When Man’s Best Friend Becomes a Political Flashpoint, UPDATE Added
“Finally, NYC is coming to Islam. Dogs definitely have a place in society, just not as indoor pets.”
It appears a new front may be opening in the culture wars.
It’s no secret that many Muslims do not share Americans’ — or members of many other cultures’ — affection for dogs. In the Islamic religion, dogs are considered to be unclean or “haram.”
Last week, pro-Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani, a major supporter of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, posted a very troubling message on X. She declared that, “Finally, NYC is coming to Islam. Dogs definitely have a place in society, just not as indoor pets. Like we’ve said all along, they are unclean.”
Finally, NYC is coming to Islam. Dogs definitely have a place in society, just not as indoor pets. Like we’ve said all along, they are unclean.
— Nerdeen Kiswani (@NerdeenKiswani) February 12, 2026
I find her remarks offensive, and I know I’m not alone. My dogs bring me immense joy. They aren’t just pets — they’re members of my family.
GOP Rep. Randy Fine (FL) took offense at Kiswani’s post and shot back, “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.”
If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.
— Congressman Randy Fine (@RepFine) February 15, 2026
Judging from the huge number of likes Fine’s response received, many people agreed with him.
just some friendly advice here, you really don’t want to ask americans to choose between dogs and immigration from the muslim world
— Mike Solana (@micsolana) February 13, 2026
Easy for me. Dogs every single time
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) February 15, 2026
— SonofLiberty357 (@SonofLiberty357) February 16, 2026
Naturally, Fine’s post didn’t sit well with the Left. CNN’s Jake Tapper called Fine’s remarks “disgusting bigotry,” which turned out to be the buzzwords handed down from DNC Central in response to Fine’s remarks.
Disgusting bigotry. https://t.co/DX9M3x0Z9J
— Jake Tapper 🦅 (@jaketapper) February 16, 2026
This you, Jake? You cool with giving him up to assuage the Muslims hatred of dogs? You don’t deserve Moose and Bear. pic.twitter.com/zKQiLrtRmS
— Ginga-Napes (@Ginja_napes) February 16, 2026
Next, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) weighed in: “We must call this what it is. Disgusting bigotry. Fine must be censured. It’s about morality and decency, not politics.”
We must call this what it is. Disgusting bigotry.
Fine must be censured. It's about morality and decency, not politics. https://t.co/FZ3zWBAC1Q
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) February 16, 2026
Fresh off her great humiliation at the Munich Security Conference, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said Fine’s statement was “one of the most disgusting” she has “ever seen issued by an American official.” She added that he “should be censured and stripped of committees.”
This is genuinely one of the most disgusting statements I have ever seen issued by an American official.
It should not stop shocking us that the Republican Party openly embraces this. Fine should be censured & stripped of committees. To ignore this is to accept and normalize it. https://t.co/OPHd5jtM2b
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 17, 2026
Cenk Uygur followed:
Imagine what would happen if anyone in politics or media said, “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Jews is not a difficult one.” Now watch what happens to Randy Fine after saying it about Muslims. Absolutely nothing. Bigotry doesn’t matter, only antisemitism.
This faux outrage from the Left is political theater. The expectation that a nation should fundamentally alter long-standing cultural norms to accommodate newcomers is a bridge too far. Our customs and social fabric have developed over centuries, shaping who we are as a people. And dogs have been a major part of our lives throughout.
Although it’s amazing that a Muslim would immigrate to America and utter such a presumptuous statement, the idea of creating dog-free zones is currently under consideration in England where dogs have been an important part of the culture for even longer.
Over a year ago, The Telegraph reported:
The Welsh Government has been advised to create dog-free zones to help make the outdoors “anti-racist.” Labour’s devolved administration has pledged to rid Wales of racism by 2030, and set out a plan to ensure “all areas” of public life were transformed.
The Labour government in Wales is banning dogs to make the environment less racist. pic.twitter.com/VR8JIBQ6in
— Ian Miles Cheong (@ianmiles) November 14, 2024
The idea of banning dogs from public spaces was floated in Spain last year as well.
I’m bringing this video back out from the archives that I recorded last year in Barcelona about dogs eventually being banned from public spaces.
This was August 2025 and people mocked me as overreacting. Now we have Moslem activists trying to actively ban dogs from public spaces… pic.twitter.com/NG7smFzg5E
— Joey Mannarino 🇺🇸 (@JoeyMannarino) February 16, 2026
In earlier waves of immigration, newcomers saw learning English and participating fully in American public life as essential steps toward opportunity and belonging. The emphasis on shared language, civic engagement, and cultural participation was important to them. They wanted to become Americans.
The opposite is true with the majority of recent immigrants, many of whom are more interested in recreating the lives they lived in their countries of origin than in assimilating into our culture. This has resulted in a culture clash and it is diminishing the greatness of America.
Unfortunately, their resistance is aided and abetted by Democratic politicians whose sole interest is to create a new dependent class of voters to help them maintain power for years to come.
I’m with Randy Fine on this one. Leave our dogs alone. If you are offended by dogs, go live in a Muslim country.
UPDATE, February 20, 4 a.m.
Rep. Fine introduced new legislation on Thursday: The Protecting Puppies from Sharia Act
I am proud to introduce the Protecting Puppies from Sharia Act.
Democrats are losing their minds because I made a simple statement—given a choice between our dogs and those who would ban them, the choice is easy.
They can pound sand.
This bill will ban federal funds to any… pic.twitter.com/KjertyzUJc
— Congressman Randy Fine (@RepFine) February 19, 2026
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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Comments
If they want dog free indoors everywhere and mostly dogfree outdoors, how will that interact with the ADA and individuals with service dogs?
They don’t care. These people think their sixth century attitudes are superior to all others. The freedom of the individual is foreign to them. Our concepts, based on the Judaeo-Christian principle of all souls being made in the image of God, don’t apply to anyone but the followers of Islam. We’re inferior just because we aren’t them. How disgusting.
.
I strongly suspect disability (and disability law) is trumped by Islamism, though honestly, in the Leftists’ insane worldview, Islam trumps every other group.
If it wouldn’t harm so many innocent of supporting this, when Islamists start regularly killing LGBTQ$%$^^ and “immodest” women, I’ll be feeling some schadenfreude about those victims who pushed for Islam’s takeover.
When Somalians first came to MN some drove taxis. There were stories of Somali tax drivers refusing to take people with service dogs because they consider dogs unclean. Consequences? Don;t know, Doubt there were any,
BTW: Between muslims and dogs I choose dogs. I choose dogs over that clown Tapper too. The not so young Turk should also be shown the door,
Another Somali store. A grocery store hired a Somali woman as a checkout clerk. She refused to handle pork and insisted someone else do it. Again I’m not sure how the story ended by I doubt there were any consequences of her refusing to do all of the job she was hired for,
She opened a chain of Learing Centers and made millions.
If there’s someone else available who can easily handle such sales without any trouble, then they are legally required to make that accommodation for the cashier who has a problem with it. But if she’s the only one available, or it would be significantly difficult to fetch someone else every time someone wants to buy such a product (e.g. if a significant number of sales involve at least one such product, so she’d constantly be having to call for assistance), then they can tell her to do her job or quit.
Alternatively she could ask the customer to scan that particular product.
In my experience, though, most Moslems seem not to have a problem selling alcohol and pork products, and even handling them if they’re packaged. Jews certainly have no objection to selling food that isn’t kosher, so long as the customer is not Jewish.
Nope.
If the person was hired to sell the products in the store, there is no needed accommodation that is required legally.
The person accepted the job under those conditions and by law cannot change those conditions unless the business agrees to it.
There have even been cases where a person converted to a religion that would prevent them from doing something and the courts rejected their demands for accommodation.
I believe they had to back to the end of the queue
Do you really think Islam cares?
Really?
Is that a joke? You honestly think they’ve thought that far ahead?
Liberals are stupid people that do everything based on emotion.
They FEEL that it’s not a big deal to let Muslims ban dogs. They also FEEL that of course they’ll just accept service dogs because they’re necessary.
It’s stupid and childish and naive, but it’s honestly LESS stupid than ‘Gays for Palestine’.
If you want my opinion on islam, go read Winston Churchill’s description in The River War. I couldn’t say it better and he said it a century and a quarter ago. It’s an accurate and timeless observation, as well as slightly ironic given Churchill’s use of dogs in his description.
A belief system (islam is not a religion) that eschews canines and puts women in full body bags (never mind the stoning, jihad, and other assorted nonsense) is not compatible with being a modern human being.
And I, for one, am tired of pretending otherwise.
I never pretended they were
You aren’t alone.
Bears don’t pretend.
Fur certain!
His book on the Malakand Field Force also has some relevant commentary.
Churchill made his wise observation 125 years ago. He recognized Islam as a 7th century savage death cult, predicated on oppression and intolerance.
Islam is NOT compatible with western society.
I’m with the dogs on this one!
Islam is a religion. There is no possible definition of religion that excludes Islam. And certainly there can be no doubt whatsoever that those who adopted the first amendment did regard Islam as a religion, and specifically intended it to enjoy the same status in the USA as Christianity.
FA with my dog and you will FO the hard way
As I’ve seen stated, “John Wick is the moderate response”.
“I don’t know that they filthy, but they definitely dirty…”
“That would have to be one charmin M-fing pig, ten time more charming than that one on Green Acres.”
-Jules
Pulp FIction
I Hate To Shatter Your Ego, But This Is Not The First Time I’ve Had A Gun Pointed At Me.”
jules
the one that says bad mutter fer
Man’s best friend is more human than well, you know what I mean.
Fine’s statement is the moderate position.
My statement is the same as always: Islam is a cancer in the West.
A malignant cancer.
Treat it with radiation.
Sir, a second cat was eaten in Ohio… 🙂
Women should be VERY perturbed over this story.
Why?
Because the west has been A-OK with how Islam treats women. Though if I’m being honest, I’d spend eternity with a dog before spending an afternoon with an AWFUL… or even that bat-scat crazy stripper who confronted the Thurston County Sheriff in that video that’s going viral.
Thurston County BTW is where I fled from. Not a minute too soon seeing as how they passed an unconstitutional state income tax yesterday, have banned plastic shopping bags, and every other day a 9 time convicted felon with a dozen warrants kills a family in a DUI accident. Gas is 5 bucks a gallon, they just raided the pension fund for police/fire, invested a few hundred million of “carbon” offset into a bogus slush fund investment that likely does nothing but payoff democrat interests.
the west fears stopping criminals ..but for what reason(s)???
good lives and dont want to tcb today so they kick it down the road
b/c they (falsely) believe that the judeo-christian agenda is for turning the other cheek means that they can then become slaves…thats insane..so
stop with the turning the other cheek thats what jwd…nonesense
whoever wants war to upend civility needs to be squashed before ..thats before they do so
woof! woof!
Where in the hell were you buying your gas? I’m still trapped in Thurston County, and I believe I paid under $3.80/gal the last time I gassed up. It’s been under $4 for a long time now. Still too high, but you are exaggerating, somewhat wildly.
Shell station in Kent. Between a building of my employer I won’t name which has a building with a lot of conf rooms in Kent) and the Kent Costco. I actually took a picture of it. 4.99 was the cheap stuff. I had to fill up the rental car with the corp card, so costco was not an option.
I actually went to the Kent Costco afterwards to burn time before going to the airport and roamed around because the nearest one to me in TN is 2 hours away in Knoxville. Costco in Wa carries the Guava nectar AND the gold bags of coffee which is the best budget coffee on the planet. Knoxville discontinued the Guava nectar and the white bags of coffee are way more expensive. Those are my red state woes.
Incidentally I may have been 1 of 5 white dudes and 1 of 10 english speakers out of 500 people at the Kent Costco… Geeze no wonder it’s so cool to hate white people there… they’ve imported the entire 3rd world.
and seriously… East Tennessee rocks as a destination. Ironic that my new boss fled Kent area and landed here too. Our neighbors from the Boston Harbor school district came just before we did. We discovered another family from the homeschooling network arrived in the tri-city area last fall. Another person at work reached out 3rd person to do a temp check. An ER doc I used to train BJJ with in Oly is in the process of moving out here. My daughter’s 8th grade algebra teacher just arrived from CA (for obvious reasons) and my wife who works at the school got the lowdown on the bad stuff going down where she came from (tests are racist).
It’s not easy for a lot of white collar professions. Housing prices for blue collar is pretty decent. Spec builders are still making a killing out here now.
“choice between dogs and Jews is not a difficult one”
Not one Jew in the history of America has said that dogs and cats are filthy animals and need to be [forcibly] removed from both public spaces or from our living rooms.
No, I’m not going to imagine ridiculous scenarios in support of a group of murderous thugs bent on burning libraries, art galleries, churches, raping our sisters and mothers or shooting our pets.
Right. The fallacy here (which clearly escapes many of our poorly-educated products of public schools) is that our reaction is not to who they are but to what they are demanding at the moment… and no other group would ever demand such a thing,
the accountant on board the santa maria might have
we’ll have to check what his exact location was at the time
irony from the mouths of Nerds
The Muslims and their allies have gone too far. Americans, Europeans and Israelis love their dogs and cats, and most of them regard their pets as members of the family.
In Texas, with limitations, one can deploy lethal force to protect personal property. See Texas penal code sections 9.41 and 9.42. The only state that has such a right. Under the law, pets qualify as personal property. But beware the limitations. Study the statues and the case law. Carry use of force insurance and read Andrew Branca’s book.
If anything is to trigger a civil war, threatening people’s pets comes in close to, or at the top. Britain is on the verge of civil war itself. See professor David Betz who is professor of war studies at King’s College London. Recently retired Colonel Richard Kemp issued similar warnings. They both agree civil war in Britain looks inevitable. Muslim takeover being the chief cause.
Morrocco killing 3 million stray dogs ahead of world cup
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-15567173/dogs-massacred-firing-World-Cup.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=social-twitter_dailymailus
Just so sick
and peta says what about this?
Fine is an ass.
While people may support what he said here, he is still an ass.
He has a long running feud with a former member of the Brevard County School Board. He keeps losing in court, but keeps digging the hole he is in deeper and deeper. There is video of a process server trying to serve him in his office and the “brave” Randy Fine hides under his desk. Literally. He is a coward.
He has made many proposals to silence people’s free speech.
He calls people of the Jewish faith that disagree with him “kapo,” a derogatory name for Jewish collaborators during WWII.
He only started wearing a yarmulke once elected to the US House. He never wore it in local politics. In other words, his faith is one of convenience he uses as a shield to say he is being persecuted for his faith if you disagree with him.
Years ago, a hurricane destroyed his home. He bought a newer home on the beach that was out of his district boundaries. During an election cycle, he used the destroyed home (now a vacant lot) as his place of residence. That’s illegal, but the Supervisor of Elections has no power to investigate claims of residency. So basically, Fine lied to get elected.
Fine is tied to the casino industry in Florida. No one knows what he does, but if you think the the US Congress makes money hand over foot on their salary, check into Fine’s increase in wealth as a Florida representative.
There is also the ongoing case where Fine and an family said that during COVID, a special needs teacher abused a child with Down Syndrome over her mask falling off. The family lied. They and Fine paraded this young child out there making false claims of abuse. The police investigated and found no abuse, (they had lots of video) but Fine kept putting the lie out there. There is a special place in hell for someone who lies about a special needs child to get elected.
The sad thing is that Fine is the “best” representation Brevard County could find. His democrat challenger is a socialist and had criminal convictions. Fine was endorsed by BREC which is the Brevard County Republican Party. No one knows why as individually, leaders in the party can’t stand him. (One has to wonder if he has pictures of people in compromising positions with animals.) There was no one else for conservatives to vote for.
There are so many other stories about how much of a despicable turd this guy is.
We can all support what he said in this case and the point he made in this instance.
But no one – and we mean no one – should ever support him.
So his tenure is assured?
Yep. IMO, Fine grabbed hold of this issue from NYC as way to refurbish his political image. Doesn’t mean what he’s stated here is wrong but this is more than a blind squirrel finding an acorn it’s a politician grabbing a lifeline.
I have no doubt what you say is true, but what does it have to do with the intrusion of Islam into American public life? Fine is correct here. Acknowledging that does not translate into unmitigated support for him as a politician or person.
Fine throws haymakers in order to distract.
It seems to be working.
That case in Florida is going badly for him, and he wants to distract from that.
He had issues with COVID funds.
When there was an accounting error at UCF (which is outside his district) he demanded that the largest college in the country be shuttered.
Anyone who was against his proposals on casino gambling was labeled a bigot because it was proposed by him.
To the outsider, Fine’s statement is about the “intrusion of Islam into American public life.” To the rest of us who know him, see him in action and watched him lie and distract at every opportunity, his statement is about protecting him – not the “American public life.”
But he’s still right.
Ad hominem is so leftist.
Jews who support the “Palestinian” cause are kapos.
People who disagree on gun control laws are not “kapos.”
People who disagree on ballot initiatives are not “kapos.”
People who support another candidate are not “kapos.”
Fine uses the accusation of “kapo” in any disagreement with people of the Jewish faith. When a rabbi called Fine out for his hypocrisy on a spending proposal, the pro-Israel, well respected man within the community was labeled a “kapo,” leading others to attack the man, his synagogue and his congregation. Fine did not take responsibility for initiating the attacks and continued his calling the man a “kapo.”
People need to understand that while the idea that Fine expressed may be good or acceptable, Fine himself is a despicable human being who lies at the drop of a hate and cannot stand legitimate criticism.
He is child.
Even people in his own district suspect that he suddenly made this comment because of the lawsuit against a former School Board member. He keeps losing in court and when asks by reporters, they get labeled as “Nazis.” When members of the Jewish faith ask him about it, he calls them “kapos.”
That’s not the type of person who should be supported.
“People who disagree on gun control laws are not “kapos.”
Yes they are.
My German Shepherd never burned a church or synagogue.
My Great Dane never raped anyone.
Mom’s Rottweiler never barked alahu akbar while wielding a machete on a sidewalk.
I’ll stick with dogs.
My Dane mix is a big, lovable doofus. He’s getting a little old, but still romps around with the best of them.
yeah but he’s german so his ancestors might have and that of course would make him guilty and possibly living on stolen land
where was your great dane on the night of oct 14 3 years ago
theres been a report
has the rotts ever attended a flight school?
I always considered the Welch the strongest of the British, living in harsh conditions, defending they way of life through the centuries
Guess I was wrong
yeah
but they made a pretty good jam
Sad that the people who erected Stonehenge no longer have stones.
This tail gives me paws. Every dog has his day, but a dog with a broken tail has a weak end.
My daughters muslim HS friend was allowed to come to our house for playdates; her father always stood outside to pick her up. I thought it was odd behavior until someone told me that dogs were considered unclean (well, if you’ve ever had dogs and vacuumed up dog hair or tried to get it off your suit, you know this to be true lol).
tbh I hope Mandami succeeds in taking over rent-controlled housing…and banning dogs…because no one will believe the nuttiness otherwise. Hopefully, we get to confirm the nuttiness before the mid terms.
“ Although it’s amazing that a Muslim would immigrate to America and utter such a presumptuous statement…”
They weren’t immigrating, they’re invading.
The argument used to be people who allow their pets on the bed vs those that didn’t. Of course, most of the time, the pet will let you know of their decision and instruct you to make adequate space on the bed to accommodate them.
they were invading
now no longer a need to do so as the fear of another 9 11 has people backing down and electing them to office so that the takeover can hopefully be slowed down
It’s unclean to marry a six year old, but Mooslims think Pedo Mo is the “perfect man”. Also, it’s the 21st century and millions of Mooslims still wipe their asses with their hands.
Hey, that’s unfair.
It’s OK to marry them at six, but absolutely no nookie until 7½.
It’s the intrinsically supremacist, totalitarian, belligerent, subversive, hate-filled and pathology-laden ideology of “Submission” that is “unclean.”
Goose-stepping, subversive, obnoxious and evil Islamofascist/Muslim supremacist pieces of excrement such as the ugly and vile Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Keith Ellison, Nerdeen Kiswani, Zohran Mamdani and the rest of their Mohammadan cohort should shut the f*** up and can go to hell.
Submission and Liberty are antonyms. Never forget that.
If there are no dogs in heaven,
then when I die I want to go where they went.
–Will Rogers
I’m with Will.
We have six more cute babies (out of a generous litter of 12), just like the one in the top photo, who will be ready for homes the last week of March. Our clients love to adopt them, just as much as we love to provide them.
We’ve been doing it for 25 years, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to stop just because some bossy invader tells me I have to
collect their poop and send it to him
It’s obvious that after the elections of Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Keith Ellison, Zohran Mamdani and other Islamofascists/Muslim supremacists, at the Congressional or state levels, these pukes are becoming increasingly brazen, obnoxious and bullying in their efforts to spread Islamic/sharia ideological tenets and doctrines.
There is no such thing as secular Islam — this wretched and evil ideology is always pursuing conquest and subversion of non-Muslims lands and societies.
These Islamofascist/Muslim supremacist pukes have become totally emboldened in their subversive and obnoxious agitations and rhetoric, in Australia, Canada, Europe and the U.S., and, why shouldn’t they be? Leftists’/Dhimmi-crats’ full-throated embrace of a “red-green” alliance has given them carte blanche to do as they please, without any cultural, political or legal repercussions.
NYC allegedly “coming to Islam” seems like a decidedly awkward declaration, as the 25th anniversary of the Muslim terrorist attacks on NYC, D.C. and Pennsylvania, approaches.
“I’m with Randy Fine on this one. Leave our dogs alone. If you are offended by dogs, go live in a Muslim country.”
Or better yet, go DIE in a Muslim country.
It’s kinda sick that we got this article when they aimed at dogs, but still have none over what they do every day to women and girls.
It’s time to crusade, people.
The West needs to take back Mecca.
And dismantle it.
To a certain religion that wants to ban dogs in America.
Consider that John Wick would be the moderate solution.
If Americans were ever for some reason faced with such a choice it would be difficult, because an America without Jews would be a much poorer place, as would be an America without dogs.
Fortunately that is not a choice that will ever have to be made, because Jews have never had any objection to dogs. For various historical reasons dogs have not traditionally been popular among Jews as pets, but they’re not unknown, and we’ve never had any objection to those who do wish to have them. I know of some very orthodox communities where dog ownership has recently become quite popular, though it’s still new enough to be noteworthy.
More to the point, you don’t want to stop US from eating pork.
I’ll say the same thing to Muslims that I tell Democrats about guns: “Don’t like dogs? Don’t own one.”
We invited you “refugees” here (purportedly) to save your skins — not to give our society a makeover. If you can’t be grateful, be gone.
Indeed. Anyone who wants to join us is welcome, but we don’t expect most people ever to take us up on that invitation, and that’s perfectly okay.
Speaking of food, they are pushing halal- grocery stores, restaurants. I recently saw where Buffalo Wild Wings (at least in a TX location) has halal food.
I will not be eating food sacrificed to a false god in an islamic incantation during said slaughter.
BWW posts, so I don’t patronize them in any case.
Cenk Uygur followed:
Imagine what would happen if anyone in politics or media said, “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Jews is not a difficult one.”
———————-
Jews didn’t fly planes into the World Trade Center, they haven’t been planting IED’s to kill our troops so cenk can go eff himself. Disgusting person through and through.
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