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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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Republican congressman Randy Fine's call for “more Islamophobia” has sparked backlash from progressives after violent attacks on a synagogue and college on Thursday.
"We need more Islamophobia, not less. Fear of Islam is rational," the Florida representative wrote on X on Thursday evening.
Democratic congressman Josh Gottheimer, of New Jersey, responded on X, "WTF is wrong with you? After a day like today, we need unity, not more hatred and division."
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Author and podcaster Wajahat Ali quoted Fine's X post and wrote, "We need less Randy Fine."
Former CNN White House correspondent John Harwood said, "we need fewer garbage humans in Congress."
Newsweek contacted Fine's office via email outside of normal office hours on Friday.
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Why It Matters
The two violent attacks come amid accelerated religious and cultural tensions in the wake of Israel's war in Gaza, launched in 2003, and its new war, alongside the United States, in Iran, as well as domestic attacks linked to Islamic extremism, such as the 2025 case of a pickup truck driving into a crowd of people in New Orleans.
Recorded instances of antisemitism topped 9,300—the highest in 45-year records—in 2024, the latest available data, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has been critical of the ADL, has said it had received more than 8,600 Islamophobia complaints nationwide in 2025—the highest in 29-year records.
There are about twice as many Jewish people to Muslims living in the U.S., according to think tank Pew Research Center.
Fine, who is Jewish, has previously faced condemnation and calls to resign from Democrats, civil rights groups and some Jewish organizations over his rhetoric about Muslims and Palestinians.
What To Know
On Thursday, a shooting at Virginia’s Old Dominion University left one person dead and injured two others. The shooter was confronted and subdued by a classroom of ROTC students, the FBI said, and the suspect killed. ROTC is a college-based program allowing students to train to become military officers while earning a degree.
The alleged shooter was identified as 36-year-old Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former Virginia National Guard member who pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to provide material support to ISIS.
The special agent in charge of the FBI’s Norfolk field office, Dominique Evans, told reporters the suspect had attempted an “act of terrorism” and shouted “Allahu Akbar” before opening fire.
In a separate incident, a vehicle rammed into the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. The building caught fire after the suspect drove through it while armed with a rifle and carrying a large quantity of explosives, investigators said. Officials have yet to offer a motive for the attack.
The suspect named as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, who was born in Lebanon and became a U.S. citizen in 2016, the Department of Homeland Security said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom previously called on Fine to resign over comments the Republican made about Muslims.
"If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one," Fine wrote on X on February 16.
"Resign now, you racist slob," Newsom said in response.
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