RFK Jr. Remarks on Arabs and the Muslim Brotherhood at Michigan GOP Event Draw Backlash
Photo: The New RepublicHealth and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at a Republican campaign event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Monday that the world's 500 million Arabs "don't produce science," don't win major prizes and don't produce literature, prompting strong criticism. Kennedy spoke to the Kent County GOP alongside Senate nominee Mike Rogers and gubernatorial hopeful John James. He blamed the Muslim Brotherhood, saying it destroyed a past tradition of learning and created stagnant societies built on hatred, war and victimization. He also said criticizing the group is not Islamophobia, that it began in 1928, and that its worst victims are Palestinians and people in countries it has taken over.
Rogers is running for Michigan's Senate seat against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, an Arab-American, in midterm elections next week. Critics called the remarks racist, Islamophobic and inaccurate. Social media users and journalist Mehdi Hasan noted Arab Nobel winners, including Naguib Mahfouz in 1988, Ahmed Zewail in 1999 and Omar Yaghi in 2025.
The Daily Wire, on the right, leads with Kennedy's attack on the Muslim Brotherhood, calling it a "death cult" in its headline and describing a "fired-up crowd." It quotes his statement that criticizing the group is not Islamophobia, and his claim about the purging of Jewish and Christian communities. It says El-Sayed has faced scrutiny over alleged Brotherhood ties. In the portion provided, it does not mention the "Arabs don't produce science" remarks or the backlash. The New Republic, on the left, leads with those remarks, calling them slander, quoting them at length and listing Arab Nobel and Wolf Prize winners and social media critics. The Washington Post headline also centers on the claim about prizeworthy science and literature, noting the Brotherhood blame and strong backlash. Both sides report the Michigan setting and the Brotherhood remarks, but differ over whether the central story is the Brotherhood or the comments about Arabs. Al Jazeera adds a historical account of Arab contributions and notes Kennedy's anti-vaccine record.
How the sides differ Right sources stress Kennedy's attack on the Muslim Brotherhood and Abdul El-Sayed; left sources focus on his Arab remarks and factual rebuttals; alternative sources add historical context.
Headline, comparison and summary written by AI from the articles below. AI can make mistakes, so check the original articles before relying on a detail.
- The Washington PostPaywallRFK Jr. says Arab Muslims no longer produce prizeworthy science or literature
The New Republic leads with Kennedy's remarks about Arabs, calls them offensive and inaccurate, and cites Arab prize winners and critics like Mehdi Hasan. The Washington Post headlines the claim and notes backlash and Brotherhood blame.
Al Jazeera frames the remarks as an uproar, citing critics who called them racist and Islamophobic, and adds a historical account of Arab contributions plus context on Kennedy's anti-vaccine record.
The Daily Wire leads with Kennedy's attack on the Muslim Brotherhood as a "death cult," quoting his claim that criticizing it isn't Islamophobia and linking Democrat Abdul El-Sayed to scrutiny over the group.