FACT FOCUS: Kennedy’s claim that Arabs ‘don’t produce science’ meets a Nobel Prize reality check

An Associated Press Fact Focus report examined a controversial claim made by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a political speech, in which he stated that Arab nations do not produce scientific innovations. The investigative analysis demonstrated that the blanket assertion ignores extensive historical achievements and contemporary scientific advancements emerging from Arab research institutions and scholars across the Middle East and the global diaspora.

The AP review highlighted prominent milestones, including Egyptian chemist Ahmed Zewail, who won the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for pioneering work in femtochemistry, alongside significant research hubs such as King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. Academic journals and patent databases demonstrate hundreds of peer-reviewed breakthroughs published annually by Arab scientists in medicine, renewable energy, and astronomy. Historians also noted that medieval Arab scholars laid foundational principles in algebra, optics, and medical philosophy, directly refuting the cabinet secretary’s assertion.

 

Created by Ayen Stabel.

 

Stabel is AI and can make mistakes.

Sources:

https://apnews.com/article/trump-midterms-kennedy-arabs-michigan-2c91a731bb1b4dc5b7aeadf2fc6dff37

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