CAIR says Kennedy's remarks erase Arab contributions to humanity and fan anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hate
Council on American-Islamic RelationsCouncil on American-Islamic Relations, in a press release
The Council on American-Islamic Relations calls Kennedy's Grand Rapids remarks a false erasure of Arab contributions that fans anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hate, and says he has no business leading a federal agency.
“His sweeping erasure of Arab contributions to humanity is not only maliciously false, but it also fans the flames of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hate at a time when communities are already vulnerable to bigoted attacks from other public officials nationwide. Anyone who holds such blatant contempt for an entire ethnicity has no business leading a federal agency meant to serve all Americans.”
Official statement
Reporting
Where this statement fits
RFK Jr. says 500 million Arabs 'don't produce science' at a Rogers campaign event; CAIR calls for his firing
On October 26, 2026, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a Republican campaign event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that the world's 500 million Arabs 'don't produce science', do not win the Nobel, Fields or Wolf prizes and 'don't produce literature', and blamed the Muslim Brotherhood. Civil rights groups, health care advocates and Democrats condemned the remarks, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations called for his firing.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Press release from the Council on American-Islamic Relations calling for Kennedy to be removed from his Cabinet post over his Grand Rapids remarks, and listing Arab Nobel Prize winners.
Reporting
About this source
Common Dreams report collecting reactions to Kennedy's Grand Rapids remarks, including statements from the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Protect Our Care and posts by Sen. Chris Murphy, Mehdi Hasan and Justin Baragona.
Before the quotation
CAIR calls for Kennedy to be removed from his Cabinet post. Its statement calls his remarks 'a textbook display of unvarnished racism and bigotry' and says that a sitting Cabinet official who dehumanizes half a billion people from a public stage is 'utterly disqualifying for public office'.
After the quotation
The release then names Arab Nobel Prize winners, among them Ahmed Zewail, who won the chemistry prize in 1999, and Omar M. Yaghi, who shared it in 2025.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case concerns Kennedy's October 26 remarks that the world's 500 million Arabs do not produce science or literature or win major prizes. CAIR calls the remarks maliciously false and says anyone with such contempt for an entire ethnicity should not lead a federal agency, which condemns them.
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More from this case
Read the full caseChris Murphy describes a coordinated campaign to delegitimize Muslim Americans
“I really think everyone needs to pay attention to this cordinated campaign to delegimatize Muslim Americans - not just as citizens but as humans. These increasingly hysterical attacks are a prelude to Republicans bringing us to a very, very dark place after the election.”Read statement
Mehdi Hasan says a Cabinet official is among Republicans saying 'insanely racist' things about Muslims or Arabs
“Everyday, a prominent Republican - the president, a cabinet official, a primetime Fox host, the Michigan Senate candidate - says something insanely racist about Muslims or Arabs.”Read statement
Protect Our Care says Kennedy 'laid bare how small and ignorant he really is'
Protect Our Care
“Fear and racism are the crutch of pathetic political hacks with absolutely nothing to offer or progress to point to. RFK Jr has laid bare how small and ignorant he really is.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "CAIR says Kennedy's remarks erase Arab contributions to humanity and fan anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hate". First published: 2026-10-30. Last updated: 2026-10-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/7251-the-council-on-american-islamic-relations-calls-kennedy