Muslim American Society investigating video depicting Philly children speaking about beheadings

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Muslim American Society is responding to the now-viral video depicting children in North Philadelphia singing about chopping off heads and violence against Jews.

Action News has blurred the video of the juveniles in the Philadelphia chapter's Facebook page as they lip-sync and dance to a Palestinian revolutionary anthem and young girls read from a prepared text.

The Muslim American Society says this was done by a separate group renting space from the chapter on April 17 and the person in charge of the program has been dismissed.

The Muslim American Society released this statement on the incident:

"The Muslim American Society was alerted yesterday to a disturbing video that came out of Philadelphia. MAS immediately issued a preliminary statement on our website, condemning the words used in the video as we swiftly investigated the matter. MAS' deep commitment to values of peace, justice, freedom and sanctity of life are clear. As a faith-based organization committed to building a just and virtuous society, we stand strong in our condemnation of hate and violence anywhere, even in the lyrics of a song.

Our investigation revealed that the school that organized the event on April 17, 2019 is a separate entity renting space from MAS Philadelphia. The school board has informed us that it has taken immediate actions and dismissed the person in charge of the program. In addition, they will form a local commission to aid in sensitivity training and proper supervision for future programs.

Unfortunately, the video from the school was uploaded to the chapter's Facebook page without verifying the content of the video for appropriateness and making sure it conforms to our hate-free policy and values. The chapter will take further steps in assuring strict adherence to publishing and posting policies.

MAS is committed to condemning hate speech everywhere. We reaffirm our commitment to MAS' core values of justice, peace and protecting the sanctity of human life."