Lebanese Scouting Federation

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The membership badge of the Lebanese Scouting Federation and many of the member Scout emblems incorporate the Cedar of Lebanon, the national symbol.

The Lebanese Scouting Federation (French: Fédération du Scoutisme Libanais, Arabic: إتحاد كشاف لبنان‎), the national federation of several Scouting organizations of Lebanon, was founded in 1912, and became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1947.

[edit] History

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Scouting was introduced in Lebanon by two teachers, Abdul Satar and Mohammad Abdul Jabbar Khairy. They came to Lebanon from England in 1912 and established the first Scout troop in the school where they worked. This troop had lots of activities later including a trip to Istanbul, Turkey, where they met Ottoman sultan Mehmed V. Members of this troop played a great role in spreading Scouting in Lebanon and other countries.

After Lebanon gained its independence in 1943, Scouting spread rapidly, to cover every part of the country.

Lebanese stamp from 1974, 11th Arab Jamboree

During the years of war in Lebanon, Scouts, from all association played an important role in helping civilians. They distributed food, medicine, and other forms of aid to refugees. Some Scouting associations formed First Aid groups that helped the wounded. Scouts also participated in peace campaigns to help put an end to that war. It is worth mentioning that during the war, Scouts from all sides of the conflict remained brothers and remained in contact with each other. Their unity was a good example for all Lebanese. All this helped create a good image for Scouting in Lebanon. People here tend to respect Scouts and encourage their children to join the Scouting movement.

Today, years after the war had ended, Scouting in Lebanon still faces great tasks. Lebanon is now involved in a large reconstruction plan aimed to erase all the effects of the war and to enable it to regain its advanced role in the world. This has already begun. The role of Scouting is to erase the effects of the war from the minds of the people who lived through it. Scouts are promoting the ideas of peace and unity through campaigns and summer camps, especially for children.

In 1973, Muhammad Toufik El Hibri was posthumously awarded the Bronze Wolf, the only distinction of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, awarded by the World Scout Committee for exceptional services to world Scouting. Other recipients include Dr. Farid Karam in 1977 and Rashid Shoucair in 1981.

Lebanese stamp from 1974, 11th Arab Jamboree

The Arab Regional Jamboree was to be held in Lebanon in August 2006, however without a stable and peaceful environment, the leaders of the Arab Region decided to defer the date of the event to be in Beirut during 2007.[1]

[edit] Members of the federation

The federation claims to consist of 29 member organizations with an overall membership of 100,000 Scouts^[1], while the membership number reported to the World Organization of the Scout Movement stood at 14,334 Scouts in 2005^[2].

Reliable data on the current member organizations of the federation is not available. Some sources mention only one member organization, the Scouts de l'Indépendance - Independence Scouts^[3]. Other sources^[1][4] name up to 29 associations that may have been or are members of the federation.

According to different sources, the following organizations are members of the federation:

• Eclaireurs du Liban - Lebanese Scout Association ^[5]
• Les Scouts du Liban - The Scouts of the Lebanon ^[6]
• Scouts de l'Indépendance - Independence Scouts ^[7]
• Scouts du Lycée National - The Lycée National Scout Association ^[8]
• Scouts National Orthodoxe - National Orthodox Scout Association ^[9]

[edit] Scout Motto

The Scout Motto is Kun Musta'idan or كن مستعداً, Be Prepared in Arabic; Misht Badrast, Always Ready in Armenian; and Toujours Prêt, Always Prepared in French. The noun for a single Scout is Kashaf or كشاف in Arabic.

[edit] References

• Scouting 'Round the World, John S. Wilson, first edition, Blandford Press 1959.

[edit] See also

Scouting Portal

• Fédération Libanaise des Eclaireuses et des Guides
• Al-Mahdi Scouts
• The Muslim Scout Association of Lebanon

[edit] External links

• Lebanese Scouting Federation
• Scouts du Liban
• Lebanese Scouts Association
• National Orthodox Scout Association