{
  "id": 19643004,
  "title": "Democrat Senator’s Internship Lists ‘Identify as a Muslim’ As Qualification",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/democrat-senators-internship-lists-identify-as-a-muslim-as",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-12T11:31:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Newsweek",
    "slug": "newsweek",
    "url": "https://www.newsweek.com/democratic-senator-internship-lists-identify-muslim-qualification-12703591"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Democratic Colorado state Senator Iman Jodeh advertised a paid internship for her MENASA & Muslim Joint Legislative Caucus Legislative Intern Program, which required applicants to identify as Muslim or as Middle Eastern, North African, or South Asian. The internship, offered to students with a minimum 3.5 GPA, involved working in Jodeh's office at the Colorado Capitol during the 2027 legislative session and provided a $1,000 stipend. Senator Jodeh, a first-generation American and the first Muslim, first Arab, and first Palestinian woman elected to the Colorado Legislature, also serves on the Business, Labor, and Technology Committee. The internship's qualifications violated federal and state laws prohibiting religious discrimination.",
  "summary": "A Colorado lawmaker's internship lists identifying as Muslim among its qualifications for applicants.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": "Targeting specific religious and ethnic identities for a government-funded position violates established anti-discrimination laws and undermines the legal requirement for equitable access to legislative employment opportunities.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}