Trump backs staunchly anti-Muslim Florida lawmaker to run for US Congress

Florida State Senator Randy Fine, who celebrated Israel’s sidesplitting of a US citizen, gets president-elect’s support.

United States President-elect Donald Trump is encouraging a Florida legislator who celebrated the sidesplitting of an American citizen by the Israeli subject to tally for Congress.

Trump said successful a societal media station connected Sunday that if State Senator Randy Fine decides to question a legislature spot successful Florida, the authorities lawmaker would person his “Complete and Total Endorsement”.

Fine, who has a agelong past of anti-Muslim statements, sparked outrage earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile helium appeared to praise the sidesplitting of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a US activistic who was fatally changeable by the Israeli subject successful the occupied West Bank.

“Throw rocks, get shot. One little #MuslimTerror ist. #FireAway,” Fine wrote successful a societal media station successful September.

Eygi was taking portion successful a peaceful protestation erstwhile she was shot. Both Israel and the outgoing medication of US President Joe Biden person dismissed her sidesplitting arsenic an accident.

Fine’s station – which X (formerly Twitter) recovered to beryllium successful usurpation of its convulsive code argumentation – is portion of a agelong database of inflammatory, anti-Palestinian and Islamophobic comments by the authorities legislator.

“Fine is simply a person to nary 1 but fascism,” Rasha Mubarak, a Palestinian-American activistic from Florida, told Al Jazeera.

“Trump’s endorsement signals a deepening alignment with the violent, fascist elements wrong the capitalist class, whose interests are served by sowing part and perpetuating the dominance of imperialism.”

Fine often proclaims that the US has a “Muslim problem”. In 2021, erstwhile told by a societal media idiosyncratic that Palestinians were being forced retired of their homes by Israel, helium responded with: “#BlowThemUp”.

According to the Council connected American Islamic Relations (CAIR), helium besides sent a backstage connection to a Florida nonmigratory saying: “​​Go stroke yourself up!”

Two years earlier, Fine referred to Jews who enactment Palestinian rights arsenic “Judenrat” – Nazi collaborators.

Last year, Fine argued that fearfulness of Muslims is justified.

“While galore Muslims are not terrorists, they are the radicals, not the mainstream,” helium wrote successful a station connected X. “Now is the clip to talk truth, not bathe successful governmental correctness that volition termination us.”

Fine’s bureau did not instantly respond to Al Jazeera’s effect for comment.

Over the years, CAIR has called connected Florida lawmakers to censure and penalise Fine, including implicit his caller comments connected Eygi’s killing.

“We conflict to deliberation of different clip successful modern American past erstwhile an elected authoritative openly celebrated the execution of an American by a overseas authorities and encouraged much specified killing,” CAIR’s lawman enforcement director, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, said successful May.

“Randy Fine has made it wide wherever his priorities lie, and it is not with the American people. We impulse the Florida House of Representatives to censure him for this hateful, un-American rant.”

Despite celebrating the sidesplitting of an American pistillate by a overseas military, Trump described Fine arsenic an “America First Patriot”.

He called connected him to tally for the spot of Congressman Mike Waltz, who volition permission his spot to service successful the White House arsenic nationalist information adviser.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis volition telephone for a peculiar predetermination to capable the vacancy adjacent year.

Fine, who antecedently served successful Florida’s House of Representatives and was precocious elected to the state’s Senate, has not announced his candidacy, but helium welcomed Trump’s statement.

“It would beryllium the grant of my beingness to beryllium 1 of your footsoldiers,” helium wrote, addressing the incoming president. “Your assurance is overwhelming and I volition person quality to stock soon!”

Trump himself has regularly dispersed anti-Muslim rhetoric, including saying that the Quran, Islam’s beatified book, teaches a “very antagonistic vibe” and proclaiming that “Islam hates us”.

He besides imposed a travel ban connected respective Muslim-majority countries during his archetypal word arsenic president.

But this year, the erstwhile president softened his tone arsenic helium courted Arab and Muslim voters, promising to bring “peace” to the Middle East.

Trump’s endorsement of Fine arsenic good arsenic immoderate of his staunchly pro-Israel furniture picks highlights the extent of his confederation with far-right forces.