Key facts
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made anti-Arab remarks at a campaign event in Michigan.
- He falsely claimed Arabs do not produce science or win major international awards.
- The Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the remarks as racist and bigoted.
- Kennedy linked the Muslim Brotherhood to "stagnant societies."
- Senator Chris Murphy highlighted a campaign to delegitimize Muslim Americans.
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced widespread condemnation on Tuesday for anti-Arab remarks made at a campaign event in Michigan. The Council on American-Islamic Relations described the comments as "a textbook display of unvarnished racism and bigotry." Kennedy falsely claimed that Arabs do not produce science or win major international awards, a statement refuted by Professor Peter Hotez, who noted that his late colleague, Nobel Prize winner Ahmed Zewail, was Arab. Kennedy also linked the Muslim Brotherhood to "stagnant societies." Senator Chris Murphy highlighted a campaign to delegitimize Muslim Americans, while the advocacy group Protect Our Care labeled Kennedy's remarks a "wildly racist tirade."