Some American Celebrities who Fell in Love with Arab or Arab Americans

posted on: Apr 15, 2020

By: Ala Abed-Rabbo/Arab America Contributing Writer

Interracial relationships among American celebrities are an interesting one, especially with ones involved with Arabs or Arab Americans. No matter how similar one thinks they are with their partner, cultural and societal differences still arise.

However, in the end, such may often make these relations stronger and the individuals more traditionally aware. Let us look at some American celebrities who fell in love with people of Arab backgrounds.

Rihanna and Hassan Jameel

Robyn Rihanna Fenty (known as Rhianna) is a Barbadian singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. She has been popular for showing various musical styles and reinventing herself throughout her career.

Hassan Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel is a Saudi businessman and Deputy President and Vice Chairman of Saudi Arabia operations of the family-owned international conglomerate business and among numerous corporate operations. The family business, Abdul Latif Jameel Domestic, has distribution rights to Toyota vehicles in Saudi Arabia and other countries.

On June 30, 2017, the two made their first public appearance, at a coffee shop in Spain, which showed the world that they are officially together.

Despite preserving a quite low profile, Rihanna and Jameel were seen together in many instances — the couple was spotted at a dinner in Santa Monica, California, in August of 2019, which involved her mother.

“In an Interview magazine story, Rihanna told people to “Google” who she was dating. However, the artist said, “of course I am” when asked if she was in love.”

Unfortunately, speculations state that they departed ways in 2019.

Kourtney Kardashian and Younes Bendjima

Kourtney Kardashian is an American model, media personality, and socialite, and in 2007, along with her family, she starred reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

“Kardashian also represents the skincare line PerfectSkin with her sisters, which was developed by Dr. Ron DiSalvo for Perfect Science Labs.” Also, in 2017, Kourtney began her first solo fashion line as part of a partnership with the site PrettyLittleThing.

Younes, born in Lyon, France, is of Algerian descent. At the age of 11, he picked interest in boxing, where his uncle trained him. The years passed, and he signed with Next Model Management, which is the world’s most premier modeling and talent agency.

Also, in the spring of 2013, he made his modeling debut for Givenchy while walking in Riccardo Tisci’s men’s runway show. This led him to model for select brands like Balmain.

Moreover, the couple began dating in 2017, after meeting at Paris Fashion Week. They have had appearances at various vacation spots and resorts, such as going to the Cannes before jetting to Egypt, in 2017, as they enjoy each other’s company. “She is good with Younes because he is fun and they have an incredible chemistry together!”

Janet Jackson and Wassim al Mana

The youngest and ninth child of the Jackson family, Janet Damita Jo Jackson, is an American actress, dancer, singer, songwriter, and a prominent figure in popular culture. Many consider her to be one of the world’s best-selling music artists of all time, selling over 100 million records.

Born in Qatar, Wissam Saleh Al Mana is a business entrepreneur. Along with his brothers, he is the executive director of Al Mana Group, which is a Qatar-based conglomerate working mainly in the GCC area. The group activities comprise automotive services and distribution, real estate and funds, retail, food and beverage, engineering, technology, mass media, and entertainment.

Also, the couple met in 2010 at a hotel opening in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. They married two years later in Qatar, in a quiet and private ceremony. On January 3, 2017, they welcomed their first baby boy, Eissa Al Mana. The couple, however, departed their way in April of 2017.

George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin Clooney

George Timothy Clooney is an American director, actor, producer, and filmmaker. He received three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, one for acting in the Middle East thriller, Syriana (2006), and the other for co-producing in the political thriller, Argo (2012).

“In 2009, Clooney was included in Time’s annual Time 100 as one of the “Most Influential People in the World.”

Also, George’s spouse, Amal Clooney, is a Lebanese-British attorney at Doughty Street Chambers, specializing in international law and human rights. Her family left Lebanon when she was two years old, during the Lebanese Civil War. Among her cases, on April 7, 2015, it was publicized that Amal would be part of the legal team defending the former President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, in his continuing arbitrary detention.

Moreover, in July of 2013, they met at the actor’s Lake Como home, when a mutual friend stopped by while on the route to Cannes with Amal in town. In a correspondingly significant twist, the star’s parents were also staying with him during the time. Amal was introduced to his family on the same day she met him. “The two hit it off immediately, corresponding for several weeks before the romance truly blossomed.”

On September 27, 2014, their occurred married in Venice’s city hall, at Ca’ Farsetti, which followed a high-profile wedding ceremony two days earlier. In June of 2017, they welcomed their twins named Ella and Alexander.

Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef

Enrique Martin Morales, better known as his stage name, Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican/American singer, actor, and author. He is broadly regarded as the “King of Latin Pop”. His career began at age 12 with the all-boy pop group, Menudo, from 1983-1990.

Moreover, in 2016, Martin announced that he had an attraction to men and had an interest to form romantic relationships with them. Therefore, in 2017, he married a Syrian-born Swedish painter and artist, specializing in plastic arts, Jwan Yosef. Yosef is ‘openly gay.’

“Yosef was born in Ras al-Ayn, Syria, to a Muslim father of Syrian Kurdish descent and an Armenian Christian mother.” Via Instagram, on December 31, 2018, the couple announced the birth of their daughter, Lucia Martin-Yosef, and their son, Renn Martin-Yosef, on October 29, 2019 and are currently expecting their fourth child.

According to Martin, the wedding blended Middle Eastern and Latin ‘crazy.’ “My family’s here,” the singer said. “Jwan, I don’t see you, but my husband, Jwan, I love you.”

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