Dogs or Muslims?

February 20, 2026 3:07pm

Congressman Randy Fine (R-FL) got himself some bad press about his post on X earlier this week stating that "If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one."

Naturally, the Council on American-Islamic Relations demanded his resignation. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) called Fine "an Islamophobic, disgusting and unrepentant bigot." Other Democrats and their allies in the propaganda press piled on. But Fine responded with an explanation that his post was "in response to a major Muslim leader saying dogs should be forbidden from New York City because to some Muslims, it bothers them. Well, if they're going to make us choose between our dogs and them going home, the choice is easy."

Well, I'd like to examine the dogs versus Muslims question in the broader context of the entire United States - and really the entire western world. I have traveled to Muslim areas in the Middle East and found every Muslim with whom I've had personal interaction to be outwardly friendly. When I was in Bethlehem in the Muslim-majority West Bank, after purchasing a gold Jerusalem Cross necklace for my wife, I asked the Muslim jewelry merchant for hotel and dinner recommendations. He not only recommended a nice hotel and restaurant (which were not co-located), but he offered my friend and I the use of his car and chauffeur to get there. We had our own rental car, so we drove ourselves to the hotel. But we took him up on his offer for transportation to and from the restaurant. Then after enjoying an outstanding meal, we decided to instead walk back to the hotel. A few miles. At night. Through dark streets in Muslim neighborhoods. Although we joked between us that we would be kidnapped, we never felt fear. It was a wonderful experience. I've received medical care from Muslim physicians in the United States. I could go on and on with other examples. But I won't. Suffice it to say that I have had many favorable interactions with Muslims in the U.S. and abroad. Just like every other demographic, there are good people and bad people. No group should ever be painted with a broad brush. Nevertheless, I'm going to get out my brush to paint some facts.

Not all Muslims are violent. Not all Muslims are jihadists. But Islam has spread like a cancer across the globe. Its spread is nothing new. Islam's founder, Muhammad (May Peace Be Upon Him) was a violent murderer himself. Through his guidance, Islam was spread by the sword. While it is true that there are many suras (verses) in the Quran that advocate for peace, those were written during the Meccan period of 610 – 622 AD when Muhammad and his followers were in the minority and had to peacefully coexist.

But then Mohammed moved to Medina in 622 where he rapidly obtained political power and military strength. It was then that his writings advocated violence against the Infidels. Muhammad himself was illiterate, so technically he never wrote anything. But his words that are written in the Quran are believed by faithful Muslims to be the absolute, final, and unquestioned truth. Unlike the Christian Bible where there is a clear delineation between the Old Testament and the New Testament, the Meccan suras and the Medinan suras are intertwined throughout the Quran. That makes it difficult to determine when it was written without significant scholarly research. The suras most quoted by Jihadists are Suras 9:5-6, which states "Kill the polytheists (Infidels) wherever you find them, capture them, besiege them, and lie in wait for them on every way. But if they repent, perform prayers, and pay alms-tax, then set them free. Indeed, Allah is all-forgiving, most merciful. And if anyone from the polytheists asks for your protection ˹O Prophet˺, grant it to them so they may hear the Word of Allah, then escort them to a place of safety, for they are a people who have no knowledge." In other words, Muslims are commanded to do one of four things when they encounter an Infidel: 1) convert them, 2) tax them, 3) enslave them, or 4) kill them. A fifth option of just getting along with them is not available. Those instructions are being used by Muslim Jihadists to justify their violence.

Today's Islamic violence is not being committed by all Muslims. But it is being done by faithful Muslims. And Islam's hatred is not limited to the Jewish people. Muslims hate all Infidels, which they define as anyone who is not Muslim. While the Middle East may be the focus of most Islamic terrorism, calls to "Globalize the Intifada" are growing, especially among Muslim youth. There is a saying among the Muslim Brotherhood organization: "First the Saturday People, then the Sunday People."

Islam has used the same playbook for 1400 years:

Step 1: Immigrate

Step 2: Populate

Step 3: Dominate

Step 4: Subjugate

Most Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and North Africa were predominantly Christian prior to the Islamic conquests which began in the 7th Century and have continued to this day. Under the Byzantine Empire, Turkey was the center of Eastern Christianity. The Levant (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel) was dominated by the Christian Roman Empire. Central Asia & Iran were predominantly Zoroastrian, Buddhist, and Christian. Those are all now intolerant Muslim-majority states. Europe has imported so many Muslims that it is only a matter of time before most of Europe is Muslim. Poland will be the exception because the Poles were wise enough to prohibit the mass migration of Muslims into Poland. Although the United States has also imported millions of Muslims, we have not yet reached the tipping point of inevitable conquest.

There are many peaceful Muslims in the United states. In fact, I would say that most Muslims in the United States are peaceful. But history has shown that as the Muslim population grows, it becomes emboldened to demand fealty and to commit more and more acts of violence.

Is speaking that truth Islamophobia? A phobia is an irrational hatred of something. I don't hate Muslims. But because I know the history of Islam, I am wary of allowing its growth in the West because Islamic culture is incompatible with Western values. Islam does not value free speech, freedom of religion, or even free will. The word "Islam" translates to "Submission." Faithful Muslims are not given the option to submit. It is mandatory. They are told to do what Muhammad told them to do in the Quran. And they are to do with the imams tell them to do at Friday services. Free will and free choice are not Islamic values. Moreover, Islam is not just a religion. It is a culture, a rule book, a government, and a military force. It exists for one reason and one reason only; to dominate the planet with everyone submitting to the Islamic faith.

Much of Christianity has spread through the use of force as well. But that was centuries ago. Today, Christians try to grow their faith by sharing the gospel with unbelievers in the hopes of converting them. But it is done through persuasion and voluntary choice. If someone rejects an invitation to become a Christian, they are allowed to live. But that is not true for those who reject an invitation to become a Muslim.

In 2014, I was invited into the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem's office located at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the Temple Mount (what Muslims call Haram al-Sharif) for a meeting. I was asked to convert to Islam by the Grand Mufti's assistant. I politely declined and was allowed to leave his office alive. So of course there are exceptions. But in the macro sense, Islam's agenda is built upon the strategy of convert or die. And that is not what we need more of in the United States.

Randy Fine's words were perhaps an inadvisable thing to say. But it was his sincere opinion based on facts. Dogs are cute and cuddly. Ask yourself this question: would the United States be better off with more dogs? Or with more Muslims?