The Issue Is Anti-Semitism So Why Is Massachusetts Creating a Special Muslim Commission?

A bill is being considered by the Massachusetts legislature to establish a permanent Massachusetts state commission which the legislature claims is "aimed at studying issues affecting American Muslim communities in the Commonwealth" but which actually prioritizes Muslims.[1] My question is why? Why is state government not focusing on the real Massachusetts issue: anti-Semitism?

Bill History

State Senators James Eldridge and Vanna Howard and State Representative Manny Cruz submitted the bill in February 2025 (https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2134). The bill has quietly progressed through committees and hearings only coming to my attention this week. As we will see in the below discussion, Massachusetts’ own data does not provide a rationale for this bill. By the way, these elected officials did not yet have the Y2024 data when they proposed establishing a commission for a group that had only experienced 5 bias incidents in Y2023. Y2024 data also does not support the creation let alone passage of the bill.

Documented Anti-Jewish Incidents

Let’s look at the statistics produced by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

According to Pew Research Center (https://www.pewresearch.org/religious-landscape-study/state/massachusetts/), Jews are 4% of the population of Massachusetts while Muslims are 2%. There are twice as many Jews as Muslims in Massachusetts, yet there are over 13 times as many bias incidents against Jews than against Muslims.

The above data is taken from Table 2 of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety & Security December 2025 (“MA 2025 Bias Report”). To see the full report: https://www.mass.gov/doc/2024-massachusetts-hate-crime-report/download.

The Anti-Jewish Bias Type had the highest number of incidents of every Bias Type - religious or non-religious (Table 2 of the MA 2025 Bias Report). Moreover, examining the chart of bias reporting by county (Table 6 of the MA 2025 Bias Report), shows the Anti-Islamic category of incidents only occurred in two counties: Middlesex and Suffolk. The same chart shows that Anti-Jewish incidents occurred in every one of Massachusetts’ 13 counties - the only Bias Type with incidents in every county.

The above chart is an excerpt from Table 3 of the MA 2025 Bias Report showing the 10 Bias Types with the highest number of reported offenses. The Anti-Islam Bias Type is tied for ninth place. Not only are Anti-Jewish incidents occurring in higher numbers than Anti-Muslim incidents, but incidents targeting Blacks, Gays, Hispanics, Asians, and Lesbians are occurring in higher numbers than Anti-Muslim incidents.

What Does the Bill Include?

• Creates “a permanent commission on the status of people who practice Islam consisting of 11 persons”.

• Members will be appointed and must “have demonstrated a commitment to the Muslim American community.”

• “[T]he commission shall: (1) promote research and serve as a clearinghouse and source of information on issues pertaining to American Muslims in the commonwealth; (2) inform the public and leaders of business, education, human services, health care, state and local governments and the communications media of the unique cultural, social, ethnic, economic and educational issues affecting American Muslims in the commonwealth; (3) foster unity among the American Muslim community and organizations in the commonwealth by promoting cooperation and sharing of information and encouraging collaboration and joint activities; (4) serve as a liaison between government and private interest groups with regard to matters of unique interest and concern to American Muslims in the commonwealth; (5) identify and recommend qualified American Muslims for appointive positions at all levels of government, including boards and commissions, as the commission considers necessary and appropriate; (6) assess programs and practices in all state agencies as they affect American Muslims, as the commission considers necessary and appropriate; (7) advise executive and legislative bodies on the potential effect on American Muslims of proposed legislation, as the commission considers necessary and appropriate; and (8) generally undertake activities designed to enable the commonwealth to realize the full benefit of the skills, talents and cultural heritage of American Muslims in the commonwealth.”

• As part of the above eight points, the commission has “the power” for “recommending policies and making recommendations to agencies and officers of the state and local subdivisions of government”.

• Members will “be reimbursed for any usual and customary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.” One such expense: “establishing and maintaining offices that [the commission] considers necessary, subject to appropriation.” At least some will be paid: “The commission staff shall consist of a paid executive director, employees and volunteers who assist the commission in effecting its statutory duties.”

• “The commission may request from all state agencies whatever information and assistance the commission requires.”

• “The commission may accept and solicit funds, including any gifts, donations, grants, or bequests, or any federal funds for any of the purposes of this section.”

• Big emphasis in Section 72(a) on powers related to “Islamophobia” which includes evaluating “the commonwealth's hate crime statutes and whether any amendments would better protect residents from Islamophobia and other similar forms of hatred” and “[r]ecommend implementation strategies, programs, and legislation to combat Islamophobia in the commonwealth.”

Open Questions

Does “unique cultural, social, ethnic, economic and educational issues affecting American Muslims in the commonwealth” mean that Massachusetts must adapt to Islam?

Why is Massachusetts creating a Muslim commission-based employment agency system to promote adherents of one religion over an unbiased review of all qualified candidates?

Why are Muslims entitled to a special communication pipeline regarding the impact of proposed legislation on their religion? Was the Catholic Church given a special opportunity to explain the impact of H. 2370 on Catholicism prior to the bill advancing to make third-trimester abortions more readily available?

Will the emphasis on “Islamophobia” result in blasphemy laws?

Will towns local powers be overridden to accommodate Islam’s “special culture”?

Will the commission be able to obtain private information from state agencies that is beyond what a person can obtain through a Public Records Request?

Are the anti-Jewish statistics accurate? I personally believe Massachusetts’ statistics to have significantly undercounted anti-Jewish bias incidents. Since October 7, 2023, the number of anti-Jewish incidents across Massachusetts many university campuses under the guise of political free speech has been outrageous. Given the reduction of Jewish students attending certain Massachusetts universities, I believe Jewish students likely did not file reports against the anti-Semites.

Why are tax dollars being spent to promote a single religion? How many more tax dollars will be spent in court to defend the commission against claims it is in violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment clause which prohibits the government from "establishing" a religion.

No, I am not Jewish. I am a Catholic who read The Emperor’s New Clothes and wondered as a child reading books and watching movies about WW II, how could people possibly do that to their neighbors?

[1] For my non-U.S. readers, Massachusetts is located northeast of New York City. Four of the fifty U.S. states are referred to as Commonwealths.