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Several Muslim teens at an elite high school have been suspended after staging an 'antisemitic' skit where a student wrapped a keffiyeh around a classmate’s head and pretended to kidnap him. Journalist Asra Nomani blasted the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia on Sunday, accusing members of filming a video meant to 'protest Israel.' Nomani - who is Muslim - posted the now-deleted clip to X, where it quickly went viral. 'Bad taste or the outgrowth of a protest culture that's glorified Hamas?' she captioned the video. In the skit, a student asked two classmates if they were planning to attend the next day’s MSA meeting. The boys, using mocking voices, crossed their arms and refused, playfully asking what the meeting was and why they’d bother attending. Moments later, two boys jumped out from behind a curtain: one wrapped a keffiyeh over a classmate’s head, while the other picked up another student and placed him into a plastic bin. The two 'abducted' students were swiftly dragged behind the curtain, their faces covered, as two additional students stepped into the scene. Once again, the student with a mini microphone asked, 'Are you going to the MSA meeting?' This time, the students immediately answered, 'Yes, of course.' The two 'kidnappers' seemed satisfied with the response and nodded before walking away. As the video concluded, the cameraman moved to check on the students behind the curtain, showing them still, silent and still covered. Nomani posted a separate video from the same association at Langley High School in McLean, showing members putting a bag over a student’s head after he said he wouldn’t attend the meeting. A second teen jumped into the frame, seizing the student’s legs while another grabbed his arms and shoved him into a car trunk before it quickly drove off. Just like in the other high school video, the student then asked two teenage girls if they were coming as the 'kidnappers' stood by, patiently waiting for their answer. 'It's almost chilling to see teenagers so lively acting out something that is so horrific,' Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington CEO Guila Franklin Siegel told Fox 5 News. The next day, Nomani revealed that the MSA students were reportedly suspended from Thomas Jefferson High School by Fairfax County Public School District. In a post to X, the journalist reported that local parents accused the school leaders of promoting a 'culture of callousness and poor judgment,' claiming they are raising students to be 'so insensitive and callous.' 'On a personal note: I had a friend kidnapped by Muslim militants and many local residents say it's really unfortunate that adult mentors for these students think it's "hateful" to call out such bad judgment,' Nomani captioned the post. 'It could be argued that the moral inversion that has led these students to make such "silly" choices,' she added. In a statement to Fox, school district officials said: 'Acting out these types of violent acts is traumatizing for many of us to watch and, given world events, especially traumatizing to our Jewish students, staff, and community.' 'It is never appropriate to make light of such horrific acts, but it is especially callous and cruel to do so when Hamas continues to hold the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages more than two years after committing the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust,' they added. 'The trauma that all families impacted by the Israel-Hamas war have experienced over the past two years remains fresh. Making light of violence during a time of war is beyond the pale.' The district also issued a warning that any students who break the school’s code 'will be held accountable for their actions.' Following the news that several students were allegedly suspended, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the country’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, voiced strong outrage. CAIR claimed the video was just like those made by other school clubs - except for the students’ race and religion - and said the school was violating their First Amendment rights. 'The video mirrors a popular trend of students promoting their events on campuses across the country,' the group said in a letter to the school. 'It is apparent that any threat TJSHHT perceives from the video comes from racist tropes and stereotypes about Muslims and Arabs.' Nomani doubled down on critics, claiming the Muslim community 'is still more obsessed with face-saving than owning up to the fact that they have failed to mentor their children with positive values and sensitivity.' 'They also want to pretend I am the one "lady" who was disturbed by the videos,' she added. 'Denial and lack of insight continues to plague Muslim establishment leadership.' 'They also think they are modeling great behavior with their guttural hate. They've failed another generation with their lack of prefrontal cognition. Still stuck in the back of the brain.' Fairfax County Schools did not immediately respond to Daily Mail's request for comment. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a prestigious public high school frequently ranked as America's best, began slumping in ratings after implementing a DEI-focused admissions policy. It held the top spot for years, but dipped to third place in 2023 and saw its ranking freefall in 2024. Worried parents have claimed that the dramatic drop is the result of an 'equity-focused admissions policy' that prioritizes equal outcomes rather than providing equal opportunity. The policy, designed to increase Black and Latino enrollment by scrapping standard tests for a review process, has drawn criticism for allegedly lowering academic standards and reducing the number of Asian-American students.
