US Representative Randy Fine is facing calls to resign after posting on social media that he would choose "dogs" over Muslims, in one of the most overtly Islamophobic statements made by a sitting member of Congress in recent years.
"If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one," the Florida Republican wrote on X on Sunday.
Fine later amplified a post by Palestinian-American activist Nerdeen Kiswani, co-founder of the pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime, in which she described dogs as "unclean" and wrote that "NYC is coming to Islam".
Kiswani told NBC News her comment was satire, referencing a local debate in New York about dog waste after a snowstorm. Fine, however, used the post to justify his remarks, claiming it showed hostility toward non-Muslims.
"For context, this is the leader of one of the key mainstream Muslim groups that supported Mamdani," Fine wrote, referring to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The backlash was swift, with California Representative Ro Khanna calling Fine’s remarks "disgusting bigotry" and saying he should be censured as a matter of "morality and decency, not politics".
Arizona Representative Yassamin Ansari said Fine "has repeatedly dehumanised Muslims without consequence", urging House Speaker Mike Johnson to "reprimand him immediately" and adding that if Fine cannot uphold basic standards of human dignity, he should resign.
New Jersey Representative Rob Menendez questioned whether Johnson would speak out or "continue to remain silent" in the face of explicit anti-Muslim hate.
California Representative Eric Swalwell warned that every Republican who fails to condemn such rhetoric "only gives it more oxygen", while Texas Representative Marc Veasey described Fine’s comments as "blatantly racist".
Maryland Representative Johnny Olszewski and Ohio Representative Shontel Brown condemned what they called "blatant Islamophobia" from a sitting lawmaker.
California Governor Gavin Newsom responded directly on X: "Resign now, you racist slob."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights organisation in the United States, described Fine as "a modern Klansman and Nazi all wrapped into one, only his targets are Muslims and Palestinians", saying that he had previously called for the destruction of "mainstream Muslims" and past incendiary remarks about Gaza, urging congressional leaders to demand his resignation.
Fine has not apologised or walked back his remarks. Instead, he posted repeated images of dogs against a bright yellow background bearing the slogan "Don’t Tread On Me", styled after the Gadsden flag, in what many saw as doubling down.
Responding to broadcaster Piers Morgan, who called the original post "disgusting", Fine wrote: "What is disgusting is a major NYC Muslim leader saying we must give up our dogs because 'NYC is coming to Islam'."
"We will not be shamed into being conquered like the Europeans," he added, invoking anti-Muslim rhetoric commonly associated with far-right "Great Replacement" narratives.
Fine, a staunch supporter of Israel, has a documented history of inflammatory remarks targeting Muslims and Palestinians.
In 2021, during an Israeli assault on Gaza, he wrote: "I don’t personally feel bad when human shields are killed", referring to Palestinian child casualties.
During Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, which human rights groups have described as genocidal, Fine posted that the enclave should be "starved away", dismissing reports of famine and malnutrition as "Muslim terror propaganda".
He has previously declared: "If you’re not an Islamophobe, you’re a fool," and has openly embraced the label.
As of publication, House Speaker Mike Johnson had not publicly responded to calls to reprimand or censure Fine.