues for faith events.
Separate programs, such as an All About Islam Patch website, require Girl Scouts to complete sections on the Five Pillars of Islam and at least three related activities. These programs are hosted independently from GSUSA's national website.
The scrutiny follows a report alleging that mosque-based troops had incorporated Quran study, Islamic prayer, Ramadan observances, and hijab activities into Girl Scout programming in states including California, Illinois, New York, and Virginia. The examples cited involved local troops, councils, and faith organizations rather than a compulsory national curriculum.
Moms for Liberty New Jersey Ambassador Alexandra Bougher criticized the religious-recognition programs, arguing that faith-specific badges could alienate girls who do not share the beliefs required to earn them. "No Girl Scout chapter should push one faith over another by incentivizing it with badges some girls, because of their own faith, will not be able to earn," Bougher stated. "Girl Scouts should rededicate itself to its true mission instead of getting involved in ideological battles that exist to endorse a particular faith or exclude young scouts of another faith from earning merit badges."
In contrast, American Heritage Girls, a Christian scouting organization founded as an alternative to Girl Scouts, emphasized its transparent approach to religious programming. "American Heritage Girls is unapologetically Christ-centered, and we lead with that identity rather than obscure it," an AHG spokesperson said. "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."