Loading ...Pathbreakers of Arab America—May Rihani
By: John Mason / Arab America Contributing Writer
This is the seventy-second of Arab America’s series on American pathbreakers of Arab descent. The series includes personalities from entertainment, business, sports, science, arts, academia, journalism, and politics, among other areas. 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.
Advancing the cause of girls’ education and women’s empowerment around the world, May Rihani is truly a pioneer
May was born in Beirut in 1945, though her parents were from the village of Freike in Mount Lebanon, just 20 miles north of Beirut. Her father is Albert Rihani and she is the niece of Ameen Rihani, both prominent Lebanese American literary figures. May was raised during the “golden years” of Lebanon, namely those years of prosperity before the country became embroiled in the civil war in the mid-1970s. Her parents nourished her and brought her up to be a woman who dedicated her life to social justice and a better understanding between the East and the West.
May has spent more than half her life in the U.S., where she began her career as an expert in international development programming. She served for many years as a senior manager for three leading U.S. organizations, including Family Health International, the Academy for Educational Development, and Creative Associates International. May has been highly active in serving on international committees, including as co-chair of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative between 2008 and 2010.
In the U.S., May has played an essential part in increasing national awareness of the challenges young women worldwide face. She testified on Capitol Hill and contributed to the CNN docudrama, “Girl Rising,” aired on CNN in 2013. May has also taught courses at the American University and the University of Maryland on international education and the expectations of gender roles in Africa and the Middle East. She authored a seminal book, “Keeping the Promise,” a framework for advancing girls’ education used by global organizations.
Topping off her professional career, May was appointed to the prestigious George and Lisa Zakhem Kahlil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace at the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2016-2020. In this role, Ms. Rihani was responsible for the “design [of] events centered on promoting peace and breaking down barriers to peace.” She also directed her attention to the empowerment of women leaders in the Arab World.
She has published several books on girls’ education, women’s empowerment, and global human development. Two of her major books are “Learning for the 21st Century: Girl’s Education in the Middle East and North Africa,” translated by UNICEF into French, Arabic, and Persian, and “Keeping the Promise: Five Benefits of Girls Secondary Education.” May also wrote her memoir, “Cultures Without Borders: From Beirut to Washington, D.C.” She is the author of three books in Arabic, mostly poetry about “love, Lebanon and global common ground.” Their titles in English are “Encircling the Waist of the Earth),” “My Name Is the Other,” and “Engraving on Time.”
In tribute to May’s impressive career, The American University of Beirut established the “May Rihani Endowed Scholarship Fund”. This fund is supported by Rihani’s family, friends, and colleagues. Its primary purpose is to provide financial assistance for outstanding women at AUB.
Taking a leap of faith, May Rihani announced her bid for the Lebanese presidency: “My ‘reference point’ is the constitution”
May announced at a press conference on 9/8/2022 her candidacy for the presidency of Lebanon. She announced, “We need a courageous male president… or a courageous female president.” May was the second woman, after Tracy Chamoun, to join the race for the presidency. Running included the initiation of official meetings with the parliamentary figures who would elect her.
May detailed her running points, stating, “Being a member of the diaspora does not mean one is not affected by the situation in Lebanon. On the contrary, both residents and expatriates are victims.” Furthermore, she noted, “The solution to Lebanon’s crisis is first and foremost political. Politicians in Lebanon have decided to consider the constitution as a point of view that one has the choice to adopt. The truth is that the fundamental law must be respected to the letter. If I am elected president, the constitution will be my reference point.”
One of May’s top priorities was the issue of Hezbollah: “The constitution is clear. Only the Lebanese Army can bear arms. It is therefore undeniable that Hezbollah’s arsenal represents an unconstitutional phenomenon that must be addressed.” She added that she would initiate a dialogue with Hezbollah for the group to hand over its weapons and for some fighters to integrate into the Lebanese Army. May also said she would improve relations between Lebanon and Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia. “Lebanon needs to be integrated into the modern, globalized Arabism we are witnessing,” she said.
During her press conference, May acknowledged that, if elected, she would be Lebanon’s first female president, a distinction that would shed light on gender rights. “If I reach the Baabda Palace (the Presidency), I will ensure that the constitution, which underscores gender equality, is respected. Thus, the first measure I would push for is the right of women to pass on nationality to their children,” she said.
During her press conference announcement, May stated she would fight for the rights of depositors who have had their savings frozen in banks due to the financial crisis. “My goal is the recovery of 80 percent of the deposits,” she told “L’Orient-Le Jour.” Another issue she addressed was the catastrophe of August 4, 2020, in which the Beirut port explosion destroyed entire neighborhoods of the capital and killed more than 230 people. She declared, “It is unacceptable that after two years, the families of the victims still do not know who killed their children.” May added she would begin reconstruction of the destroyed port to “put Beirut back on the world map as soon as possible.”
In the end, the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, Joseph Aoun, was elected president in the second round of voting of the thirteenth parliamentary session on 9 January 2025, securing 99 votes. He took office on the same day while keeping his position as the commander of the Lebanese Forces, becoming the 14th president and the fifth army commander to assume the role.
May has practiced her beliefs and followed her values in all her life endeavors. In this respect, running for Lebanon’s presidency was not a big leap of faith—instead, it represented her lifelong support for women’s rights specifically and human rights generally.
Sources:
–“May Rihani,” Wikipedia Series on Arab Americans, 2024
–“A Life Dedicated to Women, The Story of May Rihani,” May Rihani, 2025
–“May Rihani appointed new Gibran Chair Director, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Maryland News, 5/7/2018
–“May Rihani announces presidential candidacy: My ‘reference point’ is the constitution, L’Orient Today, 9/8/2022
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. 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.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Arab America. The reproduction of this article is permissible with proper credit to Arab America and the author.
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