Muslim woman exits Trump's religious council over war in Iran
Samira Munshi accused the U.S. administration of “serving evil” and suppressing free speech for the sake of Israel’s interests.
Samira Munshi, the only Muslim member of the presidential Religious Liberty Commission, has resigned in protest over White House foreign policy and the mistreatment of her colleagues, she said on her X account. She described her participation in the commission as support for “evil” and asked God’s forgiveness for having served in the current administration.
Munshi said the main reason for her resignation was the “illegal war” against Iran, which, in her view, the U.S. government is waging without congressional approval or constitutional authority. She also referred to a recent missile strike that hit a girls’ school and killed 175 people, most of them children. According to the former adviser, American taxpayers are now being forced to bankroll violence they fundamentally oppose.
A second reason for her protest was the dismissal of Carrie Prejean Boller, a Catholic activist who was removed from the commission because of her views. Boller had publicly argued that anti-Zionism should not be equated with antisemitism, after which the commission’s leadership accused her of “hijacking” the agenda of its meetings. Munshi said she faced similar pressure: after speaking out in defense of students’ right to protest Israel’s actions in Gaza, she was effectively frozen out of the commission’s work and stopped receiving witness lists and hearing schedules.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the Trump administration supports religious freedom only in words. In practice, it said, the commission has become a lobbying tool aimed at silencing criticism of a foreign government and targeting American Muslims and Catholics for their views. Munshi summed up her position by saying that she supports America, not Israel, and therefore can no longer remain on the team of the sitting president.
Munshi first drew Trump’s attention in 2023, when she led a parents’ protest in Maryland against the promotion of LGBT-themed literature in schools. At the time, the White House praised her for her courageous fight against radical gender ideology. But now, the protection of religious freedom in the United States appears to have become selective and no longer extends to those who criticize military action in the Middle East.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that the mayor of New York hosted an iftar at City Hall.
