Qatar's US ambassador rebukes Congressman Randy Fine after Laura Loomer interview

Qatar’s ambassador to the US sent a rare, direct rebuke to Republican Congressman Randy Fine for Islamaphobic and anti-Qatar comments he made during an interview with far-right social media personality Laura Loomer.

Fine, a Jewish-American lawmaker, is a staunch defender of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has been recognised as a genocide by the United Nations. Over 68,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war.

Throughout Israel’s onslaught, Fine, who has a history of Islamophobic rhetoric, called for Israel to “nuke” the enclave and for Palestinians in Gaza to “starve away”.

Fine was embroiled in controversy over the summer when he shared on social media a call for legislation he dubbed the “Thump Thump Act,” which would allow drivers to run over protesters with their cars. He called the demonstrators “Muslim terrorists”.

Fine has been a staunch critic of protests against Israel on US college campuses.

In his interview with Loomer, he falsely claimed that Qatar “funds most of the institutions that are damaging” the US and alleged it was “responsible" for protests over Israel’s genocide in Gaza that he claimed were “antisemitic”.

“Qatar condemns antisemitism, and all forms of religious or ethnic intolerance. Qatar had no role in the recent unrest on US college campuses, and there is no evidence to the contrary,” Qatar’s ambassador to Washington, Meshal al-Thani, wrote in a letter to Fine that was shared by Loomer on Sunday on X. 

Thani proceeded to directly take down Fine’s allegations, noting that in 2024, the US House of Representatives released an "Antisemitism Staff Report" that said there was no evidence Qatar “had any involvement in this rise in antisemitism on university campuses or any campus unrest”.

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Thani also cited former US director of national intelligence Avril Haines, who stated that there was no evidence Qatar supported protests on college campuses.

Fine won a special election in April 2025 as a Florida congressman after Trump’s nominee for ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, vacated his seat.

Fine, a former state lawmaker and executive for casino gambling companies, was backed by the pro-Israel lobbying group, the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Gaza

Qatar hosts the largest US military base in the Middle East at al-Udeid. The Gulf state was a critical mediator during the Gaza ceasefire talks.

Analysts and diplomats say that US President Donald Trump partially decided to push for a ceasefire in Gaza after Israel botched an attempt to assassinate Hamas negotiators in the Gulf state. 

Trump forced Netanyahu to apologise for the strike and issued an executive order vowing to defend Qatar if it were attacked.

In his interview with Loomer, Fine criticised the Trump administration’s plan to allow Qatari fighter pilots to train at an air base in Idaho. Fine said “everybody should be afraid” of Muslim fighter pilots training in the US.

“As you know, American allies have sent their pilots to train in the US for decades. This is not a new or unusual arrangement, and Qatar is fully absorbing the costs,” Thani wrote.

“I would add that Qatar's F-15 purchases and ongoing support requirements generate thousands of jobs in the US, as well as contributing interoperability to joint US-Qatar defense missions. I assume you did not intend your remarks to be understood as a categorical fear of Muslims,” Thani added.

The Qatari ambassador said around 3.5 million Muslims live in the US, with around 127,000 in Fine’s state of Florida, making it home to the “12th largest Muslim population in America”.