“Arabs have not produced science and have never won the Nobel Prize, the Fields Medal, the Wolf Prize, or produced notable literature.” — Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. Our verdict: False.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made the claim during a campaign event, as reported on 27 October 2026 by The Washington Post, Al Jazeera and other outlets.
Our verdict
False
The claim is false. Arab scientists and writers have won the Nobel Prize, the Wolf Prize and the Fields Medal, and Arab literature includes a Nobel laureate.
What we found
The claim fails on its own terms. It says Arabs have never won these prizes, yet the evidence shows several who have. Ahmed Zewail, an Arab scientist, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1999 and also the Wolf Prize, according to reporting by The New Arab. Al Jazeera's coverage notes that Sir Michael Atiyah, of Lebanese descent, won the Fields Medal, and that Omar Yaghi has won the Wolf Prize. Naguib Mahfouz, an Arab writer, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988, as recorded by AUC Press and by The National. The Associated Press, in a report carried by WRAL, also lists Arab Nobel laureates including Mohamed El Baradei and Tawakkol Karman. Because the claim is an absolute negative — never, no one — even a single counter-example is enough to show it is wrong. There are several.
The evidence
4 of 6 sources contradict the claim; none support it.
- Background
The Associated Press lists Arab Nobel laureates, including Mohamed El Baradei, Ahmed Zewail and Tawakkol Karman, directly contradicting the claim that Arabs have never won a Nobel Prize. [1]
- Contradicts the claim
The New Arab reports that Ahmed Zewail, an Arab scientist, won both the Nobel Prize and the Wolf Prize. [2]
- Contradicts the claim
Al Jazeera reports that people of Arab descent have received the Fields Medal, the Wolf Prize and the Nobel Prize, naming Sir Michael Atiyah and Omar Yaghi among them. [3]
- Contradicts the claim
AUC Press records that the Arab writer Naguib Mahfouz won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988. [4]
- Contradicts the claim
The National also notes that Naguib Mahfouz, an Arab writer, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988. [5]
- Background
The Washington Post confirms that Kennedy made the statements about Arab Muslims and prizeworthy science and literature. [6]
What we could not confirm
- We did not attempt a complete list of every Arab or Arab-descended prize winner, so the examples here are illustrative rather than exhaustive.
- The word "Arab" can mean different things to different people — for example, whether it refers to ethnicity, language or nationality — and this can affect who counts. The sources we used treat people of Arab descent as Arab.
- We did not check population figures sometimes quoted alongside this debate, such as the number of Arabs worldwide, because they do not change whether the prize claims are true.
How we checked
We looked at news reports that checked the claim directly, and at records and reports naming individual Arab winners of the Nobel Prize, the Wolf Prize and the Fields Medal, including a Nobel Prize in Literature. We compared those named winners against the claim that no Arab has ever won any of these awards. We reviewed 8 relevant sources.
Sources
- [1]www.wral.com · FACT FOCUS: Kennedy's claim that Arabs 'don't produce science' meets a Nobel Prize reality check
- [2]newarab.com · 'They don’t produce science': RFK Jr’s anti-Arab claims checked · October 27, 2026
- [3]ua.news · Kennedy denied Arabs’ contribution to science and literature — Al Jazeera · October 27, 2026
- [4]aucpress.com · Commemorating Naguib Mahfouz · August 29, 2026
- [5]thenationalnews.com · Could an Arab writer win the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature? Nine names to know | The National · October 7, 2026
- [6]washingtonpost.com · RFK Jr. falsely says Arab Muslims don’t produce prizeworthy science, literature · October 27, 2026
- [7]Photo: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Have evidence we missed?
If you know of a source that confirms or contradicts this claim, send us the link. We review every submission and update fact checks when new evidence changes the picture.
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