By Karim Hammam
Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed sharply criticized Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday after Kennedy made disparaging comments about Arab contributions to science and culture while campaigning for El-Sayed's Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, in Michigan.
Kennedy's remarks draw condemnation
Speaking at a rally for Rogers in Michigan on Wednesday, Kennedy claimed that 500 million Arabs worldwide "don't produce science, they don't win the Nobel prize, they don't win the Fields prize, they don't win the Wolf prize, they don't produce literature." The comments were widely condemned as racist and factually inaccurate.
El-Sayed's response in Kalamazoo
Addressing supporters in Kalamazoo on Thursday, El-Sayed, an Arab-American physician and former Detroit health director, mocked Kennedy's scientific credibility. "He said that the 500 million Arabs in the world had never contributed anything to science. But, to be fair, he is an expert on people who've never contributed anything to science," El-Sayed said, drawing laughter from the crowd.
Reference to past controversy
El-Sayed also referenced a summer outbreak of foodborne illness linked to lettuce, criticizing Kennedy's public health record. The Senate race in Michigan remains competitive as both parties vie for the seat.
