Kennedy’s Claims About Arabs Contradicted by Nobel Records

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at a Republican campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that Arabs do not produce science or literature and do not win major international prizes, making a sweeping claim contradicted by Nobel records. Kennedy made the remarks Monday while discussing the Muslim Brotherhood and supporting Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, who is running against Democrat Abdul ElSayed. Kennedy said there are 500 million Arabs in the world and claimed they do not win the Nobel, Fields or Wolf prizes. He also blamed the Muslim Brotherhood for what he described as the destruction of Arab societies’ intellectual and cultural traditions. Nobel records identify Egyptian scientist Ahmed Zewail as the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate and Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz as the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. Those awards directly contradict Kennedy’s categorical assertion that Arabs do not win Nobel Prizes. Yemeni activist Tawakkol Karman shared the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, another example among Arab recipients of the award. Other records also challenge his claims about scientific honors. Omar Yaghi, a...