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Girl Scouts USA (GSUSA) offered an apologetic statement over a brewing controversy surrounding a troop being told it could not sell homemade bracelets for a pro-Palestinian fundraiser.
The children of Girl Scout Troop 149 in St. Louis, Missouri, decided last month to make beaded bracelets to raise money for the Palestine Children's Relief Fund instead of selling the traditional cookies. The Palestinian troop leader told NBC News the group didn't have "the energy to put into a cookie season as we were grieving."
However, the troop was told by the Girl Scouts regional council for eastern Missouri that it couldn't hold the fundraiser under the organization's auspices, saying it was "political and partisan." The branch even allegedly issued a legal threat against the troop if it continued using the Girl Scouts logo on its promotional material. Troop 149 decided to disband entirely as a result.
GSUSA CEO Bonnie Barczykowski addressed the controversy after receiving a letter from Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) demanding an investigation over what had transpired.
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A troop of Girl Scouts in Missouri disbanded after the organization cracked down on its pro-Palestinian bracelet fundraiser. (Screenshot/First Alert 4)
"We are disappointed and disheartened by what recently transpired. We sincerely regret any hurt caused," Barczykowski said, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Tuesday. "GSUSA will be working alongside our council partners to review this incident and make the necessary adjustments to prevent it from happening in the future. We realize we missed an opportunity to champion our troops while they make a difference."
According to a report Monday from First Alert 4, Girl Scout Troop 149 was made up of eight 10-year-old girls whose families migrated to the U.S. from places across the Middle East.
Nawal Abuhamdeh, a Palestinian and troop leader, told First Alert 4, "It seemed common sense not to sell cookies during the time of a crisis, a humanitarian crisis." So, the girls started selling bracelets that spell out "Palestine" or "Gaza," both featuring the colors of the Palestinian flag and priced at $5.
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The fundraiser began receiving national attention. Abuhamdeh told First Alert 4 the troop was getting orders across the country from New York, California to Washington D.C. and Texas. According to the troop's Instagram page, Reps. Cori Bush, D-Mo., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., wore their bracelets.
Reps. Cori Bush, D-Mo., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., were among the high-profile customers who sported Girl Scout Troop 149's bracelets. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
But when the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri took aim at the fundraiser and issued its legal threat, Abuhamdeh was taken aback.
"That was shocking. I was scared at first," Abuhamdeh said. "This was not political nor partisan. We just simply wanted to help people in need."
A spokesperson for Girl Scouts Eastern Missouri told First Alert 4 that fundraisers are typically restricted to raise money for the Girl Scouts unless "extraordinary circumstances" cause them to lift such restrictions, adding that fundraising related to the Israel-Gaza war was temporarily permitted between Oct. 10 and Jan. 10.
As a result of the boiling tensions from the regional council, the troop unanimously decided to leave the Girl Scouts, though the girls plan to continue meeting regularly.
"So we decided that it was in our best interest to disband," Abuhamdeh said. "We'll continue to learn new skills and build our character and participate in community services."
Nawal Abuhamdeh, parent and troop leader of Girl Scout Troop 149, spoke out against the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri over its crackdown of their pro-Palestinian fundraiser. (Screenshot/First Alert 4)
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According to First Alert 4, the troop had already sold more than $4,000 worth of bracelets and expect to exceed $10,000, urging customers to "be patient" as the girls continue to make the bracelets.
Neither the Girl Scouts national organization nor Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri responded to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
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