Randy Fine compares Muslims to dogs; Newsom calls for his resignation
California Gov. Gavin Newsom ripped into Rep. Randy Fine on Sunday after the Florida Republican posted a line comparing Muslims to dogs — a comment that set off a rapid backlash and pulled a separate online fight about dogs, religion and New York City street mess into national politics.
Fine wrote on X: “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.” Newsom responded directly to that post: “Resign now, you racist slob.”
The exchange came as social media arguments churned over a separate post by New York–based activist Nerdeen Kiswani, who leads the pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime. In a tweet that drew wide attention, Kiswani wrote: “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.”
Kiswani’s remark was framed by some coverage and commenters as a serious call to push dogs out of homes; other accounts described it as satire or a jab amid frustration over dog waste left on snow-covered sidewalks after a winter storm.
What set it off in New York
The online flare-up traces back to a familiar New York complaint that got louder after winter weather: unscooped dog waste becoming more noticeable on sidewalks and in snow piles. One report cited a rise in “dog waste” complaints filed through the city’s 311 system in the weeks after the storm.
Kiswani’s post landed in that context, combining a public-cleanliness gripe with a religious/cultural argument about dogs being “unclean.” It quickly spread beyond New York, with critics accusing her of trying to impose religious standards on pet owners, while others argued the post was being stripped of context to inflame culture-war outrage.
Dogs and Islam: why this argument shows up online
Across Muslim communities, views on dogs vary, but it’s common in many traditions to treat dogs — especially their saliva — as ritually impure, and to discourage keeping dogs in the home strictly as pets. At the same time, many interpretations allow dogs for practical purposes like guarding or hunting, and emphasize humane treatment.
That mix — “dogs can be useful, but they’re not treated like indoor companions” — is part of why the topic keeps resurfacing online, particularly in cities where pet culture is prominent and public sanitation complaints can go viral.
The political blowback
Fine’s post, however, shifted the controversy from a nasty streets debate into a national political brawl. Newsom’s response — calling Fine a “racist slob” and urging him to resign — amplified the dispute and drew additional attention to Fine’s original phrasing, which critics described as dehumanizing.
Newsweek reported that it contacted both offices for comment. Other public figures and accounts also weighed in, circulating screenshots of Fine’s post and condemning the comparison.
As of Sunday, Fine’s post and Newsom’s reply were both still viewable on X, with Newsom’s response rapidly racking up views and engagement.
What’s actually being argued now
Even though the fight began with dog poop and a provocative line about Islam, the center of gravity has shifted. The loudest part of the debate is now about rhetoric — specifically, whether an elected official’s “dogs vs. Muslims” framing crosses an ethical line that warrants formal consequences, and whether high-profile Democrats like Newsom will keep escalating online pile-ons as a political strategy heading deeper into 2026.
Meanwhile, the original spark — the complaint that some dog owners leave a mess behind — remains what it has always been: a city problem that tends to explode after storms, when sidewalks are harder to navigate and every neglected pile becomes easier to notice.
