The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today strongly condemned Florida Congressman Randy Fine’s latest statement calling for the nuclear annihilation of Gaza and urged both Republican and Democratic leaders to take immediate action to publicly denounce his genocidal rhetoric and remove him from all congressional committees and caucuses.
During a recent appearance on Fox News, Rep. Fine invoked the U.S. atomic bombing of Japan during World War II and suggested the same tactic should be used in Gaza:
“In World War II, we did not negotiate a surrender with the Nazis. We did not negotiate a surrender with the Japanese. We nuked the Japanese twice in order to get unconditional surrender. That needs to be the same here.”
CAIR said this statement constitutes an explicit incitement to violence, endangering American Muslims and Palestinians, by calling for nuclear genocide against more than two million Palestinians, half of whom are children. It represents one of the most dangerous and dehumanizing remarks ever made by a sitting member of Congress and marks an escalation of Fine’s long-standing pattern of inciting violence and bigotry.
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert S. McCaw said:
“Let’s be clear: Randy Fine is not just a dangerous bigot. He is a sitting member of Congress openly fantasizing about the nuclear genocidal extermination of Palestinians. Fine’s statements are more aligned with the genocidal maniacs of the Israeli Knesset than with any vision of American leadership, with the exception of Brian Mast.
“Fine’s deranged rhetoric is not only morally reprehensible but also deeply damaging to the Trump administration’s stated efforts to establish a ceasefire and pursue peace in the region. He’s not a so-called Make America Great Again Republican, he’s a Make Israel Great Republican, no matter how many civilians have to be murdered to prove it.
“Congress must now decide whether it will uphold its ethical responsibilities or stand by while one of its own openly calls for mass murder of Palestinians. Silence in the face of genocide is complicity. There must be consequences.”
Earlier this month, on May 6, CAIR sent a letter to every member of the U.S. House of Representatives and more than 1,600 congressional staffers, urging them to condemn Rep. Fine’s dangerously anti-Muslim, anti-American, and anti-Palestinian rhetoric.
That letter documented ten examples of Fine promoting hatred, threatening elected officials, mocking the deaths of children, and advocating collective punishment. His latest statement—calling to “nuke Gaza”—adds a chilling new level of extremism that demands immediate bipartisan rebuke.
Fine’s broader record includes:
- Saying “Gaza must be destroyed.”
- Calling a fellow member of Congress a “Muslim terrorist.”
- Telling Palestinians to “eat rockets” and posting hashtags like #BombsAway and #StarveAway.
- Mocking a dead Palestinian child with “Quite well, actually! Thanks for the pic!”
- Telling a Muslim constituent to “go blow yourself up.”
- Referring to a Palestinian keffiyeh as a “terrorist rag” during a public hearing.
- Threatening to weaponize anti-protest and anti-boycott laws to silence dissent.
CAIR is continuing it call on:
- Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to immediately and publicly condemn Fine’s genocidal remarks
- All members of Congress to refuse to work with Fine and confront his extremism whenever it appears
- The House to formally censure Fine and remove him from all committee and caucus assignments
CAIR will continue working with allied organizations, civil rights leaders, and elected officials to hold Rep. Fine accountable and ensure that no member of Congress is allowed to promote violence without facing consequences.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com