Historic Girl Scouts Interfaith Service held at the Islamic House of Wisdom!
To view photo Highlights of the event: click HERE!
Last Sunday, Oct 20th was a remarkable day in the history of Interfaith for Girl Scouts in America.
More
than 700 girls from diverse faith backgrounds gathered at the Islamic
House of Wisdom for their 2013 Girl Scout Interfaith Service.
"Girls of Faith . . . A sister to every other Girl Scout"
Under
the organization of Girl Scout leaders that include Suzanne Bante, Amal
Mazeh and assistance of Hawra Yassine, Fatima Dahoui, Mary Elias, Dr.
Al Tarlo, JoAnn Johnson, Carol McConnell, Fran Clancy, Dr. Faith
Strickland, Christal Renaud, Deanna Goralczyk- the program was a great
success due to the hard work and organization prior to the event.
The service included:
Flag Ceremony, Girl Scout Promise, Break Every Chain, A Pilgrimage to Hajj, and Living Rosary in honor of the Blessed Mother and Shalom Chaverim!
The Hajj ceremony performed by the Muslim Girl Scouts made a great impression
on the audience demonstrating tawaf, the sacrifice of Abraham and story
behind Zamzam which brought tears to many Muslim and Non-Muslim eyes.
Imam Mohammed Ali Elahi was the first religious leader in the ceremony who welcomed the interfaith guests and thanked the Girl Scout leaders and troops for their sense of responsibility and commitment.
Reflecting
on the title of gathering "Girls of Faith", Imam Elahi stated that
faith is the most needed value in this chaotic and confusing world full
of crises and moral tragedies!
Imam Elahi answered the question of where is God by saying:
God
is very close to us, He is in our conscience, He is everywhere in
creation, anywhere there is beauty, wisdom, truth, justice,
organization, perfection, grace, guidance, love and compassion.
People from different traditions may call Him with different names!
Yahweh, Jehovah, God, Lord, Father, Maker, Creator and for those who speak Arabic, Allah.
Imam emphasized on the role of faith in 4 areas of human life.
1-Worship and remembrance of God
2-Purification of soul and domination over internal desires
3-Respect, appreciation, honesty, fairness and love for other human beings
4-And finally caring for the nature and protection of the environment
Imam
Elahi advised the youth to put faith as the foundation in choosing
their friends, so they can trust their love and loyalty even in the most
challenging times of life.
Reflecting
on the life of Sayedah Zainab, Imam called her the first leader of Girl
Scouts in Islam whose patience, determination, and discipline made her a
great role model in history of suffering and sacrifice. Imam asked the
Girl Scouts to show solidarity for Zainab, who has been a victim of
injustice while still hundreds of years after death, her grave is under
the daily bombardment by the forces of darkness in Syria.
Fr. Jeffrey Day,
Ecumenical/Interfaith Advisor of the Archdiocese of Detroit, and the
leader of St. Fabian Catholic Church also addressed the Girl Scouts with
his beautiful remarks.
Fr. Day thanked the Girl Scouts and Imam Elahi for hosting such a great interfaith service.
Fr.
Day invited the Scouts to reflect upon the life and example of Mother
Theresa of Calcutta. Even though Mother Teresa died in 1997, her life
story is still relevant to girls of today; she strived to a sister to
everyone she met.
The Fr. Spoke about Mother Teresa who founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation,
which in 2012 consisted of over 4,500 sisters and is active in 133
countries. Continuing the work of Mother Teresa, they run hospices and
homes for people with HIV/AIDS,
leprosy and tuberculosis; soup kitchens; children's and family
counseling programs; orphanages; and schools. Members of the order make
the three traditional vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, but also a
fourth vow, to give "Wholehearted and Free service to the poorest of
the poor".
Fr. Day concluded with a few inspiring quotes from Blessed Teresa of Calcutta:
"When
a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not
take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I
wanted to give that person what he or she needed."
"Being
unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is
a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has
nothing to eat."
"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one. "
"Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love."
"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."
Unfortunately
at the time of this report we haven't received a copy of the beautiful
remarks of the third clergy, Reverend Robyn Moore, Hartford Memorial
Baptist Church but will post them as soon as they are received.
This
extraordinary event of Michigan Girl Scouts ended in an atmosphere of
love, discipline and cooperation. The girls were invited to the main
hall where they received badges for participation and craft projects to
complement the event.
Greenland
Market generously provided the refreshments that helped provide a good
atmosphere of healthy socialization and friendship.
