ALBAWABA - Since the announcement of the Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry, the Arab world has turned upside down, and the reason behind the fuss online was Omar M. Yaghi's nationality.
Japanese Susumu Kitagawa, Omar M. Yaghi, and UK-born Richard Robson won on Wednesday the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing so-called metal–organic frameworks, the Nobel Jury announced yesterday.
Yaghi is one of the three who were given a Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday, Oct. 8. However, news outlets have been fighting over his nationality: Palestinian, Jordanian or Saudi?
Mexican, Syrian or Sudanese! Memes flood over Omar M. Yaghi's nationality:
Saudi websites mentioned the Nobel Prize winner by referring to him as a Saudi national, while Jordanian media did the opposite and mentioned that he is a Jordanian-American. However, netizens seized the opportunity and posted tens of memes on it.
A parody account by the name of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad, mocked the online clash over Omar M. Yaghi's nationality and posted on X, "The Syrian Omar Yaghi wins the Nobel Prize in Chemistry."
On the other hand, a person shared an edited picture of the chemist, where he is seen wearing a big Mexican hat and a costume and commented, "You attribute everything to Syria. He is Mexican".
An edited image of the Nobel Prize winner Omar M. Yaghi. (X)
Another pictured the Jordanian-American in a Sudanese style and mockingly said the Nobel prize winner is originally from Sudan. The X user said, "We congratulate Sudan on the victory of the scientist Omar Yaghi Merghani with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry."
A person said, "The Omar Yaghi award was registered under the name America, and Arabs are still fighting over his origin; calm down a bit."
According to sources, Omar M. Yaghi was born in Jordan to Palestinian refugee parents, but he relocated to the United States when he was 15 years old. The chemist was given Saudi nationality in 2021 by royal decree.
Jordan's King Abdullah II posted on X, celebrating the news that Omar is the first Jordanian to win a Nobel Prize, "We take pride in and honor the Jordanian scientist Professor Omar Yaghi, and we congratulate him and Jordan on his winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the year 2025."
The King maintained, "This achievement is a new source of pride added to the honorable record of Jordanians in various fields around the world, and it proves that the Jordanian is capable of making a difference wherever he may be."
