Video Resurfaces of Philadelphia Kids Singing About Beheadings at Event Linked to Muslim Brotherhood

The 2019 video of children at a Muslim American Society event pledging to "chop off their heads" stirs renewed outrage, as Trump administration moves to outlaw Muslim Brotherhood

Still from photo of Philadelphia MAS event video. Credit: Times of Israel

A shocking video showing young children in Philadelphia reciting violent rhetoric has resurfaced and went viral on social media this week, drawing renewed attention to the Muslim American Society (MAS), an American nonprofit that has been linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. The controversy flared up amidst the Trump administration’s unprecedented recent announcement that he will designate chapters of the Brotherhood as terrorist organizations.

The footage, originally filmed at a Muslim American Society event in Philadelphia on April 22, 2019 and reposted on November 29, shows children as young as elementary school age performing at an “Ummah Day” celebration. In the video, young girls read from prepared scripts, stating: “We will chop off their heads, and we will liberate the sorrowful and exalted Al-Aqsa Mosque,” according to news coverage of the event published at the time of the original scandal. A clip from a video translated by Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) and credited to Middle East analyst, Amjad Taha, can be seen here:

The timing of the video’s reemergence is significant. Just five days earlier, on November 24, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to initiate a process to designate certain Muslim Brotherhood chapters in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon as Foreign Terrorist Organizations—the first such formal designation by the U.S. government.

Public Face vs. Hidden Ideology

On its official website, the Muslim American Society describes itself as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization operating more than 40 chapters, “spanning all regions of the continental United States.” The organization’s stated impact areas include to “convey Islam with utmost clarity to the American public as a God-centered way of life” and to “organize and mobilize Muslim community towards a shared need grounded in Prophetic methodology.”

MAS highlights another impact area to “empower a new generation of leaders with the tools, skills, and programs needed for relevant Islamic leadership, scholarship, mentorship, activism and Islamic work.” The organization portrays itself as “a nationally recognized grassroots movement” who promotes, “promoting community service, engaging in political activism, and much more.”

Notably absent from this public description is any mention of the Muslim Brotherhood. MAS has long faced scrutiny over its alleged ties to the Brotherhood, connections the organization initially denied before reluctantly acknowledging when confronted with evidence.

MAS was founded in 1993 by individuals including Mohammed Akef, who later became the official supreme leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. Akef stated in 2004 that the U.S. is a, “Satan” and, that he has, “complete faith that Islam will invade Europe and America, because Islam has logic and a mission.”

Another MAS co-founder Ahmad Elkadi, an Egyptian-born surgeon, told the Chicago Tribune that he served as president of the U.S. Brotherhood from 1984 to 1994, with his final year also serving as director of the newly-created MAS.

In 2004, Shaker Elsayed, MAS’s then-Secretary General, confirmed to the newspaper that “Ikhwan[Brotherhood] members founded MAS” and estimated that 45 percent of active members belonged to the Brotherhood. Active membership requires studying the writings of Brotherhood founders Hassan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb.

UAE Terror Designations

The United Arab Emirates designated both MAS and the Council on American-Islamic Relations as terrorist organizations in November 2014, placing them on a list alongside al-Qaeda, ISIS, and the Muslim Brotherhood itself. The UAE designation remains in effect today.

MAS responded at the time of the designation by claiming it had “no dealings with the United Arab Emirates” and was “perplexed” by the designation. The organization has consistently maintained it has evolved beyond its Brotherhood origins, despite continuing to require Brotherhood ideological study for active membership.

Delayed Response and Shifting Blame

MAS seemingly took down the video only after it went viral, calling it “disturbing” while claiming a school renting space was responsible. Yet archived posts revealed that MAS Leaders Academy operates at the same location. The organization provided no details about accountability beyond stating the person in charge had been dismissed.

The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations reportedly launched an investigation into the incident at the time, though no public findings or conclusions from that probe appear to have been released.