Massachusetts, Stop This Before It Becomes Law.
As an American Muslim, I am sounding the alarm over S.2134. Massachusetts is considering a permanent government commission specifically for Muslims. Americans need to pay attention now, not after the precedent has been established.
This deserves national attention. Now.
Massachusetts Senate Bill S.2134 proposes creating a permanent Commission on the Status of People Who Practice Islam.
Not a temporary task force.
Not a general commission on religious liberty.
A permanent state commission specifically centered on Muslims.
The proposed 11-member commission would be empowered to study issues affecting Muslims, work with government agencies, recommend legislation and policies, employ an executive director and staff, and solicit and accept funds.
I am Muslim, and I am saying as loudly and clearly as I can:
STOP.
Before Massachusetts institutionalizes something like this, lawmakers need to answer a fundamental American question:
Why should any single religion have its own permanent commission inside state government?
This Is Bigger Than One Massachusetts Bill
Americans should understand the precedent.
Today, Massachusetts considers a permanent commission for Muslims.
What happens tomorrow?
Does another state follow?
Then another?
Do Christians receive their own commission?
Jews?
Hindus?
Sikhs?
Buddhists?
Or does government begin deciding which religious communities deserve their own institutional representation?
That road should concern every American who believes in religious liberty.
And this is precisely why people need to speak before legislation advances, not complain afterward.
I Am Muslim. Do Not Do This in My Name.
I will fight anti-Muslim hatred without hesitation.
If someone attacks a mosque, prosecute them.
If an employer discriminates against someone because they are Muslim, enforce the law.
If Muslim children are targeted because of their religion, protect them.
That is equality under law.
But protecting Muslims from discrimination does not require creating a permanent government institution specifically around Islam.
Muslims do not need special political treatment.
We need the same constitutional protections afforded to every American.
Nothing less.
And nothing more.
Who Speaks for Muslims?
There is another problem that cannot be ignored.
Who exactly represents “people who practice Islam”?
Islam is not a political party.
Muslims are not a monolith.
Sunni, Shia, Sufi, Ahmadi, Ismaili, reformist, conservative, liberal and secular Muslims can hold radically different views about religion, politics, Israel, America, Sharia, women’s rights and countless other issues.
I know this personally.
I am a Muslim who openly fights antisemitism and Islamist extremism.
Would Muslims like me have an equal voice?
Who selects the voices government considers legitimate?
Which organizations get access?
Which organizations have been lobbying for this legislation?
Who participated in shaping it?
Those questions need answers before this moves any further.
There are public claims concerning CAIR’s support or involvement. Those claims should be documented and scrutinized rather than repeated without evidence. Massachusetts lawmakers should disclose publicly which advocacy and religious organizations promoted, advised on or helped develop this proposal.
Transparency is not anti-Muslim hatred.
It is democracy.
Americans Should Start Calling Now
This is not the moment to scroll past another headline.
Massachusetts residents should contact their state legislators and Governor Maura Healey’s office and demand answers about S.2134.
Ask one simple question:
Why does Massachusetts need a permanent government commission specifically for one religion instead of protecting the religious liberty of EVERYONE?
If Massachusetts believes additional protections are necessary, there is an obvious solution:
Create a commission on religious liberty and religious discrimination.
Put Muslims there.
Put Jews there.
Put Christians there.
Put Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and other religious minorities there.
Include Americans who practice no religion.
Protect the principle, not one religion.
I Have Seen Where Church and State Can Lead
I know what happens when religious identity and political authority become intertwined.
That is one reason I value the American constitutional system so deeply.
My faith does not need government privilege.
My Islam does not need politicians validating it.
And Muslims should be confident enough in our faith to say:
Treat us equally. Do not treat us specially.
This issue deserves scrutiny far beyond Massachusetts because precedents rarely remain isolated.
Once government begins constructing permanent political institutions around individual religions, Americans should ask where that principle ends.
Do not wait until the commission exists.
Do not wait until another state copies it.
Do not wait until questioning the precedent becomes politically inconvenient.
Read S.2134. Contact Massachusetts lawmakers. Contact the Governor. Demand public hearings, transparency and answers.
I am Muslim.
And I am raising the alarm.
Religious freedom for everyone.
Government favoritism for no one.
#ReligiousFreedom #Massachusetts #FirstAmendment #S2134 #MansoorLaghari
