Politics

RFK Jr. Faces Backlash After Claiming Arabs Made No Scientific Contributions

By Al Jazeera Staff

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the United States health secretary, sparked outrage after stating on Monday that Arabs do not produce science, win Nobel Prizes, Fields Prizes, Wolf Prizes, or literature. He made the remarks during a campaign event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, supporting Republican nominee Mike Rogers in the Senate race against Arab‑American Democrat Abdul El‑Sayed. Critics called the comments racist, Islamophobic and factually incorrect, citing Arab achievements in mathematics, science, medicine, optics, surgery, geography, and literature. Notable Arab‑descended laureates include Peter Medawar (1960 Nobel Prize in Medicine, Lebanese father), Michael Atiyah (1966 Fields Medal, Lebanese father), Naguib Mahfouz (1988 Nobel Prize in Literature, Egyptian), Elias James Corey (1990 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Lebanese descent), Ahmed Zewail (1993 Wolf Prize and 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Egyptian), Mohamed ElBaradei (2005 Nobel Peace Prize, Egyptian), Omar Yaghi (2018 Wolf Prize and 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Jordanian‑Palestinian), and Moungi Bawendi (2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Tunisian father). Vaccine scientist Peter Hotez and broadcaster Mehdi Hasan condemned the remarks, while the Council on American‑Islamic Relations called for Kennedy’s removal, accusing him of spreading white supremacist rhetoric and fueling anti‑Arab and anti‑Muslim hate.}