Loading ...Celebrating Pathbreakers for National Arab American Heritage Month
By: Arwa Almasaari / Arab America Contributing Writer
Dr. John Mason launched a series highlighting Arab American pathbreakers. The series features notable figures from various fields, including entertainment, business, science, academia, and politics, among other areas. It aims to showcase the diversity of Arab Americans, representing both men and women, different ancestral countries, and a wide range of professions. Arab America contributing writer, Arwa Almasaari, has compiled the first 75 figures on one page to highlight their achievements for National Arab American Heritage Month.
1- Rami Malek
Our first pathbreaker case is the illustrious Arab American actor Rami Malek.
2- Salma Hayek
Our second pathbreaker case is the illustrious Mexican-born, of Lebanese heritage, Arab American actor Salma Hayek.
3- Mohamed El-Erian
Our third pathbreaker case is world thought leader, educational and finance entrepreneur, of Egyptian heritage, Arab American Mohamed A. El-Erian.
4- Gigi and Bella Hadid
Our fourth pathbreaker case includes sisters Gigi and Bella Hadid, Arab Americans, world-famous fashion models, and activists, who are deeply committed to their Palestinian roots.
5- Joseph Abboud
Our fifth pathbreaker is Joseph Abboud, Arab American, stellar menswear fashion designer, an amazing entrepreneur, proud descendant of Lebanese Maronite Christians, and a generous donor to charitable causes.
6- Nemat “Minouche” Shafik
Here we highlight Nemat “Minouche” Shafik, Egyptian-born, Arab American, the first woman president of Columbia University, a Member of the British Parliament, and a world-renowned economist. Her curriculum vitae is nothing short of astounding.
7- Brandon Saad
Here, we highlight our seventh pathbreaker, Brandon Saad, Arab American, stellar national hockey league player, and proud descendant of an Assyrian Christian father who immigrated to America from Syria and an American mother. He has made a strong commitment to helping his Syrian relatives who fled to the U.S. due to the civil war in their homeland.
8- Selwa Showker Roosevelt
Arab America highlights our eighth pathbreaker, Selwa Showker Roosevelt, Arab American, former prestigious head of U.S. diplomatic protocol, and proud daughter of Lebanese Druze immigrants. She brought her fine cross-cultural skills to the job of negotiating with foreign leaders around the Byzantine halls of diplomatic Washington.
9- Tom Shadyac
Arab America highlights our ninth pathbreaker, Tom Shadyac, Arab American, prestigious film director, producer, and sometimes actor, and proud son of Lebanese Christian parents. He has brought strains of Lebanese culture and religion into his life and his family is deeply involved in St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, and its fundraising arm, American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities.
10- Lisa Halaby / Queen Noor of Jordan
Arab America highlights our tenth pathbreaker, Lisa Halaby, Queen of Jordan, Noor al-Hussein (‘the light of Hussein,’) Arab American, former architect/urban planner, proud daughter of Najib Halaby, originally of Syrian lineage, and Doris Carlquist. Her background allowed Lisa to adapt to the role of Queen in the royal family of King Hussein of Jordan. Lisa, now the widow of King Hussein, is a global activist for peace and justice.
11- Farouk Shami
Arab America highlights our eleventh pathbreaker, Farouk Shami, an Arab American, and proud son of Palestinian Muslim parents. A true entrepreneur, he has innovated highly popular hair and skin products that are marketed worldwide. He and his family have been ardent supporters of Palestinian human rights and Farouk is a generous supporter of people in the U.S. and around the world who are in need.
12- Hoda Kotb
Arab America highlights our twelfth pathbreaker, Hoda Kotb, highly successful broadcast journalist, TV personality, main co-anchor of NBC News morning show Today and co-host of its entertainment-focused fourth hour, recipient of many awards, prolific author, and proud daughter of Muslim Egyptian parents, Samehi (“Sami”) and Abdel Kader Kotb.
13- Ralph Nader
Arab America contributing writer Mason highlights our thirteenth pathbreaker, Ralph Nader, a highly successful lawyer, consumer advocacy activist, environmentalist, and author. His role as a candidate for political office in the Green and Reform parties and as an independent is viewed as controversial. Born on February 27, 1934 in Winstead, Connecticut to Nathra and Rose, who were Antiochian Greek Orthodox Christian immigrants from Mount Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley in Southeastern Lebanon.
14- Huda Kattan and Sisters Mona and Alya
Arab America contributing writer, John Mason, highlights our fourteenth pathbreaker, Huda Kattan, and her sisters, Mona and Alya, born and raised in the U.S. to Iraqi Muslim immigrants and now based in Dubai. These savvy entrepreneurs have built their billion-dollar beauty cosmetics empire from the ground up and Huda Beauty now ranks as one of the world’s most in-demand makeup brands. The sisters are actively involved as philanthropists and activists, supporting oppressed people around the world, including in the U.S. and Palestine.
15- Ayman Mohyeldin
Our fifteenth pathbreaker is Ayman Mohyeldin, born in Egypt of an Egyptian father and Palestinian mother, who moved to the States when Ayman was five years old. He has made a truly remarkable impact on broadcast journalism in reporting on the 2011 ‘Arab Spring’ events in Cairo and across the Arab World and presently he continues his broadcast career with his own show on cable MSNBC TV. Ayman has prominently made clear his support of the Palestinian people.
16- Lorraine Ali
Arab America contributing writer, John Mason, highlights our sixteenth pathbreaker, Lorraine Ali, born in Los Angeles, California. Her father was a Muslim immigrant from Baghdad, Iraq, and her mother, was a native Californian of French-Canadian ancestry. She is a celebrated journalist and music critic who has written for the most prestigious publications. Ali is presently a TV critic for the Los Angeles Times. She has written proudly in defense of her Muslim religion.
17- Rashid Khalidi
Highlighted is our seventeenth pathbreaker, Rashid Khalidi, Palestinian-American and leading historian and analyst of the Middle East. Born in New York City, he is the son of Ismail Khalidi, a Saudi citizen of Palestinian birth in Jerusalem, and his Lebanese-American mother. Khalidi is passionate about Palestine, where his distinguished family has deep roots in Jerusalem from Ottoman and British periods of rule. In this renewed time of war in the Middle East, Khalidi’s analyses are all the more relevant and important.
18- Cherien Dabis
Our seventeenth pathbreaker is Cherien Dabis. A Palestinian American, she was born in Omaha, Nebraska, her physician father being of Palestinian descent, and her mother from Salt, Jordan. She is a critically acclaimed and award winning Palestinian American film and television director, writer, and actor dedicated to telling complex authentic stories about under and misrepresented communities.
19- Edward Said
Our nineteenth pathbreaker is Edward Wadie Said. A Palestinian American, he was born in Jerusalem during the British Mandate period in 1935 to parents Wadie and Hilda Said, a business family. Said is a renowned scholar, literary critic, political activist, and musician. As a professor of literature at Columbia University, he is known as one of the founders of postcolonial studies, a school of thought which is highly critical of the ill effects of Western colonialism.
20- Shereen Abu Akleh
Our twentieth pathbreaker is Shereen Abu-Akleh, a Palestinian American born in East Jerusalem on the occupied West Bank on April 3, 1971. She was an outstanding journalist, reporting all over the Arab World but focused on Palestine for Al-Jazeera. Abu Akleh died on May 11, 2022, in Jenin on the West Bank at age 51 from a bullet wound fired by an Israeli Defense Force soldier while she was reporting.
21- Kahlil Gibran
Our twenty-first pathbreaker is Kahlil Gibran, born in Bsharri village of Ottoman-ruled Mount Lebanon in 1893. In time, Gibran became a well-known Lebanese-American writer, poet, visual artist, and philosopher, most recognized as the author of The Prophet. First published in the U.S. in 1923, The Prophet is one of the best-selling books of all time and is translated into more than 100 languages. When it sold its millionth copy in 1957, it was sometimes referred to as the “bible” of the counterculture. The Prophet is deeply spiritual, and poetic, and contains a message of peace, of which the World, especially the Middle East and Ukraine, is in such dire need.
22- Maysoon Zayid
Our twenty-second pathbreaker is Maysoon Zayid. Born in New Jersey with cerebral palsy in 1974 to immigrant Palestinian Muslim Arab parents, Maysoon is a comedian, actress, writer, and disability advocate. She has faced numerous obstacles from disability discrimination and distrust over her Palestinian Arab ethnicity. The New Arab news source describes her perfectly as “a shining example of Arab American excellence.”
23- Bassem Youssef
Our twenty-third pathbreaker is Bassem Youssef. Born in Egypt to Muslim parents, Bassam Youssef is a renowned figure in the realms of comedy, activism, and medicine. Fleeing Egypt due to his comedic criticism of the government, he came to the U.S. on his journey from cardiology to satirical comedy and the role of political activist.
24- Helen Thomas
Our twenty-fourth pathbreaker is Helen Thomas. Born in 1920 in Winchester, Kentucky, Thomas was the seventh of nine children of immigrants from Tripoli, Lebanon. Helen was an American reporter and author, and a long-serving member of the White House press corps. She covered the White House during the administrations of ten U.S. presidents—from the beginning of the Kennedy administration to the second year of Obama’s tenure. Thomas’ pro-Arab comments got her into hot water towards the end of her career.
25- Rami Kashou
Our twenty-fifth pathbreaker is Rami Kashou, a Palestinian American born in Jerusalem, raised in Ramallah, trained in the U.S., and known for his fashion design for such celebrities as Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, and Queen Rania of Jordan. A deep sense of his Palestinian heritage is seen in his designs and his avid support of Palestinians. Rami advocates for justice, human rights, and a peaceful resolution to the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
26- Naomi Shihab Nye
Our twenty-sixth pathbreaker is Naomi Shihab Nye, a distinguished Palestinian-American poet, essayist, and novelist. She was born in 1952, in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of a Muslim Palestinian father and an American mother. Naomi’s childhood was spent mostly in America, though while growing up, she made extended visits to Jerusalem. The duality of cultures she experienced profoundly shaped her perspective and her poetry.
27- Ramy Youssef
Our twenty-seventh pathbreaker is Ramy Youssef, an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and director known for his role as Ramy Hassan on the Hulu comedy series “Ramy.” Youssef was born in New York City to Muslim Egyptian parents and later raised in New Jersey. He has consistently highlighted his Arab cultural background, using it to create empathy and understanding of his audience. Youssef employs comedy to emphasize a balance between humor and sensitivity, thereby humanizing his often-politicized stories.
28- Amaney A. Jamal
Our twenty-eighth pathbreaker is Amaney Jamal, born to a Palestinian family displaced by war. Dr. Jamal is the dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Politics, and Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. Jamal is the former Director of the Mamdouha S. Bobst Center for Peace and Justice. She also directs the Workshop on Arab Political Development and the Bobst-American University of Beirut Collaborative Initiative.
29- Ameen Faris Rihani
Our twenty-ninth pathbreaker is Ameen Faris Rihani, a preeminent Arab American Scholar. He was born in Freike, Lebanon, in 1876, the son of Maronite Christian parents, and emigrated to New York in 1888. He became an American citizen in 1901. Rihani was not only a fine Lebanese American writer and an intellectual and political activist, but he was also a major figure in the Arab diaspora literary movement developed by Arab emigrants in North America. He died back in Lebanon in 1940.
30- Laura Nader
Our thirtieth pathbreaker is Laura Nader, a famed Lebanese American anthropologist, and not quite incidentally, sister of a famed Lebanese American public interest advocate, Ralph Nader. Not only did their father emigrate to the U.S. for political reasons, giving all of his children a strong sense of “the other,” but it was her younger brother, Ralph, who first recommended that Laura study anthropology at university. She has since become a champion of justice for oppressed peoples around the world.
31- Dean Obeidallah
Our thirty-first pathbreaker is Dean Obeidallah, a famed Palestinian American lawyer, comedian, and journalist. He was born in New Jersey to a Palestinian immigrant father and an Italian American mother. He is well known for his SiriusXM Progress “The Dean Obeidallah Show” and for frequent appearances on Cable TV. Dean is known for his standup comedic performances in the U.S. and the Arab World. He is passionate in his call for peace in Palestine and vehemently rejects antisemitic and anti-Arab sentiments wherever they occur in the world.
32- Samia A. Halaby
Our thirty-second pathbreaker is Samia Halaby, a visual artist, activist, educator, and scholar. She was born in Jerusalem in 1936 during the British Mandate of Palestine. Samia, the daughter of Asaad Halaby and Foutonie Atallah Halaby, was eleven years old when her family fled to Lebanon. In 1951, the family left Beirut to settle in the U.S. Now 87, Samia has recently been outspoken in her support of Palestinians during the Israel-Gaza war.
33- Abdullah Hammoud
Our thirty-third pathbreaker is Abdullah H. Hammoud, the mayor of Dearborn, Michigan. Hammoud is the first Arab American and Muslim mayor in Dearborn’s history. Born on March 19, 1990, he is the son of Lebanese Shia immigrants who fled their country during its civil war. Hammoud is the proud leader of a community that is home to one of the largest Middle Eastern and Muslim populations per capita in the U.S. He has most recently played a critical role in representing this population in its response to the massive loss of Palestinian lives in the Hamas-Israel war.
34- Leila Fadel
Our thirty-fourth pathbreaker is Leila Fadel, who was born in Lebanon in 1981 and grew up in Saudi Arabia. Educated in journalism in the U.S., Fadel has held many prestigious reporting and anchor positions, most in Arab countries or in the context of Middle East news. Leila is presently a co-host of the NPR show “Morning Edition.” She has received numerous rewards for her journalism and is presently involved in reporting about the war in Gaza.
35- Kamal Boullata
Our thirty-fifth pathbreaker is Kamal Boulatta, a Jerusalem-born Palestinian American visual artist and art historian. Boulatta, born in 1942 and passed away on August 6, 2019, has left a magnificent collection of mostly abstract art for all to see. Kamal’s art reflects deep feelings about Palestinian identity as an occupied people in their homeland and, for himself, as someone separated from his homeland – in exile.
36- Dena Takruri
Our thirty-sixth pathbreaker is Dena Takruri, who was born in San Francisco. Her father was Palestinian, born and raised in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron. Here, we depict how Dena’s classic American education led her to an esteemed career in journalism, though one she purposely skewed towards a dynamic view of her fellow Arabs and Palestinians.
37- Andre Sayegh
Our thirty-seventh pathbreaker is Andre Sayegh, mayor of Paterson, New Jersey. He was born in Paterson on March 20, 1974, to a Syrian mother and a Lebanese father. He is a practicing Roman Catholic. Andre is recognized as a progressive mayor of New Jersey’s third-largest city, with a sizeable Arab American population and many other ethnicities. He is a proud Arab American who deeply sympathizes with the war-afflicted Palestinians of Gaza, some of whom have close family in Paterson.
38- Noura Erakat
Our thirty-eight pathbreaker, Noura Erakat, is a noted Palestinian American activist, university professor, legal scholar, and human rights attorney. Noura’s research interests focus on human rights law, humanitarian law, national security law, refugee law, social justice, and critical race theory, emphasizing the Israel-Palestine conflict. Erakat has been especially vocal on the latest go-around of the Israel-Palestine conflict, namely the Gaza war.
39- Ali Abunimah
Our thirty-ninth pathbreaker, Ali Abunimah, is a Palestinian American activist and journalist. Ali is a co-founder of The Electronic Intifada website and is described as “the leading American proponent of a one-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.” Ali’s mother is a 1948 refugee from a Palestinian village that became part of Israel, and his father is from a town in what is now the occupied West Bank.
40- Jehan Noujaim
Our fortieth pathbreaker, Jehan Noujaim, is a renowned Arab American documentary filmmaker born to a Lebanese father and an American mother. Jehan is widely known for the art of storytelling through film, especially in revealing the complexities of the lives of specific people living under conditions of strife and conflict. These are often Arab peoples.
41- Jamie Farr
Our forty-first pathbreaker, Jamie Farr, aka Jameel Joseph Farah, aka Corporal Klinger, is a well-known Arab American actor and comedian. He was born to Lebanese immigrant parents in Toledo, Ohio. While Jamie was raised in a typically American way, he never forgot his Arab origin, often reminiscing about it in fluent Arabic.
42- Helen Zughaib
Our forty-second pathbreaker, Helen Zughaib, a painter and multimedia artist, was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1959. She lived mainly in the Middle East and Europe before joining the U.S. to study art at Syracuse University. Zughaib’s work addresses matters of cultural identity, family life, the plight of refugees and displacement in the Middle East, the Arab Spring, and the Lebanese Civil War.
43- Tony Shalhoub
Our forty-third pathbreaker, Anthony (Tony) Shalhoub, was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on October 19, 1953. His father immigrated from Lebanon, while his mother was Lebanese American. The family was raised in the Lebanese Maronite (Christian) faith. Tony was a budding actor by the sixth grade, and from there, he rose to stratospheric fame on both screen and stage.
44- Huwaida Arraf
Our forty-fourth pathbreaker, Huwaida Arraf, an activist and attorney who, as a Palestinian American and a Palestinian Arab citizen of Israel, endeavored to moderate her dual loyalties. Born in Detroit, Arraf’s mother was a West Bank Palestinian, and her father was a Palestinian from northern Israel and thus an Israeli citizen. One motive for their move to the U.S. was to remove Arraf from the violence in the West Bank.
45- Casey Kasem
Our forty-fifth pathbreaker, Casey Kasem, born in 1932 in Detroit to Lebanese Druze parents, was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio presenter. He created and hosted almost four decades of ‘American Top 40’ popular song countdown programs and provided character voices for 2,000 cartoon episodes and 10,000 commercials. His rich, velvet voice was immediately recognizable to those who grew up listening to Casey.
46- Linda Sarsour
Our forty-sixth pathbreaker is Linda Sarsour, a political activist who has led significant liberal movements to improve human rights. She has fought for Muslim rights in the context of 9/11 and the Supreme Court ban on Muslim immigration, and then joined the BLM movement, linking Black and Palestinian human rights. President Obama called her “A Champion of Change.” Linda has been outspoken on the horrific results of the Gaza war.
47- James Zogby
Our forty-seventh pathbreaker is James Zogby, Lebanese Arab American, and co-founder in 1985 with his brother, John, of the Arab American Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based political and policy research firm. He is a major player in U.S. domestic politics, representing the Arab American perspective, and a preeminent rooter for Palestinian aspirations.
48- Elaine Hagopian
Our forty-eighth pathbreaker is Elaine Hagopian, a retired Sociology professor at Simmons College in Boston and one of this country’s leading Arab American activists. In 1967 Hagopian joined other Arab American intellectuals in founding the Association of Arab American University Graduates (AAUG), according to Elaine, “to change the way the Arab-Israeli conflict is perceived in the United States.” Her father was an immigrant from Damascus.
49- Abraham Aiyash
Our forty-ninth pathbreaker is Abraham Aiyash, an American politician who serves as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 4th district. A Yemeni-American, he was taught by his immigrant parents the value of public service. Aiyash is Michigan’s first Muslim in House majority leadership. He was elected as the House Majority Leader for the 2023-2024 session and is a staunch opponent of President Biden’s support of Israeli President Netanyahu’s murderous actions against Palestinians in Gaza. Aiyash said he decided to run for office because of his “deep and lifelong commitment to public service.
50- Susan Abulhawa
Our fiftieth pathbreaker is Susan Abulhawa, a Palestinian American writer and human rights activist. She is a prominent novelist who writes prolifically about Palestinians living under conditions Susan says are shaped by Israeli ‘apartheid’ policies and practices. During a recent trip to war-torn Gaza, Abulhawa expressed outrage against the killings of innocent Palestinians, causing immeasurable trauma.
51- Justin Amash
Our fifty-first pathbreaker is Justin Amash, a lawyer and politician who has served Michiganders in the Michigan House of Representatives and the U.S. House of Representatives. He is the child of a Palestinian Christian father and a Syrian Christian mother, who immigrated to the U.S. Justin is a principled politician who is difficult to pigeonhole by his party affiliation since he roots his support of issues in his understanding of constitutional law. He supports Palestinians in Gaza, where several of his relatives have been killed in the war.
52- Najla Said
Our fifty-second pathbreaker is Najla Said, a Palestinian American author, actress, playwright, and activist. Najla is the daughter of noted postcolonial scholar and public intellectual Palestinian American Edward Said and of writer and activist, Lebanese American Mariam C. Said. Najla Said’s literary and academic work addresses racism, stereotyping, and social and economic inequality, and focuses on the challenges that face immigrant and second-generation Americans.
53- Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Our fifty-third pathbreaker is Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a Lebanese American essayist, mathematical statistician, former options trader, risk analyst, and aphorist. He has deep roots in Lebanon, his Greek Orthodox Christian family having played important roles in government dating from the mid-18th century to the country’s 1975 civil war. Taleb has strong, philosophically based opinions on the Hamas-Israel war.
54- Diana Abu-Jaber
Our fifty-fourth pathbreaker is Diana Abu-Jaber, who writes fiction about Arab and Arab American culture and identity. Her stories reflect her intercultural experience, growing up in New York state and Jordan, and the cross-cultural realities of her Jordian father and American-born, Irish-German mother. Diana’s stories often involve the culture of food and food production, as practiced by her two families. She is a professor of English and currently a Writer-in-Residence at Portland State University.
55- John Zogby
Our fifty-fifth pathbreaker is John Zogby, an internationally known Arab American public opinion pollster, author, and public speaker. Founder of Zogby International polling, John is known for precisely calling several key American elections. He and his sons now operate John Zogby Strategies.
56- Zainab Salbi
Our fifty-sixth pathbreaker is Iraqi American Zainab Salbi, prolific author, media host, humanitarian, podcaster, and a representative ‘par excellence’ of what is best about Arab America. Zainab was born in Iraq during the period of Saddam Hussein’s rise to power. Presently living in the U.S., she is one of the leaders of the worldwide women’s rights movement.
57- Joseph Massad
Our fifty-seventh pathbreaker is Joseph Massad, a Palestinian American and esteemed professor of Middle Eastern Studies, Modern Arab Politics, and Intellectual History at Columbia University. His strong pro-Palestinian perspective has become the object of criticism from many quarters, most of which derives from extreme pro-Israel supporters.
58- Rana el Kaliouby
Our fifty-seventh pathbreaker is Rana el Kaliouby, an Egyptian American scientist who specializes in “affective computing.” She is a leader in the science of emotions, which brings emotional intelligence to technology. El Kaliouby is at the forefront of humanizing technology, one which helps us to connect with one another more effectively.
58- Najee Mondalek
Our fifty-seventh pathbreaker is Najee Mondalek, a Lebanese American actor who founded AJYAL Theatrical group. Mondalek has been named the Jerry Seinfeld of Arab-American culture for such roles as Im Hussein and such plays as “Arab and Broud.” The everyday lives of Arab Americans are the focus of AJYAL, including their mistakes and mishaps. Najee fell into the role of Im Hussein by accident, as we’ll see.
58- Reem Kassis
Our fifty-eighth pathbreaker is Reem Kassis, a Palestinian American born in Jerusalem to a Muslim mother and Christian father. While initially a businesswoman, Reems became a writer and cookbook author. Her work focuses on the intersection of food with culture, history, and politics. Reem’s latest writing focuses on the place of Palestinian cuisine in the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict and, more specifically, the Gaza war.
59- Khalil Jahshan
Our fifty-ninth pathbreaker is Khalil Jahshan, a Palestinian-American political analyst, media commentator, and organization executive. He serves as Executive Director of Arab Center Washington DC, a nonprofit think tank focusing on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Khalil is impassioned by the long-festering Israeli Palestinian issue and a fervent supporter of Palestine.
60- Alia Shawkat
Our sixtieth pathbreaker is Alia Shawkat, actress, producer, singer, and painter. Her father is an Iraqi Christian, and her mother is American. Alia is best known for her role in ‘Arrested Development,’ a popular, long-running Fox/Netflix TV sitcom series. Joining that series at age 14, she has spent more than half her adult life as a professional actor.
61- Anees
Our sixty-first Arab American Pathbreaker is Anees, a musician, singer, rapper, songwriter, and performer. Anees’ genres are Pop, R&B, hip hop, and pop rap. Born to parents of Lebanese and Palestinian descent, he is an ardent pro-Palestinian activist. Anees is also a proud alumnus of George Mason University.
62- Debbie Almontaser
Our sixty-second Arab American Pathbreaker, Dr. Debbie Almontaser, is an American schoolteacher and community activist of Yemeni descent. She was the founding and former principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn, New York. Debbie has fought relentlessly to defend Arab American and Muslim rights and identity in the aftermath of 9/11.
63- Rami Khouri
Our sixty-third pathbreaker is Rami Khouri, a Palestinian Jordanian, educated in both the Middle East and the U.S. A widely respected, internationally syndicated political columnist and professor of journalism, Khouri is known for his precise, honest analyses of the global influence of the Middle East, including the hot button topics of today. In a recent interview, Khouri renders a clear-eyed assessment of the Gaza war, especially the complicated roles of Hamas, Israel, and the U.S. in reaching a ceasefire.
64- Lisa Suhair Majaj
Our sixty-fourth pathbreaker is Lisa Suhair Majaj, a Palestinian American poet, writer, and scholar of Arab American Literature. She depicts Palestinians in times of peace and war, showing them in continuous periods of violence in Israel and Palestine. Majaj’s identity as a Palestinian American adds a deeply emotional aspect to her work. She avers, “In difficult times, poets and writers have always provided lifelines.”
65- Emil Wakim
Our sixty-fifth pathbreaker is Emil Wakim, a Lebanese American stand-up comic, writer, actor, and son of a Maronite Christian Lebanese immigrant father and American mother. He made his “Tonight Show” debut at the young age of 24 and this fall joined the cast of ‘Saturday Night Live’ for its milestone 50th season as the first Lebanese American cast member. Emil is unafraid of poking fun at stereotypes of Arabs and addressing serious issues such as genocide in Gaza.
66- Elyanna
Our sixty-sixth pathbreaker is Elyanna, born to a Palestinian Christian mother and Chilean father in Nazareth on January 22, 2002. She is a singer and songwriter of alternative pop, Arab pop, Arab traditional music, and urban. Elyanna loves singing in Arabic—the style of music that keeps her grounded in her identity. She is unapologetically Palestinian, expressing her commitment through her art.
67- Ernest Hamwi
Our sixty-seventh pathbreaker is Ernest Hamwi, a Syrian-born Arab-American businessman and entrepreneur. Born on November 18, 1883, in Damascus, Syria, some consider him the creator of the ice cream cone, which he purportedly conceived of while working as a concessionaire at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. Much more information is available on the ice cream cone than on Ernest himself. Nevertheless, this is his brief but eventful story.
68- Rashida Tlaib
Our sixty-eighth pathbreaker, Rashida Tlaib, an American lawyer and politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2019, representing the state’s 12th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first Palestinian American woman to serve in Congress and is one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. Rashida is a champion of underrepresented Americans and a staunch ally of Arab Americans.
69-William Peter Blatty
Our sixty-ninth pathbreaker, William Peter Blatty, a Christian Lebanese Arab, was a writer, a film director, and a producer. Blatty is best known for his 1971 novel, “The Exorcist,” and his 1973 screenplay for the film adaptation of the same name. Blatty won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for “The Exorcist” and was nominated for Best Picture as its producer. The film also earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama as producer. Blatty’s rise to stardom was exceptional given his humble beginnings, characterized as “comfortable destitution.” He died in 2017.
70- Hala Gorani
Our seventieth pathbreaker is Hala Basha-Gorani, an award-winning anchor and correspondent with over 25 years of experience. Born to parents of Syrian origin, she has covered history-defining stories and events, recently as a primetime anchor for her show “Hala Gorani Tonight” on CNN. Presently a correspondent for NBC News, Hala is regarded as an expert in the media industry, human and social rights, women’s empowerment, and international affairs, especially Middle East politics.
71- Joesph E. Aoun
Our seventy-first pathbreaker, Joseph E. Aoun, is a well-known higher education thought leader, renowned linguistics scholar, and the seventh President of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Born to a Lebanese Maronite Christian family, Aoun studied in Beirut, Paris, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has become an internationally respected voice on the value of higher education generally and in the role colleges and universities should play in meeting the challenges and opportunities associated with the transformative effects of artificial intelligence.
72- May Rihani
Our seventy-second pathbreaker, May Rihani, was born in Beirut to parents from Freike, Matn District, Lebanon. She is an expert on girls’ and women’s education, working in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia to implement educational reform, mainly to improve girls’ education and family health. In 2016, May was awarded the prestigious position of director of the Kahlil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace at the University of Maryland and recently ran as a candidate for the 2022–2025 Lebanese presidential election.
73- Ismael Ahmed
Our seventy-third pathbreaker, Ismael Ahmed, is an Arab American born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Lebanese mother and an Egyptian father who grew up in a typically working-class family. Ismael lived a working-class life until he decided to attend the University of Michigan-Dearborn. That experience shaped his life as a social activist, a public servant at state and national levels, and, significantly, a strongly pro-active Arab American.
74- Ilhan Omar
Our seventy-fourth pathbreaker, Ilhan Omar, is a Somali-born Muslim woman serving as the U.S. Democratic representative for Minnesota’s 5th congressional district since 2019. Omar is the first Somali American and the first woman of color to represent Minnesota and one of the first two Muslim women, alongside Rashida Tlaib, to serve in Congress. A staunch human rights advocate, Ilhan has vigorously opposed strong Islamophobic currents directed against her and Muslims in general.
75- Riyad Mansour
Our seventy-eighth pathbreaker, Dr. Riyad Mansour, is a Ramallah-born Palestinian American who has been a champion of Palestinian rights and presently serves as the third Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations.
John Mason, Ph.D., focuses on Arab culture, society, and history and is the author of LEFT-HANDED IN AN ISLAMIC WORLD: An Anthropologist’s Journey into the Middle East, New Academia Publishing, 2017. HJohn Mason, Ph.D., focuses on Arab culture, society, and history and is the author of LEFT-HANDED IN AN ISLAMIC WORLD: An Anthropologist’s Journey into the Middle East, New Academia Publishing, 2017. He has taught at the University of Libya, Benghazi, Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, and the American University in Cairo; John served with the United Nations in Tripoli, Libya, and consulted extensively on socioeconomic and political development for USAID and the World Bank in 65 countries.
Arwa Almasaari is a scholar, writer, and editor with a Ph.D. in English, specializing in Arab American studies. She often writes about inspirational figures, children’s literature, and celebrating diversity. You can contact her at arwa_phd@outlook.com
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