2024-03-02 17:10:05
The Girl Scouts of America is the latest group to be infiltrated and attacked by anti-Israel / pro-Hamas sentiment and demands.
A troop in Missouri was fund-raising supposedly for the children of Gaza under the auspices of the Girl Scouts of America, a clear violation of Girl Scout rules, so the local GSA chapter sent a warning to stop or face legal action. So far, so good.
The troop’s leader, Nawal Abuhamdeh, disbanded the Girl Scout troop rather than stop raising money for Gaza. Also fine.
The national GSA issued a weak as water statement trying to smooth things over, so of course, the pro-Hamas crowd smelled blood in the water and pounced.
CAIR, CAIR-Missouri Welcome Girl Scouts of the USA Response to Ban on Troop Helping Palestinian Children as ‘Positive First Step’ – https://t.co/0ZfyAf5EMl
— S. Jamal Mustafa (@sjmustafa) February 28, 2024
Nothing is ever enough for the radical left. Give them the whiff of an apology, and they will lay out a list of demands. This is why you never apologize.
“We appreciate the response from CEO of Girl Scouts National. However, we are still waiting to hear the reasons behind the stern response from Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri.” @girlscouts
-CAIR-Missouri Board Chairman Yasir Ali pic.twitter.com/nNv4WMVPT5— CAIR-Missouri (@CairMissouri) February 28, 2024
And it wasn’t enough for Abuhamdeh to just break off and do her own thing, so now she and a handful of Hamas-supporting Girl Scout troop leaders are actually demanding an apology from GSA and a change of the organization’s national policy that permits fundraising for “humanitarian aid.”
A group consisting of Girl Scout troop leaders and other advocates is pushing the Girl Scouts organization to issue a public apology to a St. Louis troop that disbanded last week and to take a stance in support of children in Gaza, among other demands.
The former troop’s adult leader, Nawal Abuhamdeh, says the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri warned her of legal action over a fundraiser plan to sell bracelets and donate money to a Palestinian children’s relief fund.
. . . . In previous emails with Nawal, the local branch cited concerns that the fundraiser was political, partisan, and against Girl Scout policies. Nawal’s troop has since disbanded from Girl Scouts.
The Girl Scouts of the USA organization offered a statement on Tuesday, noting that they “sincerely regret any hurt” caused by developments leading up to the warning. Officials described the situation as “a learning moment for our organization.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) Missouri branch considers the statement a “positive first step” in addressing the situation. Nawal feels it wasn’t good enough.
During a roundtable Zoom conference on Thursday, Nawal says the former troop’s girls, which included two of her daughters, “feel discouraged and unheard by Girl Scouts because no statements have been [directed] towards us, and our questions [about fundraising for causes in Gaza] were still unanswered.”
“Their silence is very loud to us,” said Nawal.
Tasneem Manjra, an adult leader for a northern California Girl Scouts troop also on the conference call, said, ‘To us, it looks like the Girl Scouts are backtracking because they got called out.”
. . . . “The Girl Scouts celebrate young women finding their voices on causes they care about. Our council recognizes Troop 149 for identifying the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and creating a fundraiser to help. Our troops have always had the ability to support causes they care about, within the guidelines published by Girl Scouts.
This has never been about the cause, but rather meeting Girl Scouts’ governing documents and maintaining our tax-exempt status. We were in communication with Ms. Abuhamdeh for several weeks and provided her with multiple options to find a way to continue the work, which are still available to this troop. We are sorry that Ms. Abuhamdeh chose to disband. We would welcome them back to the Girl Scout family.”
And of course they have a list of “demands.”
Fox2 continues:
The aforementioned group of troop leaders and advocates seeking a public apology consists of nearly 100 Girl Scout troop leaders nationwide who have signed a petition and people who have sent 5,000 letters to the CEO and president of the Girl Scouts of the USA.
Supporters and troop leaders under these classifications demand the following courses of action from the Girl Scouts organization:
- To issue a public apology to the St. Louis troop that was barred from fundraising in Gaza.
- To issue a clear public declaration of support for the children of Gaza, emphasizing the urgency of their plight in light of the recent findings from the United Nations.
- To issue a provision of resources and guidance for the Girl Scouts community on how to effectively support children in Gaza, particularly children, drawing upon the proactive stance previously taken by Ukraine as a model.
- To offer reassurance that no Girl Scout state or local chapters will hinder members from supporting humanitarian causes, thereby insuring adherence to the Girl Scout promise and the law in its truest form.
“Unless these actions are undertaken, the supporters that sent the 5,000 letters have vowed to stop buying Girl Scout cookies,” said Manjra. “The troop leaders that sign the petition will pause our participation in cookie sales. Many have already sold off their existing stocks to other troops.”
She continued, “This decision does not come lightly. It’s born from a unified commitment to uphold justice, peace, and solidarity with all children and civilians affected by conflict. Notably, those in Gaza.”
Note that these discussions with Abuhamdeh about her involving her Girl Scout troop in political activism began in October of last year.
A public relations spokesperson, who spoke with FOX 2 on behalf of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri and requested to remain anonymous, says the local branch wanted to work with Nawal to find a way to fundraise and support victims of Gaza within Girl Scout guidelines.
The spokesperson says conversations between Nawal and the local branch began in October after other adults informed the branch of troop activities that they weren’t quite sure followed Girl Scout policies. She adds that Nawal indicated to the local branch in December that her troop wanted to make friendship bracelets to support children victims of Gaza.
During these reported communications, the spokesperson says the Girl Scouts of the USA opened a special fundraising window to support victims in Gaza from Oct. 10, 2023, to Jan. 10, 2024.
She eventually launched the more formal, branded “fundraiser” on January 10th, despite being warned that this move would jeopardize GSA’s tax-exempt status.
Nawal’s troop launched the fundraiser sometime after the Jan. 10 window, according to the spokesperson. The Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri learned of her fundraiser through social media after the special fundraiser window and asked Nawal to remove any Girl Scouts branding associated with the bracelets.
The spokesperson says the Girl Scouts wanted the troop to hold a fundraiser, but within organization policies. “They were presenting a lot of different options of how it was possible to do this and stay within regulations,” the spokesperson said of the Girl Scouts organization.
After a series of emails, Nawal decided to disband the troop.
. . . . The group consists of former Girl Scout members from Palestinian and other backgrounds, many of whom are in the fifth or sixth grades.
When Hamas, a militant group that controls Gaza, launched attacks against Israel in October, Nawal says her former troop collectively felt something had to be done.
“Like many of our sister troops, our girls were not comfortable selling cookies when their brothers and sisters in Gaza were forced to starve,” said Nawal. “Instead, they dedicated their efforts to crafting and selling bracelets to benefit a nonprofit that provides medical aid for the children of Palestine.”
The Girl Scouts of America should answer this list of demands with one word: “No.”
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