I was surprised this past week with such HUGE publicity from media internationally and regionally, shedding the light on several American figures that have appeared to belong to Arab familiar origins. 
Recently the newly elected and Lebanese-born Miss USA Rima Fakih
inspired researchers to "dig up" through prominent names and introduce internationally recognized people from Arab roots
Recently the newly elected and Lebanese-born Miss USA Rima Fakih
inspired researchers to "dig up" through prominent names and introduce internationally recognized people from Arab roots
Kippreport had issued the following list fully quoted below; this is merely a sample of unknown Arab Americans. Intrestingly, we prove to care about the 15 minute famous Arabs and neglect to encourage and celebrate the accomplishment of so many established men and women who have given the world successful experiences, such legacies that could enlighten and honour our lives for generations to come...
Let's begin with:
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs, the charismatic CEO of Apple, is of Syrian biological descent – although he has never publically acknowledged this.
According to Fortune magazine, Jobs’ biological parents were Abdulfattah ‘John’ Jandali, a Syrian, and Joanne Simpson, both unwed and aged just 23 when Steve was born. Simpson and Jandali put the child up for adoption, and he was brought up by Paul and Clara Jobs.
Jobs dropped out of college in the 1970s to found Apple. He later bought Pixar studios from George Lucas in 1986 and the studio went on to create cinema hits like Finding Nemo and Toy Story. Pixar was sold to Disney in 2006 for a reported $7.4 billion in stock. His net worth is estimated at more than $5 billion, with Forbes ranking him #136 on the 2010 list of the world’s richest people.
Paula Abdul
Grammy Award winner and noted choreographer, Paula Abdul had two-number one albums, six number one singles, and a slew of MTV, Emmy, and People’s Choice Awards.
The child of a Syrian immigrant, Paula garnered international fame with worldwide album sales estimated at over 30 million records. Paula has her own star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
Fayez Sarofim
Egyptian American Fayez Sarofim was listed as one of the world’s richest men in 2007 by Forbes magazine, who at that time estimated his net worth at $1.5 billion.
Son of a wealthy Egyptian cotton farmer, he was born in Egypt and immigrated to the US in 1946. He became a naturalized citizen in 1961. He founded Fayez Sarofim and Co., an investment bank in Houston, after earning degrees at prestigious University of California-Berkeley and Harvard. He has a long legacy of philanthropic efforts aimed at supporting cancer research, the performing arts, ballet, theater, and opera.
He reportedly made his fortune in long-term investments on companies like Procter & Gamble and Phillip Morris.
Ralph Nader
Widely regarded as one of America’s most influential civic activists and social critics, Ralph Nader garnered national fame as a hardnosed consumer advocate and attorney. He stood as a candidate for President of the United States four times.
Born in Connecticut of Lebanese immigrants, his parents Nathra and Rose Nader ran a bakery and restaurant. Nader graduated with distinction from Princeton and Harvard Universities. He is the founder of many influential consumer advocacy groups, and is credited with numerous federal consumer protection laws concerning environmental standards, motor vehicle safety and the Freedom of Information Act.
The Zogby Brothers
Sons of Lebanese Catholic immigrants, the Zogby brothers are perhaps the most prominent Arab Americans in the US – not least because James (pictured, right) is the founder and president of the Arab American Institute. James, who was born in New York in 1945, is an academic and political consultant, and also a senior analyst at his brother’s polling firm, Zogby International.
John (pictured, left) is the founder, president and CEO of Zogby International, a polling firm known for both phone polling and interactive, Internet-based polling.
John J. Mack
John J. Mack was born in 1944, the sixth son to Lebanese immigrants of Greek Orthodox origin. He has been chairman of the Board of Morgan Stanley since June 2005, and was chief executive of the same firm from June 2005 to December 2009. He previously had spent nearly 30 years at the firm in various positions, most recently as president, chief operating officer and a director.
Tony Shalhoub
Tony Shalhoub, an American actor of Lebanese descent, is perhaps best known for his role as Adrian Monk – the San Francisco detective diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Shalhoub’s diverse acting credits include small screen, theater, and film work. He is also credited with helping to establish The Arab-American Filmmaker Award Competition in 2005. A native of Green Bay Wisconsin, Shalhoub graduated from University of Southern Maine, where he first studied acting as a theater major. He went on to earn a Master’s in Fine Arts at Yale School of Drama.
Shalhoub has won multiple prestigious acting awards, including Emmy Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Golden Globe Award.
Anthony Shadid
Anthony Shadid is a two-time Pulitzer prize winning journalist of Lebanese ancestry. Shadid studied journalism and political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned his degree.
Shadid was recognized by Pulitzer judges for his “rich, beautifully written series on Iraq as the United States departs and its people and leaders struggle to deal with the legacy of war and to shape the nation’s future.”
Currently foreign correspondent for the New York Times, Shadid is a native of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He is former Islamic affairs correspondent for the Washington Post. In 2002, Shadid was shot in the shoulder while covering fighting in Ramallah, West Bank.
Elias Zerhouni
A radiologist by training, Dr. Zerhouni received his medical degree from the University of Algeirs and came to the US in 1975.
He completed a residency in radiology at John Hopkins University, where he studied imaging methods based on CAT and MRI scanning to diagnose and treat cancer and pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases. Zerhouni eventually became a professor and director of the Department of Radiology at the prestigious institution. He was later nominated by the US president and confirmed by the US senate to become the 15th director of the National Institutes of Health, where he served until 2008.
Dr. Zerhouni rejoined the faculty of John Hopkins Medicine following his tenure with the NIH, and he currently serves on the boards of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, the Mayo Clinic, and Sanofi-Aventis
He is a senior fellow in the Global Health Program for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he advises on discovery, policy and advocacy strategies. He is also the author of 212 publications and holds eight patents.
Ahmed Zewail
Born in Damanhur in Egypt, in 1946, Dr. Zewail remarked that his “childhood origins were flanked by two great places – Rosetta, the city where the famous Stone was discovered, and Alexandria, the home of ancient learning.”
He studied at the University of Alexandria in Egypt, before coming to the US, where he studied for a PhD at the University of Pennsylvania.
Zewail won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1999, for his investigation of chemical reactions using ultra-short, rapid laser flashes. The technique, is likened to an ultra-fast camera that allows researchers to study atoms in molecules in a sort of slow motion.
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