Girl Scouts Calls 'Islamization' Claim Misinformation After Viral MAGA Backlash
Key Takeaways
- •Girl Scouts publicly denied claims that it teaches religion, saying the online allegations are misinformation.
- •Natalie Winters amplified the controversy by portraying the organization’s faith-recognition programs as an Islamization effort.
- •Turning Point USA, Laura Ingraham, The Post Millennial, and WorldNetDaily helped spread the claim and some called for boycotts of Girl Scout cookies.
- •Girl Scouts said it has recognized faith-based awards from outside religious organizations since 1912, including Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and other traditions.
- •The organization said its own My Promise, My Faith pin is meant to connect the Girl Scout Law with a girl’s personal faith.
The Girl Scouts of the USA publicly rejected a viral right-wing claim that the organization is teaching girls Islam, dismissing the allegation as "misinformation" in a statement posted to social media on Tuesday.
The organization broke its silence after MAGA podcaster and self-described White House correspondent Natalie Winters framed the Girl Scouts' longstanding faith-recognition programs as the "Islamization of Girl Scouts across America" in a post on her Substack. In the article, Winters pointed to mosque-based troops that incorporate prayer, Ramadan observance, hijab lessons, and medals reading "Girl Scout of the Islamic Faith."
"There's misinformation circulating online today about Girl Scouts and religion," the organization's statement read. "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."
Winters' claim had already circulated widely through the conservative media ecosystem before the response. Turning Point USA, Fox News host Laura Ingraham, and outlets including The Post Millennial and WorldNetDaily amplified the allegation, with many pairing it with calls to boycott Girl Scout cookies. The backlash also put a spotlight on how long-running faith-based recognitions inside the organization can be recast online once they are separated from their original context.
According to the Girl Scouts' national faith pages, the organization has recognized faith-based awards administered by outside religious organizations since 1912, including awards recognizing Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and other traditions.
"Our national My Promise, My Faith pin invites girls to connect the Girl Scout Law with their own faith," the Girl Scouts statement continued. "Any other faith-based patches are developed by independent faith organizations, not Girl Scouts of the USA. Girl Scouts is proudly for every girl."
Others online came to the defense of the Girl Scouts. "As a former Girl Scout, I can vouch for this!" comedian Loni Love wrote on X. "And I'm forever grateful to the Girl Scouts for taking this project girl out of the projects during summer break and letting me experience camping," Love wrote. "That experience did more for me than anyone could ever imagine."
