RFK Jr. stated, “They don’t produce science, they don’t win the Nobel Prize, they don’t win the Fields prize [sic, Medal], they don’t win the Wolf Prize, they don’t produce literature.”
WASHINGTON, DC — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has faced widespread backlash following remarks in which he asserted that Arab nations fail to contribute to science or literature and do not receive major global accolades.
Kennedy delivered the controversial comments during a Republican campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, just ahead of the midterm elections. A review of historical data demonstrates that these assertions are inaccurate.
Claim: RFK Jr. asserted that Arab societies lack scientific and literary output
RFK: “There’s five hundred million Arabs in the world. And yet they don’t produce science. They don’t win the Novel Prize. They don’t win the Fields Prize. They don’t win the Wolf Prize. They don’t produce literature.” https://t.co/ikZHqklQjE
— Bulwark Clips (@BulwarkClips) October 26, 2026
The controversy began on Monday, October 26, when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addressed the crowd at an event supporting GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers in Michigan.
Expressing approval that Rogers had been discussing the Muslim Brotherhood prior to his arrival, Kennedy claimed the group introduced a harmful ideology that strayed from mainstream Islam.
He contrasted this perspective with what he referred to as Islam’s nearly 1,000-year “golden age,” a period when Muslim communities achieved significant milestones in science, engineering, medicine, and literature.
“There are 500 million Arabs in the world,” Kennedy stated, “and yet they don’t produce science, they don’t win the Nobel Prize, they don’t win the Fields prize [sic, Medal], they don’t win the Wolf Prize, they don’t produce literature.”
While praising past societies for being “the first to make books,” he alleged that the Muslim Brotherhood had dismantled that legacy.
He further claimed, “They’ve created stagnant societies that do two things: hatred and war and victimization. They’ve let down their own people and destroyed those societies.”
Fact Check: The assertions are inaccurate
Available records prove Kennedy’s statements are false, as numerous Arab authors, scientists, and public figures have earned prestigious international honors, including Nobel Prizes.
Egyptian diplomat Mohamed ElBaradei was jointly awarded the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize alongside the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for their work to restrict the military application of nuclear technology. ElBaradei formerly served as the organization’s director general.
In 2011, Yemeni human rights defender, journalist, and politician Tawakkol Karman received the Nobel Peace Prize, marking a historic milestone as the first Yemeni and the first Arab woman to win the distinction. Additionally, mathematician Sir Michael Atiyah, who is of Lebanese heritage, was honored with the Fields Medal in 1966.
Yasser Arafat, former leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, shared the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres for their contributions to Middle Eastern peace efforts. Arafat passed away in 2004.
Similarly, former Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat received the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize alongside Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in recognition of the Camp David Accords, which established peace between Egypt and Israel.