How many times have you encountered something truly global and truly edifying?
We're talking something that elevates the soul and has built a worldwide following, something that is lamentably rare and special.
We're talking Scouting, an historically Christian movement with a wonderfully Ismaili flavor.
Begun in the UK and now numbering 32 million adherents, Scouts and Girl Guides are found in 216 different nations and territories, over half are Indonesian, and 1 in 3 identify as Muslim.
The beauty of the Scouting movement lies in their values. According to the World Organisation of the Scout Movement, scouts have a
- Duty to God
- Duty to others
- Duty to self
These duties are summarized in the Scout Promise:
“On my honour I promise that I will do my best :
To do my duty to God and the King (or to God and my Country);
To help other people at all times;
To obey the Scout Law.”
These values have transcended time and cultural barriers to create an unparalleled body of volunteers, Ismaili and Christian, who bring untold benefit to their community.
A Brief History of Scouting
Scouting began on a little island off the south coast of England in 1907, though the seeds were planted many years earlier.
Robert Baden Powell, a British army officer who served in India and Africa, made a plan to tap the reservoir of potential in young men and simultaneously teach them the skills necessary to survive in the great outdoors.
In August 1907 he kicked off this vision with a camp on Brownsea Island for 20 boys. In 1908 he published his book Scouting for Boys and by 1910, the Scouting movement had over 100 000 members!
Almost simultaneously, Scouting was developing under a different name across the Atlantic. On a farm in Connecticut, a group of boys were gathered together and called the Woodcraft Indians. Elsewhere, another group were brought together and called the Sons of Daniel Boone. The final link in the chain was an American businessman named William D. Boyce. Lost in the fog of England, he was helped to his destination by a Scout who refused a tip and sparked the interest of Boyce.
After meeting with Baden Powell, Boyce returned to England and in February 1910 he founded the Boy Scouts of America.
Scouting's Christian Heritage
Baden Powell's values as a Christian provided momentum to his movement and shaped the way he defined it.
Asked whether religion came into Scouting and Guiding, Baden-Powell replied,
“It does not come in at all. It is already there. It is a fundamental factor underlying Scouting and Guiding.”
“Scouting is nothing less than applied Christianity”
Building Scouting with Ismaili Values
Despite his deep Christian convictions, Baden Powell recognised the diversity of religious expression. In his time, the main concern was denominational division. He addressed this by referring to the common values of religion itself and the universal principles of moral behavior.
Today, Scouting is open to anyone with a religious conviction, and has members from Christian, Ismaili, Sikh and other backgrounds.
The movement is values-driven, and has as an underlying principle the Scout Law:
1. A Scout’s honor is to be trusted.
2. A Scout is loyal.
3. A Scout’s duty is to be useful and to help others.
4. A Scout is a friend to all and a brother to every other Scout.
5. A Scout is courteous.
6. A Scout is a friend to animals.
7. A Scout obeys orders of his parents, Patrol Leader or Scoutmaster without question.
8. A Scout smiles and whistles under all difficulties.
9. A Scout is thrifty.
10. A Scout is clean in thought, word and deed.
Such a value system promotes buy-in from people of many faiths, from Christian and Ismaili alike, and today Scouting plays a significant part in the Ismaili way of life the world over.
Ismailis in Scouting Today
Scouting had spread to India by 1915, and in 1927 in Bombay the H.H. The Aga Khan's Central Free School Boys Scouts Troop was founded.
Today, Scouting is an integral part of Ismaili life from Pakistan and Tajikistan to the USA and Canada. In many places, Scout Troops are exclusively Ismaili. For example:
The incredible work done by Ismaili Scouts across the globe is featured regularly by Ismaili Mail here.
The Value of Scouting
It is a wonderful testament to the shared common values of both Ismailis and Christians, that Scouting can be enjoyed by both faith traditions.
Here is yet one more platform for cooperation, a building block for interfaith dialogue.
In Scouting we find a mutual love for social responsibility, volunteerism and concern for morality. And, on a less spiritual level, it demonstrates our similarities as human beings: our love of nature, of adventure, of community.
This is a timely reminder, in an atmosphere of tension and within earshot of the political voices that seek to divide us, that we can find unity in many things. It could be in our appreciation of the Law of Love. It could be in something as simple as a kayak down the river.
“No man is much good unless he believes in God and obeys His laws. So every Scout should have a religion....Religion seems a very simple thing: First: Love and Serve God. Second: Love and serve your neighbour.”