USAupdated 43m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 21 February 2025Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Tells Grand Rapids Rally 500 Million Arabs Don’t Produce Science
4 West Asian1 Western MainstreamPhoto: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
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RFK Jr. at Grand Rapids rally claimed 500 million Arabs do not produce science. Remarks drew backlash as racist and contrary to historical and scientific facts.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Rabble-Back Committee Ad Links Israel Aid To Grocery Prices, Says $7 To Kill Palestinians →
RFK Jr. targets Arabs
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a Republican rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that “There are 500 million Arabs in the world, yet they do not produce science.”
“‘There are 500 million Arabs in the world, yet they do not produce science.”
Kennedy linked the remarks to the Muslim Brotherhood while speaking about Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers and Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who denied any ties to the group and publicly disavowed it.
Kennedy added that people living under the organization’s influence were inside a “death cult” and immersed in an ideology of “victimization, of murder, of genocide.”
Newsweek said Nobel Prize records contradict Kennedy’s claim, pointing to Egyptian scientist Ahmed Zewail winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1999 and Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988.
Muslim Brotherhood becomes campaign
Mike Rogers raised the Muslim Brotherhood during his campaign against Abdul El-Sayed, and Kennedy said, “Mike Rogers was talking about the Muslim Brotherhood. That’s something I can talk about.”
Kennedy also said, “Talking about the Muslim Brotherhood is not Islamophobia,” as the remarks sparked angry and widespread reactions across social media.
The Al-Jazirah Net account said netizens accused Kennedy of racism and “profound ignorance,” and it said official records were used to recall Nobel winners including Ahmed Zewail and Naguib Mahfouz.
Newsweek reported that El-Sayed responded to questions about the Muslim Brotherhood by saying, “Sure. Yeah, absolutely,” before pushing back against the premise of the question.
Nobel records and nutrition
Kennedy’s remarks in Michigan came as he visited Corewell Health to promote an initiative aimed at improving hospital food and nutrition education. Newsweek said Kennedy stated nearly 300 hospitals, including 21 Corewell facilities, had joined a pledge to prioritize whole foods, limit highly processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages, and increase fiber-rich whole grains.
The Al-Jazirah Net account said netizens also cited Yemeni journalist Tawakkol Karman sharing the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 and Omani author Joghah Al-Harthi winning the International Booker Prize in 2019. Newsweek said the controversy was framed in the Senate race between Rogers and El-Sayed, with Rogers and his Republican allies seeking to link El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood while El-Sayed denied having ties and publicly disavowed it.