c. 2007 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) 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.

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.

“We find Scouting has certain values that have echoes of our strong religious tradition,” said Saffet Catovic, chairman of the committee for Troop 114. “It provides a space of real dialogue and friendship that might have not otherwise happened without the Muslim Boy Scout troop.”

Troop 114’s participation in the recent Highland Games for Boy Scouts also 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.

“We’re open to all faiths, and we hope to make Scouting available to anyone who can agree with those religious principles and the other principles we hold,” Shields said.

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.

Ezzyat said a Muslim-based troop provides young men an organization of peers familiar with the traditions of their religion, like the ritual cleansing that precedes the five daily prayers.

“Here you don’t have that awkwardness about your religion,” said Ezzyat, noting that in other troops, Muslims may have to excuse themselves at various times to pray.

Catovic said the troop regularly combines traditional Boy Scout lessons with the teachings and rituals of the Muslim faith. Troop 114’s weekly meetings are held in the group’s 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. During one meeting, discussion about upcoming popcorn sales and food drives directly preceded a speech from Catovic teaching the Muslim term the “People of the Book.”

Other typical Scout lessons have practical applications for Muslims, Catovic said. Skills like locating simple directions based on the sun, for example, help young Muslims locate their position for prayers to Mecca, he said. Camping trips are taught to parallel the outings in the wilderness of the Muslim prophet Mohammed, Catovic said.

Even the Boy Scout staple of roasting marshmallows has its own twist with Troop 114 due to the pork byproduct in gelatin, which would violate Muslim dietary restrictions. Since advancement as a Boy Scout requires cooking over a fire, members of Troop 114 instead have Tufacia, a roasted cored apple stuffed with raisins, cinnamon and sugar.

The troop prays together regularly, most often in the mosque of the Islamic Society of Central Jersey. At the Highland Games, where the Scouts put their skills to the test by competing in everything from shelter building to first aid, members of Troop 114 prayed on the grass fields as onlookers gave curious glances while walking to the next event.

Scout Omer Turan, 17, said the troop’s dealings with fellow Scouts at big events always has been positive.

“It’s just, `Oh, really, you guys are Muslims?”’ said Turan. “They are really nice. We haven’t had any problems.”

Catovic said the troop promotes meaningful interfaith interaction “not at the level of religious leaders but at the level of regular boys.” Those kinds of personal interactions can dispel misconceptions and promote understanding, he said.

“Sept. 11 forces Muslims to be thrown into the spotlight,” Catovic said. “Boy Scouts is one venue to express themselves. They realized, `I have to reach out to others.”’

(Christopher Dela Cruz is a staff writer for The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J.)

Photos of the Muslim Scouts are available via https://religionnews.com.

KRE/JM END DELA CRUZ