US lawmakers call on congressman to resign over remarks about Muslims
Source: Anadolu Agency
US lawmakers on Monday called for Republican Congressman Randy Fine to resign after he made controversial remarks about Muslims on social media.
The Florida lawmaker wrote on X on Sunday: “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.” He was responding to a post by Palestinian-American activist Nerdeen Kiswani, who had said that dogs “definitely have a place in society, just not as indoor pets” because “they are unclean.”
If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.
The remarks triggered widespread condemnation from Democratic lawmakers. California Representative Ro Khanna termed the statement “disgusting bigotry” and said Fine should be censured as a matter of “morality and decency, not politics.”
Arizona Representative Yassamin Ansari said Fine had “repeatedly dehumanized Muslims without consequence” and urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to reprimand him. “If he cannot meet the basic standards of human dignity, he should resign,” she added.
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New Jersey Representative Rob Menendez questioned whether Johnson would speak out against “hateful rhetoric” or “continue to remain silent.”
California Representative Eric Swalwell said Republicans who fail to condemn such vitriol “only give it more oxygen,” while Texas Representative Marc Veasey described Fine’s comments as “blatantly racist.” Maryland Representative Johnny Olszewski and Ohio Representative Shontel Brown also condemned what they called “blatant Islamophobia,” saying such rhetoric was unacceptable from a member of Congress.
California Governor Gavin Newsom demanded Fine’s resignation, calling him a “racist slob.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation in the US, described Fine as “a modern Klansman and Nazi all wrapped into one,” and urged congressional leaders to seek his resignation.