A Muslim Sunday school has apologized for anti-Jewish teachings that appeared in its website, under investigation as a possible hate crime by York Region police.

The East End Madrassah, a weekend religious program run by a Thornhill mosque using space rented in a Scarborough high school, issued a press release Tuesday to “unreservedly apologize to the Jewish community for the unintentional offence that the item has caused.”

“Our curriculum is not intended to promote hatred towards any individual or group of people,” the statement said; “rather the children are taught to respect and value other faiths, beliefs and to uphold Canada’s basic values of decency and tolerance.”

Jewish groups had expressed shock at curriculum on the Madrassah’s website that called ancient Jews “treacherous” and “crafty” and accused them of “conspiring to kill the Prophet Muhammad.”

“We were shocked such material was being disseminated on the property of the Toronto District School Board, which we know values tolerance and multiculturalism,” said David Spiro, Greater Toronto co-chair of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). The Madrassah conceded the sections cited by the Jewish groups “should never have been a part of our curriculum.”

“Our team of scholars has already undertaken to review all texts and material being used in the curriculum to ensure that our teachings are conveying the right message.”

Premier Dalton McGuinty said he was “delighted the school board is reviewing the matter; there is no room for hatred or intolerance in this province.”

The East End Madrassah rents space for educational programming each Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in David and Mary Thomson Collegiate on Lawrence Ave. E. near Brimley Rd., but the program is run by the Islamic Shia Ithna-Asheri Jamaat of Thornhill, which is why York Region police are involved. The non-profit organization offers religious and moral teachings as well as heritage language programs in Gujarati, Urdu and Arabic.

“East End Madrassah has been in existence for almost 40 years and thousands of Muslim students have graduated and have moved on to become law abiding citizens and contributing members of the Canadian society,” noted the press release.

The York Region police hate crimes unit is in the early stage of its investigation, said spokesperson Const. Rebecca Boyd.

The Toronto District School Board said in a statement Monday it does not tolerate any group that promotes hatred, and if a permit holder is found breaking the law in any way, such as promoting hatred, the board can revoke the permit.

“We will continue to work with police and take appropriate action pending the conclusion of the investigation,” said board spokesperson Ryan Bird, who noted that of the nearly 20,000 permits issued each year, some 570 go to a range of religious groups.

At Queen’s Park, Education Minister Laurel Broten said she was limited in what she could say about a police matter, “but as a mother, as a minister of education, certainly this situation is not one that I aspire for in the province that I am raising my children in.”

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak said he was “shocked” by the episode.

“That kind of anti-Israel poison has no place in the classrooms of our province,” said Hudak.

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NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said it speaks to the need to ensure that “the message that we are giving our young people is respectful of all people and respectful of all genders.”

With files from Robert Benzie and Rob Ferguson