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By Jordan King
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Florida Republican Congressman Randy Fine is facing calls for his resignation after saying that "mainstream Muslims" should "be destroyed."
He said on X: "Rep. Fine on How to Deal with Mainstream Muslims: 'I don’t know how you make peace with those who seek your destruction, I think you destroy them first.' "
The post including a clip of him saying a similar thing at House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing called "Understanding Judea and Samaria."
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Newsweek has contacted Fine, via email, for comment.
Why It Matters
The comments come amid heightened tensions fueled by the war in the Middle East and the increased scrutiny of Islamophobic and antisemitic discourse in American politics. Fine said during the hearing that he was "not afraid" of being branded Islamophobic.
What To Know
During a congressional hearing on Thursday, Rep. Fine made his remarks while discussing the West Bank.
He discussed his views on the origins of the Middle East conflict, saying Palestinians are Jordanians who "invented a new name to try to imply that a third state should be created," beyond Israel and Jordan.
"In 1967 that war that started in 1948 continued and Israel won territory back from the Jordanians," Fine said. "Now, in the United States, when we fought wars and we have won territory, we generally keep it. And that’s typically the way the world works."
He went on to argue that this has not been the case for Israel, which Fine said has "nonetheless gone along with this fiction and tried…in 2005, in Gaza."
"And we saw how that worked out," Fine said. "And so now we’re faced with ‘what do we do in Judea and Samaria’," he continued, before speaking about the "segregation" he says he has witnessed there.
"When you are dealing with a group of people, who routinely call for the destruction of the state of Israel…how do you make peace with that?" he asked. "How do you make a long-term solution with that? Or is there another way that we have to go?"
At one point Morton A. ("Mort") Klein, the president of the Zionist Organization of America, interjected calling for Hamas to disarm and for a "reformation of Islam."
"There needs to be a reformation of Islam," Klein said. "A reformation of Islam which accepts Israel as a Jewish state, which no longer promotes violence and terrorism, which so many of the imams promote."
"And nobody wants to talk about it, they’re afraid of being called Islamophobic," Klein added. Fine interrupted to say "I’m not afraid of that" before letting Klein finish.
Fine then ended his speech saying: "I don’t know how you make peace with those who seek your destruction, you destroy them first."
His account on X then shared a snippet of Fine saying this last sentence on X with the caption: "Rep. Fine on How to Deal with Mainstream Muslims: ‘I don’t know how you make peace with those who seek your destruction, I think you destroy them first’."
This has led to widespread backlash, with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, calling on the U.S. House to demand Fine’s resignation.
"If any elected official had called for the genocide of all ‘mainstream Jews’ or ‘mainstream Christians,’ their career would rightfully be over," CAIR said in a statement.
"Although Mr. Fine has made hateful and genocidal remarks in the past, his explicit call for the destruction of all ‘mainstream Muslims’ leaves no doubt that he is a bigoted sociopath unworthy of a seat in Congress," it said.
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What People Are Saying
CAIR said in a statement: "Let’s be clear. ‘Mainstream Muslims’ were on American soil centuries before Randy Fine was born. Muslim explorers traveled to this continent. Black Muslims helped build this country. Muslim soldiers fought in every war dating back to the American Revolution. American Muslim doctors, entrepreneurs, activists, athletes, elected officials, entertainers and students contribute to our society every day.
"Randy Fine can cry about it. He can scream about it. He can rage-post about it. But American Muslims will still be here long after history forgets Randy Fine’s name, praying to God five times a day, fasting in Ramadan, giving in charity, and pursuing for justice for all people."
Conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson spoke on his Thursday podcast episode about previous X posts from Fine about Gaza saying he had called the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, saying: "This is the Republican Party? How can you allow this? How can you allow a member of Congress, a Republican…this is the Republican Party?"
What Happens Next
Pressure will likely mount on Congress to condemn Fine’s remarks. It is unclear whether formal action will be taken. The incident is expected to further ignite debates over political speech, Islamophobia, and accountability in U.S. politics.
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