For all-Muslim troop, scouting has merits

BY CHRIS GAETANO
Staff Writer

CHRIS GAETANO (Left to right) Yassine Ezzyat, 16, Ibrahem Catovic, 16, Osman Turan, 16, and Ismael Catovic, 13, are members of New Jersey's only all-Muslim Boy Scout troop, based in South Brunswick SOUTH BRUNSWICK - They can pitch a tent, start a campfire and point in the direction of the holy city of Mecca no matter where they are. They are Boy Scout Troop 114, the only all-Muslim troop in the state, and they are based out of South Brunswick.

Officially chartered in the fall of 2002, the troop formed at the suggestion of senior members of the Islamic Society of Central Jersey who had either been through the scouting process themselves or had children who had done so.

"Part of the reason for that was that, although their boys had made it to Eagle and had a wonderful experience, they thought the experience would have been enhanced a lot more if they had been able to interact within their own troop," said Saffet Abid, the committee chair for the troop.

The group, based out of the Noor Ul-Iman School, started with 13 members and four years later has grown to 33, having graduated their first set of Star Scouts this past June.

According to Abid, having an all-Muslim troop has made being a Boy Scout an easier experience for all of its members. He noted several difficulties that Muslim Scouts have experienced in the past. One example was the difficulties that the summer camps would have in meeting their specific dietary restrictions, a difficulty they share with all-Jewish troops. When together in a large group, however, they were able to tell the camps of their needs beforehand, allowing them to buy the proper food in bulk and prepare it for the troop.

"If I'm one individual among 30 or 40, which was the case before, it was more difficult for the [Scouts'] council to arrange, but now ... you can share in eating at the table with everyone else and have no problem," said Abid.

Another difficulty that Abid feels has been solved by having an all-Muslim troop deals with regular prayer. People of their faith need to pray several times a day, which sometimes led to awkwardness and shyness when around Scouts who were not Muslim, as well as separation from the troops as a whole. When everyone is praying together, however, the experience became much more comfortable.

"In a Muslim Boy Scout troop, you don't really feel excluded when you have to go on the side and make prayer, because everyone is making prayer with you," said Yassine Ezzyat, 16.

Abid said that scouting has been a positive influence for the boys, not only because of the asserted benefits of scouting in and of itself, but also because of the impact it has on the way they practice their faith, on both a spiritual and practical level.

He noted, for example, that Scouts are taught to always know how to orient themselves so they can help people who are lost, including themselves. An added benefit, he said, is that through using a compass with regularity, the Scouts also know where Mecca is at all times, toward which Muslims must pray five times a day. Meanwhile, Scouts are also taught to be able to tell time from the position of the sun, meaning that troop members can not only find what direction they need to face, but also when they need to do so.

"I found that ... it not only reinforces our faith and religious practices in a moral sense, but in a very practical way to utilize what they learned," said Abid. He also noted that time spent in the wilderness to become closer to God is something that religious prophets of many faiths have done and that outdoor camping can help people follow in their footsteps.

The group's interactions with other Boy Scout troops has also, according to Abid, served as a way for them to reach out to the community and help build understanding and awareness of the Muslim community. In addition to the regular activities that they have performed with other Scouts, they have also held awareness events, such as the sponsorship of an Iftar/Ramadan night where attendants could learn about the holidays and also break bread with others.

"I think that, overall, the experience has been positive, a chance for people to say, 'We are Muslims, we are American.' Like our fellow Americans, we have our unique and distinct characteristics and qualities having to do with our faith and traditions, but we are very much part of this land," said Abid. "When they began to see each other, a lot of misunderstandings and prejudices they may have had before begin to melt away."