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https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/us/politics/randy-fine-muslim-islamophobic-democrats.html
Representative Randy Fine, Republican of Florida, on Tuesday faced a barrage of calls for his resignation from Democrats — and silence from Republican leaders — after making an Islamophobic statement suggesting he prefers dogs to Muslims.
Mr. Fine, a Jewish first-term congressman who was known in the Florida Legislature as “The Hebrew Hammer” and often makes Islamophobic remarks on social media, made the statement in question on Sunday in response to a post from a Palestinian activist based in New York City.
Nerdeen Kiswani, a Palestinian Muslim New Yorker and organizer, said in a social media post that dung-filled snowdrifts in the city proved that dogs should not have a place in society as indoor pets because, she wrote, “like we’ve said all along, they are unclean.”
Mr. Fine responded: “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.”
The comment prompted immediate and unequivocal condemnation from Democrats.
Representative Randy Fine, Republican of Florida, on Tuesday faced a barrage of calls for his resignation from Democrats — and silence from Republican leaders — after making an Islamophobic statement suggesting he prefers dogs to Muslims.
Mr. Fine, a Jewish first-term congressman who was known in the Florida Legislature as “The Hebrew Hammer” and often makes Islamophobic remarks on social media, made the statement in question on Sunday in response to a post from a Palestinian activist based in New York City.
Nerdeen Kiswani, a Palestinian Muslim New Yorker and organizer, said in a social media post that dung-filled snowdrifts in the city proved that dogs should not have a place in society as indoor pets because, she wrote, “like we’ve said all along, they are unclean.”
Mr. Fine responded: “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.”
The comment prompted immediate and unequivocal condemnation from Democrats.
