Randy Fine Defends Controversial ‘Dogs vs. Muslims’ Statement Amid Democratic Backlash
Florida Representative Randy Fine on Tuesday dismissed mounting calls from Democrats and Muslim leaders for his resignation after he posted online that he would choose dogs over Muslims, asserting that Democrats should not be able to change Americans’ values.
“Anyone who wants to come here illegally shouldn’t be allowed to do so,” the Florida Republican stated. “They also think they should be able to get whatever free stuff they want, and now they’re demanding we change our values and how we live as Americans.”
Fine initially posted: “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.”
He later shared a post from Nerdeen Kiswani, co-founder of the pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime, in which she referred to dogs as “unclean” and wrote that “NYC is coming to Islam.” Kiswani also noted on social media that dogs have a place in society but not as indoor pets and added that she is “one of the key mainstream Muslim groups that supported” Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is Muslim.
Kiswani later clarified that her comment was satirical, tied to a local debate about dog waste following a snowstorm, and that she was “satirizing Islamophobic hysteria portraying Mamdani’s mayoralty as a societal takeover.”
Fine defended his comments, explaining: “My post was in response to a major Muslim leader saying dogs should be forbidden from New York City because, to some Muslims, it bothers them.”
“Should they force us to choose between our dogs and having Muslims go home, the choice is easy,” he added.
“Democrats like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are saying we will get rid of your dogs,” Fine said. “Americans need to keep that in mind when they vote in November.”
Fine also criticized Democrats for shutting down Department of Homeland Security funding, warning Americans would lose vital services: “For the third time in six months, Democrats have shut down the government because of their obsession with illegal immigrants. They did it for 43 days last year, a few days a few weeks ago—and yet again, the government is shut down.”
He emphasized the consequences: “If we have a natural disaster, FEMA is not funded because Democrats do not want to deport illegal immigrants that are in our country.”
“Also, if you’re looking to buy a house and need flood insurance to close on your mortgage, you can’t do that today,” he said.
Additionally, Fine dismissed Democratic criticism of the SAVE America Act as “gibberish” and “desperation,” noting it does not change birth certificates or stop women from voting. He added: “It’s quite sexist to imply that women can’t figure out how to get a photo ID to vote.”
