RFK Jr. Faces Backlash Over Anti-Arab Remarks at Michigan Campaign Event

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing widespread criticism over remarks about Arabs made at a campaign event in Michigan on Monday.

Kennedy appeared at the event alongside Republican Mike Rogers. Rogers is running for the US Senate against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed.

During his remarks, Kennedy claimed that Arabs had not won major international awards. He also said they did not contribute to science or literature. These claims were factually incorrect.

“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.

Civil Rights Groups Condemn Remarks

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) strongly condemned Kennedy’s comments on Tuesday. The organisation documents anti-Muslim and anti-Arab discrimination in the United States.

CAIR described the remarks as “a textbook display of unvarnished racism and bigotry.” It said Kennedy had ignored Arab contributions to humanity. The organisation also warned that such rhetoric could encourage anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hostility.

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Scientists also challenged Kennedy’s claims. Peter Hotez, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, highlighted the achievements of Ahmed Zewail.

Zewail, an Egyptian-born scientist, won the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He died in 2016. Hotez said his late colleague “would disagree” with Kennedy’s comments.

The US Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Remarks Draw Attention During Senate Campaign

Kennedy also criticised the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist organisation founded in Egypt nearly a century ago. He claimed the group’s rise had “created stagnant societies.”

Meanwhile, Republicans have alleged that El-Sayed has links to the Muslim Brotherhood. The source report said they had provided no evidence for those allegations. El-Sayed has publicly denied any connection to the group.

The Democratic candidate, who is Muslim, has faced anti-Muslim rhetoric during the campaign. Over the weekend, President Donald Trump invoked the September 11, 2001, attacks while discussing El-Sayed. Trump has also repeatedly called him a “jihadist,” a description the source report characterised as false.

Democrats and Healthcare Advocates Respond

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy criticised what he called a broader effort to undermine Muslim Americans.

“I really think everyone needs to pay attention to this coordinated campaign to delegitimize Muslim Americans — not just as citizens but as humans,” Murphy said.

Healthcare advocacy group Protect Our Care also condemned Kennedy’s remarks. The organisation described them as a “wildly racist tirade.”

Civil rights advocates have raised concerns about rhetoric targeting Muslims, Arabs, immigrants and other ethnic minorities during the US midterm election campaign.

Kennedy’s Health Policy Agenda Also in Focus

Kennedy was in Michigan on Monday to promote funding for Detroit’s health department. He also discussed agreements with hospitals to provide healthier food.

However, his latest comments have drawn fresh scrutiny to his public statements. Kennedy has separately faced controversy over his anti-vaccine views while serving as the country’s top health official.

The backlash has renewed debate over anti-Arab and anti-Muslim rhetoric in American political campaigning.