HHS Secretary Kennedy claims Arabs don’t produce science at Michigan rally

At a campaign event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asserted that 500 million Arabs fail to produce scientific achievements, citing the lack of Nobel, Fields, or Wolf Prize winners. He framed the remark as part of a discussion on the Muslim Brotherhood, a topic raised by Senate candidate Mike Rogers against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, who has repeatedly denied any ties. Kennedy’s claim ignored documented Arab laureates such as Ahmed Zewail, Naguib Mahfouz, and Tawakkol Karman.

The remarks came after Kennedy visited Corewell Health to promote a hospital-nutrition pledge involving nearly 300 facilities. Michigan, which has the nation’s highest proportion of residents reporting Arab ancestry, reacted sharply to the comments. The episode adds a new flashpoint to an already contentious Senate race where the Muslim Brotherhood has become a central issue.