GOP Lawmakers Call for 'Mass Expulsion' of Muslims After Sydney Attack, Drawing Democratic Backlash

Recent comments by two Republican lawmakers are fueling concerns about Islamophobia within the GOP, after two members of Congress called for the mass expulsion of Muslims from the United States.

Rep. Randy Fine, who represents Florida's 6th congressional district, reacted to news from Australia in which two armed attackers killed 15 people and wounded more than 40 others in a mass shooting during a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's Bondi Beach.

The attack, considered Australia's worst mass shooting in more than 30 years, was labeled a "terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State," according to Australia's federal police commissioner, Krissy Barrett. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese supported that assessment, saying it was based on evidence obtained, including "the presence of Islamic State flags in the vehicle that has been seized."

As new details about the shooting continue to emerge, the tragedy has been used by Republicans in Congress to warn of the possibility of a similar attack in the United States.

In a post on X, Fine called for the U.S. government to impose a travel ban on Muslims, suggesting that diversity around the world has "become suicidal."

"It is time for a Muslim travel ban, radical deportations of all mainstream Muslim legal and illegal immigrants, and citizenship revocations wherever possible," Fine wrote Dec. 15. "Mainstream Muslims have declared war on us. The least we can do is kick them the hell out of America."

His comments were echoed by Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who also used his X account to refer to Islam as a "cult."

"Islamists aren't here to assimilate. They're here to conquer ... We've got to SEND THEM HOME NOW or we'll become the United Caliphate of America," Tuberville wrote.

The comments by Fine and Tuberville drew sharp criticism from lawmakers on the other side of the aisle. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, called Fine's posts "disgusting" and labeled them Islamophobic.

"Our Muslim neighbors are not Republicans' scapegoats for antisemitic attacks and [Donald] Trump's failed policies," she wrote on X. "We must absolutely condemn islamophobia loudly and hold those perpetuating it accountable."

Sens. Patty Murray of Washington and Chris Murphy of Connecticut also condemned the remarks as "vile" and "un-American," while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Fine's and Tuberville's comments were an "outrageous, disgusting display of islamophobia."

Speaking to The Washington Post, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said his organization has logged an increase in anti-Muslim rhetoric over the past year, fueled by politicians and social media.

Mitchell told the outlet he was frustrated with both parties for not doing more to formally sanction lawmakers over Islamophobic rhetoric, saying a double standard exists. He pointed to the bipartisan House censure of Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Muslim Palestinian American Democrat from Michigan, over comments she made following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

"If anyone had called for the destruction of all mainstream Jews or mainstream Christians, they would rightfully be not only condemned but probably expelled from Congress," Mitchell said.

When asked by The Washington Post about criticism of Tuberville's social media post, his office responded by repeating: "Islam is not a religion, it is a cult."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations has urged Congress to formally discipline lawmakers over attacks targeting Muslims, but no censure resolution or other punitive action has advanced in response to Islamophobic remarks.