The Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MA), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today urged Gov. Maura Healey to veto two new measures that were inserted into the Legislature’s FY 2025 budget without input from the public. Neither concerns the budget; instead, they address antisemitism in Massachusetts:
- Sec. 106 requires the Dept. of Education to provide a curriculum on “antisemitism and societal bias;”
- Sec. 201 creates a special commission to combat antisemitism that, among other things, would recommend how Massachusetts can implement the “United States national strategy” against antisemitism.
Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, CAIR-MA Executive Director, stated:
“CAIR-MA strongly supports measures to address all forms of religious bias. Yet no other religious identity is protected under these proposals. Moreover, these measures bypassed the usual law-making process, where the public could have raised objections or suggested improvements to either proposal.
“As documented in our 2024 Mid-Year Civil Rights Report, hate crimes and discrimination against Muslims have surged dramatically in the Commonwealth, especially after the onset of the war on Gaza. There is no place for Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian sentiment, or antisemitism in our Commonwealth. Therefore, new laws should address all forms of religious and ethnic bias and follow the standard legislative process, which requires extensive vetting and public comment. We thank our interfaith allies for their collective efforts against these amendments.”
Barbara J. Dougan, CAIR-MA Legal Director, said:
“We believe that the reference to ‘national strategy’ refers to the United States’ support for the Israeli government and its willingness to falsely conflate criticism of Israel with anti-Jewish discrimination. If that viewpoint becomes law, Massachusetts residents could be penalized for criticizing a foreign government – even though we enjoy the hard-fought right to criticize our own. Such a measure would be antithetical to a robust democracy based on the free exchange of ideas.”
In terms of the curriculum for schools, the Massachusetts Board of Education has already shown a preference for such a narrow and potentially harmful approach to education. At its January 2024 meeting, several pro-Israeli groups were invited to speak in support of stifling criticism of Israel in our public schools – an agenda not made available to the public in advance, potentially violating the state’s Open Meetings Law. No other groups with differing perspectives were invited to speak.
CAIR-MA is urging the governor to veto these amendments. Any new laws concerning religious discrimination must protect us all, rather than treating one form of bias as more important than others. Any new laws should also be created by way of open and transparent legislative procedures.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, CAIR-MA Executive Director, (413) 206-9839, tamatud-wadud@cair.com; Barbara J. Dougan, CAIR-MA Legal Director, (781) 281-9992, bdougan@cair.com