The recent comments made by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have sparked outrage and concern across various communities. His remarks serve as a pointed reminder of the troubling narratives that persist in political discourse today, particularly regarding Arab contributions to science and culture. Below, we explore the implications of his statements and the broader context surrounding them.
<p>Yves here. Wowsers. RFK Jr. reveals to what extent members of the Trump team will go to align themselves with controversial strategies. Even the often misguided Scott Bessent seemed more grounded before he opted to follow the Trump/Hegseth bullying playbook.</p>
<p>Not only did RFK Jr., a man often given to erratic statements, dismiss crucial intellectual contributions made by Arab scholars (consider figures like Mahmoud Darwish, Edward Said, Ibrahim Fawal, and Suad Amiry from Palestine), but he also trivialized their scientific and technical achievements. It’s important to recognize that various groups, often underestimated, are highly adept at innovation and manufacturing—evidenced by their robust indigenous drone and missile programs. Underestimating such capabilities can be a grave mistake.</p>
<p><em><strong>By Julia Conley, a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams. Originally published at <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/arab-scientists" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a></strong></em></p>
<p>In a state boasting the <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/arab-population-by-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">highest proportion</a> of Arab Americans, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attempted to rally support for Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers during a campaign event in Michigan, just a week ahead of the <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.commondreams.org/tag/midterm-elections" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">midterm elections</a>. His statements, which have been met with backlash from many across the political spectrum, reflected an alarming trend of <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-el-sayed-islamophobia" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">racist</a> and <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/jd-vance-vivek" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">misogynist</a> rhetoric.</p>
<p>While trying to bolster support for Rogers—who was trailing Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed in the polls—Kennedy made an unfounded claim regarding "500 million Arabs in the world," stating that this vast population makes little contribution to global society.</p>
<p>“They don’t produce <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.commondreams.org/tag/science" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">science</a>, they don’t win the Nobel Prize, they don’t win the Fields prize, they don’t win the Wolf Prize, they don’t produce literature,” <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/rfk-jr-arabs-islamophobia-michigan-b3074227.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Kennedy asserted</a> during his remarks in Grand Rapids.</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">RFK: “There’s five hundred million Arabs in the world. And yet they don’t produce science. They don’t win the Nobel Prize. They don’t win the Fields Prize. They don’t win the Wolf Prize. They don’t produce literature.” https://t.co/ikZHqklQjE</p>
<p>— Bulwark Clips (@BulwarkClips) <a href="https://x.com/BulwarkClips/status/2114866809493237813?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">October 26, 2026</a></p>
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<p>These remarks prompted widespread condemnation from lawmakers, advocacy groups, scientists, and journalists, who quickly pointed out that Kennedy’s accusations lacked any factual basis.</p>
<p>“Besides being overtly racist and bigoted, this is just laughably incorrect on multiple levels,” <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://x.com/justinbaragona/status/2114899119160316153" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">stated</a> Justin Baragona from Zeteo News.</p>
<p>Baragona noted that Kennedy's assertions are easily refuted. For instance, Omar Yaghi <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2025/yaghi/facts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">recently received</a> a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his groundbreaking work on metal-organic frameworks. Born in Jordan to Palestinian refugees, Yaghi also <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://wolffund.org.il/omar-yaghi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">won</a> the prestigious Wolf Prize in 2018.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, vaccine scientist Peter Hotez expressed gratitude that his late colleague and esteemed chemist Ahmed Zewail—who <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1999/zewail/facts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">won</a> the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1999—did not have to hear Kennedy's remarks.</p>
<p>Entrepreneur Saad Mohseni spotlighted several other eminent figures of Arab origin who have made significant scientific contributions:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Arab science giants:<br/>
* Ibn al-Haytham – father of optics
* Al-Kindi – invented cryptanalysis
* Al-Zahrawi – father of surgery
* Ibn al-Nafis – mapped pulmonary circulation
* Al-Battani – measured the solar year
* Ibn al-Shatir – pre-Copernican astronomy
* Ibn Khaldun – father of sociology<br/>
Nobel science laureates of Arab heritage:
* Peter Medawar 🇱🇧 – Medicine ’60, transplant immunology
* E.J. Corey 🇱🇧 – Chemistry ’90, organic synthesis
* Ahmed Zewail 🇪🇬 – Chemistry ’99, femtochemistry
* Moungi Bawendi 🇹🇳 – Chemistry ’23, quantum dots
* Omar Yaghi 🇯🇴🇵🇸 – Chemistry ’25, MOFs</p>
<p>— Saad Mohseni (@saadmohseni) <a href="https://x.com/saadmohseni/status/2114958751362846854?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">October 27, 2026</a></p>
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<p>Baragona also cited two National Book Award winners from the previous year: Lebanese writer and artist Rabih Alameddine and Egyptian-American journalist Omar El Akkad.</p>
<p>However, US Senator <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.commondreams.org/tag/chris-murphy" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Chris Murphy</a> (D-Conn.) emphasized that beyond debunking Kennedy’s inaccurate claims, it’s vital to recognize them as part of a broader "coordinated campaign to delegitimize Muslim Americans—not just as citizens, but as human beings."</p>
<p>“These escalating attacks foreshadow a very troubling future if Republicans gain more power,” Murphy cautioned.</p>
<p>The Council on American Islamic Relations <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-calls-for-immediate-firing-of-rfk-jr-over-vile-bigoted-anti-arab-rant-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">demanded</a> that Kennedy be removed from his Cabinet position due to these remarks, labeling them “a blatant display of <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.commondreams.org/tag/racism" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">racism</a> and bigotry.”</p>
<p>“To stand on a public stage as a sitting US Cabinet official and dehumanize half a billion people—and millions of Muslim and Christian Arab Americans—with fabricated, white supremacist talking points is utterly disqualifying for public office,” the group stated. “Kennedy's sweeping dismissal of Arab contributions to humanity is maliciously false and exacerbates anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiments at a time when communities are already vulnerable. Anyone who harbors such blatant contempt for an entire ethnicity should not lead a federal agency meant to serve all Americans.”</p>
<p>Journalist Mehdi Hasan, founder of Zeteo News, argued that both the <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.commondreams.org/tag/democratic-party" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Democratic Party</a> and liberal commentators share responsibility for creating an environment where a top US official felt free to denigrate millions of people of Arab descent, including around <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.aaiusa.org/demographics" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">3.7 million Arab Americans</a>.</p>
<p>“Every day, a prominent Republican—be it a president, Cabinet member, or a news host—makes an outrageously racist remark about Muslims or Arabs,” he noted. “In contrast, prominent Democrats and liberals often appear more concerned about a random ad criticizing Israel, while largely remaining silent on the rampant <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.commondreams.org/tag/islamophobia" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Islamophobia</a> from the <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.commondreams.org/tag/gop" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">GOP</a>.”</p>
<p>Kennedy’s anti-Arab remarks were just one instance in a larger pattern seen in the Michigan Senate race. Both Rogers and President <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.commondreams.org/tag/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Donald Trump</a> have accused El-Sayed of backing the Muslim Brotherhood, despite Rogers previously having expressed willingness to work with the movement. Trump has labeled El-Sayed a “jihadist,” and at a recent rally, one speaker even questioned his American identity based on his birth certificate.</p>
<p>Notably, several high-profile Democrats have also contributed to the narrative that El-Sayed poses a threat. Former state <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.commondreams.org/tag/democratic-party" target="_self" rel="noopener nofollow">Democratic Party</a> chair Lon Johnson accused El-Sayed of "extremism" and claimed that his criticism of Israel jeopardizes Jewish communities, urging Michigan Democrats to "leave the Senate race blank." Furthermore, during the primary, the centrist think tank Third Way engaged in targeted attacks on El-Sayed for his associations.</p>
<p>Brad Woodhouse, president of Protect Our Care, an advocacy group that typically focuses on Kennedy’s stances on <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.commondreams.org/tag/public-health" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">public health</a>, commented that this episode has revealed Kennedy's ignorance. He stated, “Fear and racism are the hallmarks of petty political opportunists who offer little substance or hope for progress.”</p>
<p>“Kennedy seems to believe that spreading hate will divert attention from his numerous <a class="rm-stats-tracked" href="https://www.commondreams.org/tag/corruption" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">corruption</a> scandals and the public health crises that have plagued Americans this year,” he added. “This isn’t the first time RFK Jr has made bigoted comments, but it may be his most disturbing incident yet. The failure of Mike Rogers and [Republican US Rep.] John James to denounce these remarks is equally troubling, showing their own weakness and lack of integrity.”</p>
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