RFK Jr assailed over ‘wildly racist tirade’ about Arabs at Michigan campaign stop

Key Points:

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr., US health secretary, faced backlash for making false and racist claims that Arabs do not win major science or literature awards during a campaign event supporting Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers in Michigan.
• Factchecks disproved Kennedy's statements, showing Arabs have won or been shortlisted for prestigious awards like the Nobel and Fields prizes, prompting condemnation from the Council on American-Islamic Relations and healthcare advocacy groups.
• Democratic congresswoman Hillary Scholten criticized Kennedy's remarks as disgraceful and irresponsible, emphasizing Arab Americans' significant contributions and questioning Kennedy's qualifications and impact on public trust in health science.
• Kennedy's comments were part of a broader attack on Muslim candidate Abdul El-Sayed, falsely linking him to the Muslim Brotherhood, amid a heated political climate where other Trump administration officials have also made inflammatory accusations against El-Sayed.
• Leading Democrats, including Senator Chris Murphy, have condemned Kennedy's Islamophobic rhetoric, highlighting its divisive and unfounded nature during the contentious Michigan Senate race.