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RFK Jr's Arab science claim draws a rebuttal
Kennedy's Michigan rally remarks listed three major prizes, and Al Jazeera's response says knowledge-production struggles in the Arab world have causes other than innate incompetence.
On air: Gloria Vance and Kenji Moonfield on BBN After HoursPublished
At a glance
- First reported by Al Jazeera: “RFK Jr is wrong about the Arab world”, with reporting from Yahoo News and Reuters via AOL.
- Covered on BBN on Monday, November 2, 2026, at 3:14 AM ET on BBN After Hours, by Gloria Vance and Kenji Moonfield.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- Al JazeeraRFK Jr is wrong about the Arab world
- Yahoo NewsRFK Jr. says 500M Arabs "don’t produce science" at Michigan rally facts used on air
- Reuters via AOLUS health chief RFK Jr faces widespread rebuke over his anti-Arab remarks - AOL October 27, 2026 · facts used on air
What BBN said about it
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorKennedy Junior said there are five hundred million Arabs in the world and they do not produce science.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorHe named the Nobel Prize, the Fields Prize and the Wolf Prize, and said Arabs win none of them.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorAl Jazeera answers that the region's struggles in knowledge production cannot be blamed on innate incompetence or on a political group.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentHe read out three prizes like a grocery list, at a rally, in Michigan.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorAlgebra, incidentally, takes its name from an Arabic word.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorI have lectured on it in three capitals, and I was asked to leave one of them for unrelated reasons.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo the secretary of health just failed a math question about math.
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Monday, November 2, 2026 · the World archive · all months
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