History will be made next week with the launch of Northern Ireland’s first ever Muslim Scout group for girls and boys.
Members of the Belfast Islamic Centre recently revealed that they were “excited to open their very own Scout group”, aimed at children aged 10-18 years old.
The initial launch of the Muslim Scout group was postponed last month following the death of the Queen but will be holding its first weekly event for new members this coming Saturday, October 22nd from 6pm to 8pm at the Agape Centre Belfast on the Lisburn Road.
Read more: Construction work finally gets underway on new Belfast Islamic Centre
It is currently registering new members for Scouts aged from 10 - 14 and Explorer Scouts aged from 15 -18 but groups for younger children will follow in the near future as more volunteer leaders are recruited.
The 117th Belfast Islamic Centre Scout Group has been set up with the help of Scouts NI.. There are currently around 12,000 Scout members and leaders in Northern Ireland and more than 70 Muslim Scout groups in the UK, who are part of the wider-UK Scout organisation.
Ameer Ibrahim is the leader of the new Muslim Scout Group and a former Sea Scout himself. He reached out to Muslim Scout groups in England to get some advice on setting up a similar group in Northern Ireland.
He told Belfast Live: "It's something I have always been thinking about as I was in the Scouts for all of my childhood and teenage years when I lived in Sudan before coming here to Northern Ireland. in 1989. That experience definitely helped me to gain confidence and taught me the importance of being dependable, good conduct and morals."
Mr Ibrahim said the new group will not be religious but will still participate in some Islamic traditions, including female members wearing hijabs and prayer sessions afterwards, but otherwise, the Muslim Scouts will do the same activities and take the same badges as any other Scout group.
He also hopes the new group, which currently numbers around 70, will attract some young refugees and asylum-seekers who have recently come to live in Northern Ireland and who he believes "are often lost and have nowhere to go".
Mr Ibrahim added: "I see these youths wandering the roads and sense they could be a danger to themselves and the local community if they don't find something that they can belong to and use their energy in a positive way. Northern Ireland gives so much to the migrant community so, through the Scouts, they can have an opportunity to integrate and contribute in many different ways as a thank you."
Stephen Mallett, County Commissioner for Belfast, added: "The Scouts is for anyone, regardless of their age, gender or background and gives young people the opportunity to do things that they wouldn't normally experience in places like school.
"They'll do the same badges, enjoy the same activities and have the same outdoor opportunities as any other Scout troop. We've had a completely overwhelming response and there's more young people interested than we can currently cope with, which is a great problem to have."
The launch of Northern Ireland’s first ever Muslim Scout group for girls and boys comes just weeks after construction work on the long-delayed new Belfast Islamic Centre (BIC) finally got underway.
It will be located on University Avenue in the south of the city and close to BIC's current base at Wellington Park.
The work is set to be completed next year.
The BIC was first established in Belfast more than 40 years ago to promote the benefit of the Muslim community in Northern Ireland through education and resources including prayer facilities.
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