Lord Baden Powell, the founder of the Boy Scout movement, would have been surprised! He wanted his Scouts to be troopers for the British empire. Young British boys and girls, learning the techniques of survival and camaraderie and civilized behavior even in stressful conditions.
But the Scouts movement has spread worldwide, and now the New York Times reports that Muslim girls are joining the Girl Scouts in many American cities. Why? Basically in order to assimilate and become American! "It's kind of cool to say you are a girl scout," one Muslim girl says. "It is good to have something to associate yourself with other Americans. I like to be able to say that I am a girl scout just like any other normal girl."
Sure, some of the Muslim clubs are a little different in that they incorporate Muslim traditions. In Minneapolis one of the Scout groups is called the Khadija Club after the prophet Muhammad's first wife. So far Muslim groups have shown no hesitation, however, in extending membership to non-Muslims.
To some liberals, it may seem surprising that young Muslim girls are joining a conservative group like the Scouts. Recall that the Scouts have been hauled into court several times for refusing to embrace homosexuality. Some liberal groups are outraged that the Boy Scouts is uncomfortable with the idea of gay troop leaders taking young boys into the wilderness! Such prudery!
But it is precisely the traditional values of the Scouts that draw young Muslims. Somehow these religious and modest girls are not attracted by what liberal culture has to offer. Given the choice of trying out for "The Vagina Monologues" or taking up Scouting, they prefer Scouting. If he knew this, that wily old imperialist Lord Baden Powell would have chuckled.
Dinesh's Blog Roll
Featured Bloggers
 | Ada Calhoun |
 | Ben Greenman |
 | Dinesh D'Souza |
 | Jeff Hoard |
 | Mo Rocca |
 | Young Turks |
RSS Feeds
Resources
Dinesh D'Souza
Reports
Bestselling author DINESH D’SOUZA’s latest book is What’s So Great About Christianity. read more
Muslim Girls Choose Scouts Over Vagina Monologues
Posted Nov 29th 2007 8:43AM by Dinesh D'Souza
Filed under: Islam, Gay and Lesbian, Cultural Left, History
Filed under: Islam, Gay and Lesbian, Cultural Left, History
Add your comments
Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.
When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.
To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.
What's So Great About Christianity
Dinesh D'Souza's acclaimed New York Times bestseller, What's So Great About Christianity, is in stores. Order now!
Top Tags
PUMAs Starbucks pow GuantanamoBay reporters death republicans FoxAndFriends KarenHanretty Devo Playboy iraq ExecutiveExperience BertAndErnie HospitalNegligence dating GeneralWesleyClark RobertJastrow BarackObama SteveDoocy DetaineeAbuse Hillary JohnMccain WhatsSoGreatAboutAmerica IraqWar NewYorkTimes ChineseTortureDocument JimGibbons McDonalds afghanistan HuffingtonPost FoxNewsChannel scary WarRecord YoungTurks torture movies DoctoredPhotos BrianKilmeade bitterness EnhancedInterrogation FalseConfessions funeral congress nrcc childbirth BushAdministration AbuGhraib fairytale fireworks
Most Popular Stories
Most Commented On News Bloggers
Recent Comments
- Clif Kuplen on God and the Astronomers
- Clif Kuplen on God and the Astronomers
- Clif Kuplen on What's So Great About America
- JefFlyingV on What's So Great About America
- Botts on God and the Astronomers
- Clif Kuplen on Bush Administration Used Chinese Torture Tactics
- Clif Kuplen on Bush Administration Used Chinese Torture Tactics
Top News Headlines
Ada Calhoun |
Ben Greenman |
Dinesh D'Souza |
Jeff Hoard |
Mo Rocca |
The Young Turks |
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 12)
1. GOOD! Now we in Western Culture can point to most SCOUT groups as a quality organization which will teach good values to boys or girls.
Our Muslim friends can now SEE that there are some Western founded institutions (Scouts) which are NOT promoting the "pimp" style shaping of young persons' values.
Disperse the postmodern FOG at 9:24AM on Nov 29th 2007
2. "The Vagina Monologues" is Liberal culture?
Dinesh, you're just getting weird now...
brandon at 9:36AM on Nov 29th 2007
3. First the Girl scouts is open to girls 5-19 (if you included brownies and cadets)
Second the theatre production you refer to is about menapauseal women.
Kind of have different age groups here don't you?
Then again this 'blogger' is only trying to up his USA standing so any time he can be mean or hurtful,to something he doesn't agree with he usually is.
emanon at 9:48AM on Nov 29th 2007
4. What does this really have to do with anything? So "conservative" Muslims want to join a "conservative" organization, STOP THE PRESSES! My mind staggers at the absolute unexpectedness of such a revelation.
I guess this time, though, DD is bashing(?) liberals instead of atheists. Again, what's the point of this piece?
Aaron at 9:59AM on Nov 29th 2007
5. He's just trying to up his hit count by including the words "scouts" and "vagina" in the same piece.
Aaron at 10:05AM on Nov 29th 2007
6. Dinesh just wanted another way to slip in the old "all gay men are pedophiles" nonsense.
You are so transparent, Dinesh.
But Dinesh has forgotten one thing: the Boy Scouts aren't christian: they're mormon. As you know, a lot of christians do not extend the appelation "christian" to mormons. They think that mormons are a weird, satanic sect.
What do you think of that, Dinesh?
Knight_of_BAAWA at 10:26AM on Nov 29th 2007
7. Where did you come up with this information? Was there a survey where they asked young girls if they would rather join the scouts or go to the "Vagina Monalogues"? Or did you just want an excuse to include "vagina" in your blog? If this was about young Muslim boys, which stage act would they be snuffing to join the scouts?
MC Hammer at 10:27AM on Nov 29th 2007
8. "He's just trying to up his hit count by including the words 'scouts' and 'vagina' in the same piece."
Congratulations, Aaron, you're the first person to make me spew my coffee in a long time.
ROFL.
brandon at 10:43AM on Nov 29th 2007
9. You've got that homophobic mentality of the evangelical right. A homosexual scout leader is not a danger to the scouts. Homosexuals desire other people of the same gender but not children. You have made homosexuality a deviate sexual act as if it were a heterosexual wanting children of the opposite gender. We straights may not understand homosexuality but that does not make it deviant because it is different. Grow up and be tolerant or you're no better than the christians of the KKK.
Rick at 10:49AM on Nov 29th 2007
10. Many Muslims are just plain folk. No surprise.
Young ladies (who happen to be Muslims) don't care about the politics of the youths groups they join. No surprise.
Religious differences causing hurt feelings. I sincerely hope not.
alan at 10:49AM on Nov 29th 2007
11. Rick said "Grow up and be tolerant or you're no better than the christians of the KKK"
If there's one thing that nobody will ever accuse Dinesh D'Souza of, it's being tolerant.
brandon at 11:08AM on Nov 29th 2007
12. It was once a "traditional value" to own other human beings. Another traditional value was that in what family you were born dictated what societal class you would spend your life in. In yetanother traditional value, a Muslim girl can be whipped and imprisoned for leaving home with a male who's not a family member.
Challenging traditional values is a traditional value. Many of the greatest men and women in history were placed on the pedestals they occupy for taking on traditional values, and prevailing.
Ghandi fought traditional values. Dr. King fought traditional values. both men fought traditional values with untraditional values, that would be peacefully - War is a "traditional value".
Ken at 11:09AM on Nov 29th 2007
13. Knight-
The Mormons adopted scouting as an official Youth Ministry program...the BSA did not originate from the Mormon church or base any of its policies, etc. on that organization. Your post was misleading.
Josiejo at 11:27AM on Nov 29th 2007
14. Well... on one hand I have to applaud dinesh for finally picking a fresh target! Liberals instead of atheists. Maybe we're some sort of proxy target.
What I think is a little sad is that Dinesh thinks that this is news. Is it a good thing, sure, but muslims, jews, blacks, and hispanics (legal status regardless) have joined girl scouts and had the usual gaument I experianced many many years ago.
Personally though... I don't think that Dinesh understands just how different the two organizations are. I, unfortunately, never got to finish but from speaking to others who have girl scouts isn't so much about tromping through the fields and woods as it is a practical training for real world business and economics. Staking out territory. Gaining access. Managing inventory. All for those damned cookies that are too good to say no to.
As far as the scouts go though, I don't think its right to try to force a non-profit volenteer organization to accept gay members. If they don't recieve tax money, if they aren't taxed in return, then they exjoy the same social protection as any religion or private organization. Yes, it's discrimitory. But it's also their right to have a club and say, "We don't want these kinds of people in it." Better for people who don't want to uphold that kind of bigotry to make their own club, which can be more inclusive to its members.
Somber at 11:38AM on Nov 29th 2007
15. This is the Headline of the story
"Muslim Girls Choose Scouts Over Vagina Monologues"
My question is HOW DOES THIS BECOME an issue or a decision point for ANY CHRISTIAN or MUSLIM girl?
Are CHRISTIAN Girls flocking to.. or retreating from ... the Vagina monologues... IS IT EVEN ON THEIR RADAR SCREEN?
Is there now a competition between CHRISTIANITY, ISLAM and the VAGINA MONOLOGUES?
Could it be that the MUSLIM girls are trying to infiltrate a conservative bastion ....or is it that they READ YOUR BOOK and PRESUMABLY read heard the VAGINA MONOLOGUES.. and your book was the deciding factor :)
Why bring the SCOUTS, little girls, and Lord Baden Powell to this RIDICULOUS proposition.
If you want to prove a point about CHRISTIANITY and ISLAM... JUST DO IT.
Peace
dmode16340 at 11:43AM on Nov 29th 2007