The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today commended Carrie Prejean Boller, a Catholic member of the White House Religious Liberty Commission, who has been ousted for opposing the commission’s attempts to censor Jewish and Christian faith voices opposed to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, as well as its attempts to describe all criticism of Zionism as anti-Semitic.
CAIR also commended Sameerah Munshi, a Muslim religious liberty advocate and adviser to the commission, in protest over the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the ousting of Ms. Prejean Boller.
Ms. Prejean Boller was formally removed from the commission by President Trump yesterday, weeks after the commission chair, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick attempted to exceed his authority by removing her because she challenged the commission’s attempt to suppress faith-based criticism of Israel’s conduct under the guise of combating anti-Semitism.
In a statement, CAIR said:
“We commend both Carrie Prejean Boller and Sameerah Munshi for courageously using their roles with the Religious Liberty Commission to actually stand up for religious liberty. Ms. Prejean Boller and Ms. Munshi fulfilled the commission’s stated purpose by opposing all forms of anti-religious bigotry and standing up for every person’s right to express their religious beliefs, including opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
“It is unconscionable and unsurprising that the White House would remove a Catholic member of the commission because she dared to state the obvious: antisemitism is wrong, and it is also wrong to label criticism of Israel–and all disagreement with Zionism–antisemitic.
“The Trump administration has repeatedly paid lip service to free speech and religious freedom while obsessively trying to smear and silence Americans who dare to criticize a foreign government, especially American Muslims and even American Catholics like Carrie Prejean Boller. The commission is now clearly meant to protect Israel from criticism, not to protect religious freedom for the American people.”
He noted that CAIR previously commended Ms. Prejean Boller using her position to oppose conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism and encourage solidarity between Muslims, Christians, and Jews.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com