RFK Jr. Claims 500 Million Arabs Produce No Science Or Literature

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed that the world's roughly 500 million Arabs do not produce science, win major international prizes or create literature, a sweeping assertion contradicted by the historical record that has entered the final stretch of Michigan's Senate race.

Kennedy made the remarks on October 26 at a Republican campaign rally in Grand Rapids, where he was campaigning for GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, an Egyptian American. The contest will be decided on November 3.

"There's 500 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," Kennedy said, according to Newsweek.

A Record Of Scientific And Literary Achievement

The assertion conflicts with the documented achievements of Arab scientists, writers and public figures, as well as researchers of Arab descent.

Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988. Egyptian chemist Ahmed Zewail won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1999, while Omar Yaghi received the same award in 2025 for work on metal-organic frameworks. Moungi Bawendi, who has Tunisian origins, was a co-recipient of the 2023 Chemistry Nobel.

Other Nobel laureates with Arab backgrounds include chemist Elias James Corey, of Lebanese descent, who won the Chemistry prize in 1990, and Peter Medawar, born to a Lebanese father, who received the Medicine prize in 1960.

Arab figures have also been recognized in other Nobel categories. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat shared the 1978 Peace Prize; Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat shared it in 1994; Egyptian diplomat Mohamed ElBaradei received it in 2005; and Yemeni activist Tawakkol Karman was a co-recipient in 2011. The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet received the award in 2015.

Mathematics provides another counterexample. Sir Michael Atiyah, whose father was Lebanese, received the Fields Medal in 1966. Zewail and Yaghi also received Wolf Prizes in Chemistry in 1993 and 2018, respectively.

The wider literary record extends well beyond individual international awards, encompassing centuries of classical Arabic writing and a substantial body of modern Arabic literature.

Kennedy Invokes The Islamic Golden Age

Kennedy's remarks came during a discussion of the Muslim Brotherhood. He contrasted what he described as an earlier Islamic "golden age" with subsequent stagnation that he attributed to the Brotherhood's influence.

"Mike Rogers was talking about the Muslim Brotherhood. That's something I can talk about," Kennedy said. He added that discussing the organization was not Islamophobic and described people under its influence as part of a "death cult," associating its ideology with "victimization, of murder, of genocide."

The scientific history he invoked offers a more complex picture than his subsequent generalization. Scholars including al-Khwarizmi, associated with the development of algebra, and Ibn al-Haytham, known for work on optics, are prominent figures in the history of mathematics and science.

Contemporary research also shows that scientific output varies across the Arab world. The region accounted for approximately 2.72% of global medical publications between 2017 and 2023, with citation impact near the global average. Funding constraints, political instability and the departure of skilled researchers are among the factors associated with its research challenges.

Remarks Land In A Closely Watched Michigan Contest

The political setting gives Kennedy's statement particular relevance. Michigan has the highest share of residents reporting Arab ancestry of any U.S. state, at approximately 2.2%, according to 2024 American Community Survey data.

El-Sayed has denied having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and has disavowed the organization. During an October 21 debate, he called questions about his commitment to the U.S. Constitution "shameful." President Donald Trump has also attacked the Democratic candidate.

Brad Woodhouse, president of Protect Our Care, characterized Kennedy's remarks as a "racist tirade." He also criticized Rogers and Republican gubernatorial candidate John James for not condemning them.

Newsweek reported that it sought comment from both the Rogers and El-Sayed campaigns but had received no response at the time of publication.

Kennedy visited Corewell Health in Grand Rapids earlier on October 26 to promote a pledge involving approximately 300 hospitals to serve more whole foods. His later rally remarks shifted attention to Arab identity, scientific achievement and the political debate surrounding El-Sayed, with Election Day less than a week away.