His Brother Kennedy: I Feel Ashamed of His Statements Against Arabs

Kerry Kennedy, sister of U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., criticized her brother’s remarks, which cast doubt on Arab contributions to scientific and literary fields, stating that they contradict his previous positions opposing prejudice and bias against others. Kerry Kennedy posted on the X platform a previous statement by her brother, made on August 5, 2016, during an interview on “Larry King Now,” in which he discussed how some political leaders exploit fear of foreigners and preconceived notions to achieve their goals. She commented, “There was a time when I completely agreed with my brother, but today I feel deeply ashamed of him.” Kerry also emphasized in her post that Arabs and Muslims have made significant contributions to science, medicine, mathematics, and literature, citing several figures who achieved prominent scientific and literary accomplishments, including chemist Omar Yaghi, who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2025, Egyptian scientist Ahmed Zewail, who won the same prize in 1999, and Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988. She stressed that race, religion, ethnic origin, and socioeconomic background do not determine intelligence, creativity, or the ability to contribute to humanity, expressing solidarity with those affected by her brother’s remarks, which she described as hurtful and demeaning. This follows widespread outrage on social media platforms after the U.S. official’s comments during his participation in a Republican Party rally in Michigan, a state with a large Arab community in the United States, where he falsely claimed the absence of scientific and literary production among more than 500 million Arabs, questioning their capacity to earn prestigious awards.