BSA National Jamboree: A scout is diverse

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In the Boy Scout oath, scouters say "On my Honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country, to help other people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight." So what does it mean when they say, "Duty to God and country"? All around the world, the Boy Scouts encourage scouters to be active in their religious communities, (I.e. churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples). Here at the National Scout Jamboree, there are plenty of opportunities to do so.

Being involved in your religious community makes you a better person and closer to others around the world. An example of this is at the mosque at the Jamboree, where Syed Naqvi, the chairman of the National Islamic Committee on Scouting-BSA, brings together many different scouts from all around the country at Jamboree to practice their Islamic faith in good fellowship with the rest of their fellow scouters.

On Friday, July 21, a service was held for all scouts who follow the Islamic faith to have a prayer session and their sermons. Along with the sermons and the prayer service, Naqvi also presented some awards to scout leaders from around the country of all faiths to recognize their service to the BSA. Having this in mind, knowing that we are all Boy Scouts at the end of the day and that no matter what we believe in, we are still bound to the same oath. This is a point that Rizwan Jaka tried to explain to everybody during the sermons.

Having a diverse scouting organization benefits everyone, you get to make new friends, find common interests among one another, and build lifelong friendships. Naqvi invited many different national officials from all different sorts of religions to the Jamboree this year, some Jewish, some Christian, and all of them fellow scouts.

Along with that, Justin Wilson, a scouter from the Denver Area in Colorado has helped found an organization that is making scouting equal for everyone. He is fighting primarily for the rights of LGBT scouts and scouts of different religions and ethnicity. He has created an unofficial knot that every scout can get, it consists of two pieces of rope making a square knot, one of them is rainbow colored for the LGBT, and the other is silver and purple to represent people of different religions. Those who wear this knot are scouters who are showing that they will advocate for equality in scouting.

"The BSA has made a lot of progress to become more inclusive but still has a long way to go. Until my friends feel truly safe and welcome here, there is work to be done," said Justin Wilson of the Denver Area Council. Boy Scouts is an all-inclusive organization for all boys of all faiths, races, orientations, and ethnicity.

Editor’s note: Jack Marlow is a member of Boy Scout Troop 47 in Fairhope. He is attending the National Jamboree and serving as a “BSA Hometown Correspondent” at the event. He will file regular reports from the Jamboree.