Q&A: 'We are asked to participate in normalising a genocide' — Sameerah Munshi

Sameerah Munshi, a sharp-witted advocate for parental rights and one of only three Muslim voices on President Donald Trump's Religious Liberty Commission, recently walked out from the panel.

Her resignation followed an explosive chain of events: the summary firing of her colleague Carrie Prejean-Boller — a Catholic who opposes Christian Zionism — the silencing of pro-Palestine dissent, and the war against Iran that Munshi labels both "unlawful" and "nonsense."

Established in May 2025 with the goal of safeguarding religious freedom, the commission is now facing accusations of operating as a partisan echo chamber.

But for Munshi, the final straw wasn't a single policy, but a chilling realisation that the room built to protect the First Amendment had become an engine for political loyalty.

In this exclusive interview with TRT World, Munshi pulls back the curtain on a world of "brainwashed" theological agendas, behind-the-scenes mockery of the Islamic faith, and the moment she realised that "protecting the President" had replaced protecting the Constitution.

TRT WORLD: Can you walk us through the exact moment you decided that remaining on the Religious Liberty Commission was no longer tenable?

Sameerah Munshi: It has been common knowledge for a while that Carrie Prejean-Boller has been pressured by the commission themselves to resign in the past, and then she's been pressured not to speak about Gaza multiple times. I have also posted about Gaza and about Palestine throughout my time on the commission. Up until the hearing on anti-Semitism, when they rejected all of our witnesses who were critical of Israel, even though they were Jewish themselves, that was, for me, an alarm bell immediately that something was wrong.

I immediately walked on that day, seeing them pressure Carrie so viciously in that way. When Dan Patrick (Chairman and Texas lieutenant governor) said that Carrie was removed, I was already wondering, "Why am I even here?" What possibly could they do for Muslims in this country if they are silencing someone for speaking out based on her religious beliefs?

Then, also, the United States (attacked Iran). We had no reason to do so, according to even Joe Kent (ex-director of National Counterterrorism Center), who said our intelligence agencies had no reason to believe Iran was a threat. The only reason we were doing this was pressure from Israel. It's nonsense. I was already concerned at that point — Carrie being supposedly removed and all of this coming out about how we need to attack Iran when it's clearly not in our best interest.

Why do you think Trump administration has no regard for the Constitution’s protection of religious liberty?

SM: If they cared about constitutional protections or religious liberty and religious freedom, they would take my word seriously. People of faith are being persecuted when we speak out about our religious beliefs, specifically on Palestine. I told the commission explicitly that Muslims are being silenced because we talk about Palestine.

Any shutting down of criticism of Israel is not only dangerous to Jewish people in the United States, it creates violence in America itself when we are not allowed to freely criticise the Israeli state. We are asked to participate in normalising a genocide.

It is very clear that the United States doesn't care about actually protecting religious liberty, because the Constitution is very clear that this country has religious freedom.

This doesn't include a very specific theological position related to Christian Zionism.

You and Carrie formed a bond after the September 2025 hearing. What stood out to you about her approach compared to other members?

SM: The fact that she approached me... that was a very big step. She cared about Palestinian life. It was very clear to me that she wanted to protect Muslims in America.

She's been very open to discussing our disagreements and hearing it from a Muslim herself, instead of hearing it from other people. Most Muslims are often talked about, but not talked to.

Carrie has said that Dan Patrick told her the job was to "protect the President" rather than religious freedom. Did you receive similar directives?

SM: They didn't engage with me much personally. For example, the posts that I made, they thought that Carrie had helped write them. When I told them, "No, it wasn't Carrie, it was me," they kind of backed off. I think they were scared fully to confront a Muslim on the commission because they would lose their "diversity."

According to FACA, federal commissions are required to have a sufficient amount of differing viewpoints. They were worried about losing Muslims. They were very harsh on Carrie, but losing one of three Muslims in the entire commission was more concerning to them than losing one Catholic when they have others.

You noted that you stopped receiving witness lists. Do you view this as a deliberate attempt to sideline Muslim voices?

SM: I don't know if it was a coincidence or if it was deliberate, but I do think in general, they have silenced Muslim voices.

A group of advisors asked specifically to have a hearing on minority religions within the United States, including Islam, and that idea was shut down. I had not had any requests of mine accepted. The witnesses I recommended were not accepted.

Could you provide specific examples of commission members being hostile or mocking the Islamic faith?

SM: Dan Patrick listed as one of his priorities to combat Sharia law within Texas, which itself is alarming to Muslims.

And number two, Eric Metaxas (penal member) explicitly said, on stage, that "all religions care about religious liberty and not Islam."

Beyond that, Franklin Graham (pastor and evangelist) insinuated that the reason why anti-Semitism has risen was because of Saudi influence in universities promoting anti-Semitism. These are those two—they said it from the stage.

You previously advocated for parents' rights to opt out of certain curriculum in Maryland. Do you fear your resignation will limit the ability of socially conservative Muslims to be heard?

SM: I don't think it will, because you can only make a difference if the people you are speaking to are receptive to your concerns. It was very clear that the commission members were not receptive to the concerns of the Muslim community.

In Maryland, we partnered with other religious communities because they were open to hearing our concerns. When I saw that the commission was clearly hostile towards my perspective, I didn't think that I could make any more change.

Has Gaza war prompted any shifts in attitudes among US conservatives?

SM: I definitely think Gaza has opened a lot of people's eyes. I'm grateful that at least people are waking up. There has been a lot of brainwashing of American religious communities. Seeing this genocide live streamed, a lot of conservatives have seen that themselves and changed their religious positions.

Catholicism teaches its own distinct theological doctrines, while some evangelical Christian beliefs hold that the Dome of the Rock must be torn down for the Second Coming of Christ to occur.

According to this view, Jews would play a role in defeating Muslims as part of that process. Proponents argue that this creates a religious alignment between certain strands of evangelical Christianity and Zionism, framing it as a theological imperative.

Some Americans are increasingly questioning this interpretation, viewing elements of Christian Zionism as constructed rather than inherent.

What do you plan to do next?

SM: I will continue to advocate for Palestine. I will continue to advocate against Zionism. I'll continue to advocate for Gaza, for innocent Iranians, for innocent Lebanese people who are being killed by Israeli ideology.

I'll continue to speak out against the American government so long as they're committing these atrocities.