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Who is Sameerah Munshi? Only Muslim woman on Trump's Religious Panel quits over US ‘illegal war’ in Iran
Sameerah Munshi, a Presidential appointee, resigns over the Trump administration's military intervention in Iran, which she labels as illegal.
The sole Muslim woman on the White House Religious Liberty Commission has stepped down, two weeks following the launch of an unprovoked conflict between the US and Israel against Iran.
Sameerah Munshi, who was appointed by Trump in 2025, declared her resignation due to the “injustice and atrocities” perpetrated by the Trump administration both domestically and internationally.
She stated that her move was to express dissent regarding the termination of Commissioner Carrie Prejean Boller, who was removed from her position last month after utilizing a hearing on antisemitism to elaborate on her criticisms of Israel and Zionism.
“In this country, people of faith are having their free expression stripped away, and even their lives put at risk, because of their deeply held beliefs about Palestine, all for the sake of a Zionist political agenda,” Munshi stated in her resignation letter posted to Substack.
“The removal of a Catholic commissioner for expressing dissenting views grounded in her faith is the exact affront to free expression and religious liberty that I spoke out against.”
Sameerah Munshi resigns in protest of Carrie Prejean Boller's removal
Later on Thursday, Munshi posted her resignation to X, just hours after an assailant crashed a vehicle into a Michigan synagogue while a preschool was operating. In her letter, she did not reference the incident, stating instead that her resignation was aligned with commission member Carrie Prejean Boller’s official removal from the board by Trump.
Boller, a former Miss California USA, was dismissed from the commission in February. Dan Patrick, the Lieutenant Governor of Texas and chair of the commission, stated that Boller attempted to "hijack" a hearing that was intended to concentrate on antisemitism. She faced allegations of advancing a “personal and political agenda.”
Sameerah Munshi expresses anger over US ‘illegal war’ against Iran
She expressed her deep concern regarding the US government's "illegal war" against Iran. She contended that the military intervention commenced without the necessary approval from the US Constitution or congressional authorization.
“My name is Sameerah Munshi. I am a Presidential appointee serving as advisor to the White House Religious Liberty Commission. Today, I am resigning over the injustice and atrocities of this administration at home and abroad,” her statement read.
Munshi vehemently condemned the Trump administration for its actions in Iran. She charged the government with being accountable for the deaths of civilians, including children, as a result of the military operations. Furthermore, she asserted that these actions were executed to bolster Israel, which she referred to as a “genocidal state."
"I am not resigning out of fear or intimidation from anyone affiliated with the Commission, the government, or any interest group. I am resigning because I have seen firsthand the injustice perpetrated by members of this commission, and I am unwilling to be associated with it any longer," she wrote.
