By Khadija Abukhaled, Troop #30124
Troop #30124 hosted an Interfaith Dinner during Ramadan (a holy month for Muslims) on April 1, 2023. Over 70 girls and moms attended.
The inspiration behind this event was the feeling that many girls struggle to express themselves through their religion due to it becoming more “old fashioned and traditional." Today, following a religion is not seen as being "cool or hip." We wanted girls to know that having faith and practicing a religion is nothing to be ashamed of. We also wanted girls to see that there are lots of religions, and even though they have their differences, there are so many things they have in common.
During the event, a few Girl Scouts opened up to the group and gave speeches about their religion. The girls who spoke also hosted a Q&A session, which I thought was very brave. Listening to what everyone had to say was one of the highlights of the Interfaith Iftar.
Another highlight was being able to share delicious food with new friends. I loved the sense of community, love and respect we all had for one another. Having everyone of different "everythings" sit together, eat together and talk with each other about their beliefs, cultures, religions and values was inspiring.
During the Interfaith Iftar, I learned how similar some religions
are, like how we go to pray once a week at our place of worship, we
have some of the same prayers, we believe in the same God and our holy
books have some of the same stories. I also learned that whether
someone follows a certain religion or not, we all still have the same
beliefs, and many of them are just like the Girl Scout law. We respect
each other, we are courteous and kind, honest, not wasteful, and we
all try to make the world a better place.
I believe this event made an impact on Girl Scoust and their faith. I made so many new friends, some of whom told me that they were shy about their religion prior to the Interfaith Iftar, but now feel confident and proud to be part of their religion and want to be more active in their religious community. I hope we're able to do this again next year because I really loved that night, the people, the speeches and the food!
