ST. LOUIS – 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.
The fundraiser aims to help children amid the months-long armed conflict in Gaza, which has led to more than 29,000 deaths, including children and civilians, since October. 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.”
Local Girl Scouts Branch Responds
A spokesperson for the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri shared the following statement Saturday with FOX 2 on recent developments with the Girl Scouts organization and Nawal’s former troop.
“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.”
In previous communications with the spokesperson, FOX 2 was told, “There was never any legal action taken against the troop or their leader,” rather some legal language used in an email communications before Nawal’s troop disbanded.
New Demands
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.”
Policy Dilemmas
According to a Girl Scouts USA Blue Book of Documents from last year, Girl Scout troops and leaders are not allowed to “solicit financial contributions for purposes other than Girl Scouting,” a distinction that leaves the door open for various interpretations.
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.
“When everything was very much going on in Israel and Gaza, the Girl Scouts heard from a lot of their troops and troop leaders that the girls wanted to raise funds for both organizations in Gaza and organizations in Israel. So they opened up one of these windows,” said the spokesperson.
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.
Nawal claims she never informed of the window of opportunity to fundraise within the three-month window that ended Jan. 10.
“I was never made aware of any of the lifts of these fundraising bans or any of these policies,” said Nawal. “Never made aware. It would have been nice to have been made aware. If we did know between October and January, we would have been the first ones to participate in these fundraisers.”
Nawal adds she felt “targeted unfairly, belittled and unheard” during communications with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri over the bracelet fundraiser.
“We decided to disband because we felt it was in the best interest of our girls to be part of an organization that shares the values and principles [of the group],” said Nawal. “We felt that Girl Scouts was no longer a good fit for us. We aspired to be part of an organization that does not only advertise its desired values, but acts on them.”
Following Nawal’s comments Thursday, FOX 2 was unable to confirm with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri whether Nawal was informed of the Girl Scouts fundraising window for supporting victims of Gaza.
Fundraising And Motives
Nawal’s group, which was formerly known as Girl Scouts Troop 149, is proceeding with the bracelet fundraiser independently of Girl Scout affiliation. She says the group has raised around $10,000 for a Palestinian children’s relief fund.
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.”
Several young Girl Scouts who joined Nawal on Thursday shared a similar sentiment.
A scout named Elika in California says, “It’s really heartbreaking to see that they’re going through something. I can’t imagine my family being killed for being who they are.
Another scout named Aiya in California says, “We know that there are Girl Scouts dying in Gaza. And that breaks our hearts. They are our Girl Scouts and sisters.”
Nawal says her former troop’s bracelet drive is important to empower young girls to stand up for others and embrace values they believe are part of the Girl Scout Way.
“We could’ve done it in a different way, but we very much got the girls involved,” said Nawal. “They chose what they wanted to make. They chose the materials, how much of the beads, and what colors went where, and they had to work as a team. It taught them money management.”
She continued, “Although we did not participate in the cookie season, the entire project aligned with the values and commitments that Girl Scouts encouraged us [to embrace],” said Nawal.
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