(LifeSiteNews) – Democrat members of the Massachusetts state Senate proposed creating a commission that would “identify and recommend qualified American Muslims for appointive positions at all levels of government.”
The legislation — Bill S.2134, “An Act promoting the civil rights and inclusion of American Muslims in the commonwealth” that purportedly is meant to deal with so-called “Islamaphobia” within the Bay State — was quickly met with criticism from conservatives.
“Democrats just advanced a bill to create a permanent state commission that prioritizes Muslims for government jobs. Hiring by religion isn’t inclusion but discrimination, and it’s blatantly unconstitutional,” Republican candidate for Massachusetts governor Brian Shortsleeve said.
“Unconstitutional on like 20 different levels,” The Daily Wire podcast host Matt Walsh declared on X.
“You can’t pass a law that specifically favors one religion. Let’s start with that,” Walsh said.
“And to specifically favor Islam, of all religions, is not only illegal but totally absurd on its face,” Walsh added.
Unconstitutional on like 20 different levels. You can’t pass a law that specifically favors one religion. Let’s start with that. And to specifically favor Islam, of all religions, is not only illegal but totally absurd on its face. https://t.co/7o1DGp44yf
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) August 11, 2026
State Senator Michael Moore, one of the Democrat sponsors of the measure, argued “this commission merely corresponds with other commissions we have.”
“We had an Anti-Semitism Commission for the Jewish community,” Moore noted. “We’ve had the Asian-American Commission. We’ve had an African-American Commission. We’ve had commissions dealing with LGBTQ issues.”
“So this is not something that’s unique to (Muslims). It’s not changing the Constitution. It’s not instituting Sharia law,” he maintained.