Pro-Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani demands ban of pet dogs in NYC over Islam—claims it's a 'joke' after backlash

A pro-Palestinian activist in the Big Apple has called for dogs to be banned as pets in New York City, citing Islam, but later claimed that she was just making a "joke."

Nerdeen Kiswani wrote on X, "Finally, NYC is coming to Islam. Dogs definitely have a place in society, just not as indoor pets. Like we've said all along, they are unclean." After backlash against the post ensued, Kiswani wrote in a follow-up post, "[Laughing] at the Zionists frothing at the mouth at this, thinking they're doing something," she wrote. "It's obviously a joke I don't care if you have a dog, I do care if your dog is sh*tting everywhere and you're not cleaning it."

"Also clearly trying to weigh in on an issue unaware of the current NYC discourse where we're collectively (jokingly) hating on dogs given all the visible dog sh*t in the unmelted snow," she added. Muslims typically do not keep dogs as pets, as many believe that they are meant for hunting or herding, according to the Daily Mail.

Kiswani has led several pro-Palestinian rallies in the Big Apple with the organization "Within Our Lifetime," which calls for Israel to be eradicated. When the October 7 massacre in Israel took place, she shared two posts from Within Our Lifetime that suggested the mass killing by Hamas terrorists was justified. The post on X from Within Our Lifetime called for a rally "as we mobilize to defend the heroic Palestinian resistance, honor our martyrs and let the world know that NYC stands with Gaza."