# RFK Jr's Arab Muslim Contributions Claim > RFK Jr. claims Arabs don't produce science but Chicago's skyscrapers prove otherwise. - Title: RFK Jr's Arab Muslim Contributions Claim · Chicago Sun-Times - Summary: RFK Jr. claims Arabs don't produce science but Chicago's skyscrapers prove otherwise. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely claims Arabs don't win science awards… - Keywords: robert f kennedy jr, arab, muslim, fazlur khan, willis tower, hancock building, sears tower, fields medal, wolf prize, skidmore owings merrill, structural engineering, chicago - Source: Chicago Sun-Times — https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2026/10/29/robert-f-kennedy-jr-arab-dubious-remarks - Published: 2026-10-29T17:58:03.714+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: robert f kennedy jr, arab, muslim, fazlur khan, willis tower, hancock building, sears tower, fields medal, wolf prize, skidmore owings merrill, structural engineering, chicago ## RFK Jr's Claim Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claims 500 million Arabs don't produce science or win major science awards. > There’s 500 million Arabs in the world. And yet they 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. ## Fact Check Three Muslims have won the Fields Medal, the top mathematics award. > I count three Muslims who’ve won the Fields Medal, not 'prize,' doofus, the top award in mathematics ## Arab Muslim Identity Arab is an ethnic identity, not a religious designation, with Arab Christians and Jews existing. > Arab is an ethnic identity, which RFK Jr. is using as code for 'Muslim,' a religious designation ## Hypocrisy RFK Jr. uses science awards while promoting anti-science beliefs that have killed children. > In the mouth of a man who disgraced himself through vigorous anti-science, whose unwavering devotion to nutty folk belief has literally killed children ## Chicago Skyscraper Fazlur Rahman Khan designed both the Hancock Building and Willis Tower. > Fazlur Rahman Khan, 'the Einstein of structural engineering,' did the design work on both buildings, partnering with architect Bruce Graham at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill ## Khan's Background Khan grew up in Bangladesh, built no skyscrapers until age 21. > He probably couldn’t get into the United States today, too brown, too Muslim, but came to the University of Illinois in 1. 952 ## Khan's Innovation Khan invented the tubular structural system for skyscrapers using hollow bamboo inspiration. > Inspired by the hollow bamboo common in his homeland, Khan devised the tubular system that allowed the Sears Tower to rise to 110 stories ## Khan's Education Khan earned two master's degrees in three years at the University of Illinois. > He came to the University of Illinois in 1952, earning two masters degrees in three years, one in structural engineering, another in theoretical and applied mechanics ## Khan's Legacy Khan died in 1982 at age 52; the Fazlur Khan Lifetime Achievement Medal was created in his honor in 2004. > Khan never won, the award being created in his honor in 2004, 22 years after his death at age 52 in 1982 ## RFK Jr's Error RFK Jr. misstates the Fields Medal as a 'prize' when it's an award. > I count three Muslims who’ve won the Fields Medal, not 'prize,' doofus, the top award in mathematics ## Political Context RFK Jr.'s comments target Muslim politicians like Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. > I have to address it, especially since I know many readers share RFK Jr.'s mistaken notions ## Chicago's Perspective Chicagoans don't know about Khan's contributions to skyscraper design. > Chicagoans hurry past every day, and don’t know the story ## Conclusion RFK Jr.'s claim about Arab contributions to science is false, Chicago's skyscrapers prove otherwise. > RFK Jr. claims 500 million Arabs don't produce science but Chicago's skyscrapers prove otherwise ## Key takeaway Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely claims Arabs don't win science awards, but Fazlur Rahman Khan's structural engineering designs both the Hancock Building and Willis Tower.