Republican Representative Randy Fine of Florida has escalated his confrontation with the left over radical Islam by unveiling a federal bill aimed at protecting Americans right to own dogs.
The legislation, titled the "Protecting Puppies from Sharia Act," would block federal funds from flowing to any state or local government that attempts to ban dogs as pets. According to RedState, Fines move follows days of Democrat outrage over his blunt social media comments drawing a line between American cultural norms and Islamist demands, and it underscores a broader clash between traditional American values and the creeping accommodation of extremist ideology.
Fine announced the bill in a defiant post on X, pairing his message with the image of a small dog superimposed above the iconic Gadsden flag slogan, Dont tread on me. "I am proud to introduce the Protecting Puppies from Sharia Act," Fine declared, adding, "Democrats are losing their minds because I made a simple statementgiven a choice between our dogs and those who would ban them, the choice is easy. They can pound sand."
The congressman framed the measure as a straightforward defense of American freedoms against any attemptforeign or domesticto impose religious prohibitions on everyday life. "In America, we will not allow anyone to tell us that we cannot have dogs," Fine said. "My bill protects Americans' right to own a dog and would not allow federal funding to be given to any state or local government that bans them as Haram."
The term Haram is an Arabic word meaning forbidden or prohibited under Islamic law, and Fine made clear he sees no place for such religious strictures in U.S. public policy. "There are 57 countries that are Sharia compliant; the United States will not be the 58th," he concluded, signaling that his bill is as much a cultural statement as it is a legislative proposal.
Fines stance comes after he became the target of a coordinated backlash from Democrats and left-wing activists who seized on his earlier comments about choosing dogs over Muslims if forced into such a choice. You have to hand it to Fine: he has refused to retreat, even as his critics have spent days trying to politically neuter him over remarks that, in context, were clearly a response to Islamist hostility toward dogs rather than an unprovoked attack on all Muslims.
Over the weekend, Fine wrote on X, "If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one." His opponents immediately pounced, accusing him of bigotry and even genocidal rhetoric, but their outrage conveniently ignored the provocation that sparked his response.
Fine had been reacting to comments from Nerdeen Kiswani, a pro-Palestinian activist closely aligned with Democratic Socialist New York City Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who celebrated what she portrayed as New York Citys drift toward Islamic norms regarding dogs. Finally, NYC is coming to Islam. Dogs definitely have a place in society, just not as indoor pets," she wrote. "Like weve said all along, they are unclean.
Kiswani later tried to walk back her remarks by claiming they were a joke, but Fine rejected that explanation as implausible. Theres no reading of it that sounds satirical," he said. "In Islam, they dont like dogs ... So when a major Muslim leader says weve got to get rid of them, you should take them seriously.
The Florida Republicans refusal to apologize has infuriated Democratic leadership, which has been eager to brand any criticism of radical Islam as Islamophobia while downplaying the intolerance embedded in Sharia-based restrictions. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, rushed to condemn Fine and to pressure Republicans into punishing him.
"Randy Fine is a disgrace to the United States Congress. He is an Islamophobic, disgusting, and unrepentant bigot," Jeffries raged, insisting, "Republican leaders must hold this so-called Member of Congress accountable." He further claimed, without offering evidence, that "Political violence, xenophobia, and hate crimes against the Muslim community are on the rise," and vowed, "House Democrats will not let the racist and bigoted behavior of Randy Fine go unchecked."
Jeffries has floated the possibility of censure, stripping Fine of committee assignments, or even expulsion if Democrats gain sufficient power after the midterm elections. His posture reflects a broader pattern on the left: aggressive policing of speech that challenges Islamist ideology, while showing far less concern for the rights and traditions of ordinary Americans who simply want to live without religious dictates imposed on them.
Fine, for his part, has stressed that he is drawing a clear line between peaceful, law-abiding Muslims and those who seek to impose Sharia norms on American society. In an interview with The Hill, he said he is distinguishing between mainstream Islam and radical Islam," and he even hinted he might bring a dog as his guest to the State of the Union as a pointed reminder of where he stands.
He articulated his position in terms that many Americans instinctively understand: If a group of people says, Hey, weve just shown up in your country, and dogs violate our religion, so you have to stop having them. My answer to them is, No, these are our pets. You can go home, he said. That sentiment captures a core conservative principlethat newcomers should adapt to American culture and freedoms, not demand that America conform to their religious rules.
Fine plans to formally introduce the "Protecting Puppies from Sharia Act" on Friday, and he reportedly already has four co-sponsors backing the measure. Whether Democrats succeed in weaponizing his comments against him or not, the bill forces a debate that many in Washington would rather avoid: whether the United States will unapologetically defend its own way of life, right down to the family dog, against the encroachment of radical ideologies that view cherished American traditions as unclean.
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