A Sacramento mosque wrote Girl Scout troops into its own religious bylaws.
Turns out the same thing is happening in cities from Brooklyn to San Diego.
And non-Muslim girls are the ones being handed the hijabs.
The SALAM Investigation That Blew the Lid Off
White House correspondent Natalie Winters spent weeks documenting what mosque-affiliated Girl Scout troops are doing across America – and what she found goes far beyond a simple interfaith patch program.
At the SALAM Islamic Center in Sacramento, California, the mosque's own bylaws require every youth group operating on its premises to conduct activities "in accordance with the ideology of SALAM and its principles."
That includes Girl Scout troops.
At a February 2025 event open to the wider Girl Scout community – meaning non-Muslim girls were explicitly invited – attendees could stop by a hijab photo booth, tour the mosque, and learn about the significance of Islamic modesty.
The event also featured an informational booth about Palestine.
The mosque's own website describes its Girl Scout program as promoting "Strong Islamic Values."
That's not a faith program running alongside Girl Scouts.
That is Girl Scouts running inside a mosque with Islamic values as the operating framework.
From Thin Mints to Mosque Overnight Stays
The SALAM event is not an isolated troop doing its own thing.
Winters documented mosque-based Girl Scout programs actively operating in Sacramento, Naperville, Long Island, Virginia, Maryland, Brooklyn, San Diego, and more.
The centerpiece is a four-award recognition system – approved by Girl Scouts of the USA and permitted to be worn on official uniforms – called "Girl Scout of the Islamic Faith."
The four medals are named Bismillah, In the Name of Allah, Qurat ul A'in, and Muslimeen.
The curriculum behind them is written not by GSUSA but by an outside Islamic committee, and it centers on Quranic study and the meaning of Muslim prayer.
Girl Scouts Nation's Capital materials advertised Ramadan lock-ins where participants were instructed to bring prayer garments.
A 2012 program at one mosque invited Girl Scouts to an overnight Ramadan event featuring Quran and Hadith study, taraweeh prayer, and religious discussions – with a required supply list that included hijabs, Islamic books, and a Quran.
The outreach to non-Muslim girls runs through a badge called "Share Ramadan With a Friend."
Brownies and Juniors earn it by inviting non-Muslim girls to iftar and explaining Ramadan.
Older scouts earn it by taking non-Muslim friends to a mosque, explaining the dress code, and inviting them to observe Islamic prayer.
GSUSA Called It Misinformation and Then CAIR Showed Up
When the story broke, Girl Scouts of the USA posted a statement dismissing the reporting as misinformation.
The organization insisted it is "not a religious organization and does not teach religion."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations then jumped in, accusing critics of manufacturing outrage for clicks rather than caring about children.
CAIR showing up to defend the program is the tell.
CAIR doesn't rush to defend Thin Mints and camping badges.
The Girl Scouts have also spent years chasing away the families their brand was originally built on.
Christians started leaving in large numbers after the organization amended the Girl Scout Promise – the foundational oath – to add an asterisk next to the word "God," allowing girls to substitute any other belief in its place.
Churches began pulling their troops, and membership fell from 2.8 million in 2003 to 2.2 million within a decade.
The Christian alternative, American Heritage Girls, responded by growing more than 40 percent and expanding to all 50 states and 14 countries.
SALAM's Bylaws Show Who's Really Setting the Rules
The Girl Scouts stripped "God" from their own promise because they said religion didn't belong in the program – then approved "In the Name of Allah" as an official medal for the uniform, while a mosque's bylaws dictate the ideology of the troop meeting inside it.
That's not a multi-faith badge shelf.
That's an organization that walked away from its own founding families and let someone else write the rules – and it's counting on parents not noticing which direction those rules now point.
Sources:
- Natalie Winters, "EXC: From Hijab Try-Ons To Islam Patches, How Mosque-Based Troops Are Embedding Islamic Values Into Girl Scout Programs Across America," Substack, August 24, 2026.
- Roberto Wakerell-Cruz, "Girl Scouts of America troops offer Muslim badges to be earned by learning pillars of Islam, visiting mosques," The Post Millennial, August 24, 2026.
- James Lasher, "Girl Scouts Approve Islamic Medals, Mosque Visits and Ramadan Programs," Charisma Magazine, August 25, 2026.
- "Girl Scouts Face Backlash Over Islamic Events, Badges," WORLD, August 25, 2026.
- Billy Hallowell, "Girl Scouts Competitor Offers Christ-Centered Alternative, With a New Merit Badge Pro-Lifers Will Love," Blaze Media, February 12, 2014.
- "Unapologetically Christian: Alternatives to Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts See Big Membership Increases," CBN News, December 10, 2022.
