Imran Razzaq

I resign in protest of two deeply troubling developments: the official removal of Carrie Prejean Boller for her deeply held beliefs about Palestine and the federal government’s illegal war against Iran, undertaken without clear constitutional or congressional authorization. While members of this Religious Liberty Commission have mocked my faith and treated my community with hostility, I hesitantly accepted my appointment last year with the intention of remaining a voice of reason and standing for the religious freedom of ordinary Americans whose voices are not often heard at the highest levels of government. This includes American Muslims whose rights are sidelined and whose existence is met with hateful rhetoric aimed at advancing particular political agendas. My family, both Christian and Muslim, came to America fleeing religious discrimination and persecution. Generations later, their stories shaped my strong commitment to religious liberty and my belief in America as a safe haven for people of all religions. Muslims and other people of faith are freer in America to practice their religion than almost any other place in the world. I sought to safeguard this ideal in my work, but sadly found the Commission driven by ulterior motives. When I testified before the Commission, this was the exact issue I raised regarding American Muslims. 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. The removal of a Catholic commissioner @CarriePrejean1 for expressing dissenting views grounded in her faith is the exact affront to free expression and religious liberty that I spoke out against. If we are not free in America to abide by our religious beliefs and hold fast to them despite others’ disagreement, then in what country are we free to do so? Even more pressing is this government’s unlawful killing of children and civilians in Iran at the urging of a genocidal state. Not only is the American public against this aggression, but our tax dollars are funding the very violence that we oppose, both against innocent Palestinians and now Iranians. It is painfully obvious through their actions that this administration has no regard for the Constitution’s protection of free expression and religious liberty, nor its detailing of war powers. I want to be very clear: 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. I have seen this corrupt, dangerous administration’s disregard for American citizens and the lives of innocents, and I am unwilling to be associated with it any longer. I support America over Israel, and unfortunately that means I cannot support Trump or this government. Ultimately, I will have to stand before God and answer to Him for my role in this commission. I ask His forgiveness if I have legitimized their evil or the evil of this administration in any way. I ask Him to keep my intentions pure and to guide me toward paths that bring true benefit to my community. Thank you for allowing me to serve the American people, Sameerah Munshi