List of Palestinian Americans
Encyclopedia
This is a list of notable Palestinian American
s, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.
The list is ordered by category of human endeavour. Persons with significant contributions in two fields are listed in each of the pertinent categories, to facilitate easy lookup.
To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Palestinian American or must have references showing they are Palestinian American and are notable.
Palestinian American
Palestinian Americans are Americans of Palestinian ancestry. It is difficult to say when the first Palestinian immigrants arrived at the United States; however, many of the first immigrants to arrive were Christians escaping persecution from the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century...
s, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.
The list is ordered by category of human endeavour. Persons with significant contributions in two fields are listed in each of the pertinent categories, to facilitate easy lookup.
To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Palestinian American or must have references showing they are Palestinian American and are notable.
Academics
- Ismail al-FaruqiIsmail al-FaruqiIsma'il Raji al-Faruqi was a Palestinian-American philosopher, widely recognised by his peers as an authority on Islam and comparative religion. He spent several years at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, then taught at several universities in North America, including McGill University in Montreal...
, former professor of religion at Temple UniversityTemple UniversityTemple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
and authority on comparative religion & Islam - Naseer AruriNaseer AruriNaseer Aruri is an American professor and author of several books on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He is the Chancellor Professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where he taught from 1965 to 1998....
, Chancellor Professor of Political Science at University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth - Hanna BatatuHanna BatatuHanna Batatu was a Palestinian American Marxist historian specialising in the history of Iraq and the modern Arab east. His work on Iraq is widely considered the pre-eminent study of modern Iraqi history.Born in Jerusalem in 1926, Hanna Batatu emigrated to the United States in 1948, the year of...
, Marxist historian most known for his work on Iraqi history - Nadia Abu El HajNadia Abu El HajNadia Abu El Haj is an American academic with a PhD in Anthropology from Duke University. She is an associate professor of anthropology at Barnard College....
, Author & Professor of Anthropology at Barnard CollegeBarnard CollegeBarnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
and subject of a major tenure controversy case at Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the... - Ibrahim Abu-LughodIbrahim Abu-LughodIbrahim Abu-Lughod was a Palestinian academic, characterised by Edward Said as "Palestine's foremost academic and intellectual" and by Rashid Khalidi as one of the first Arab-American scholars to have a really serious effect on the way the Middle East is portrayed in political science and in...
, former Director of Graduate Studies at Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
, father of Lila Abu-LughodLila Abu-LughodLila Abu-Lughod is a Palestinian-American professor of Anthropology and Women's and Gender Studies at Columbia University in New York City. A specialist on the Arab world, her seven books, most based on long term ethnographic research, cover topics from sentiment and poetry to nationalism and... - Lila Abu-LughodLila Abu-LughodLila Abu-Lughod is a Palestinian-American professor of Anthropology and Women's and Gender Studies at Columbia University in New York City. A specialist on the Arab world, her seven books, most based on long term ethnographic research, cover topics from sentiment and poetry to nationalism and...
, professor of Anthropology and Women's and Gender Studies at Columbia University - Leila FarsakhLeila FarsakhLeila Farsakh is a Palestinian Muslim who was born in Jordan and is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at University of Massachusetts Boston. Her area of expertise is Middle East Politics, Comparative Politics, and the Politics of the Arab-Israeli Conflict...
, Professor of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts, Boston - Samih FarsounSamih FarsounSamih K. Farsoun, was a professor emeritus of sociology at American University, where he taught for thirty years until his retirement in 2003. He graduated from Hamilton College in New York. He received a master's degree in 1961 and a PhD in 1971, both in sociology from the University of Connecticut...
, Professor of sociology at American UniversityAmerican UniversityAmerican University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
and editor of Arab Studies QuarterlyArab Studies QuarterlyArab Studies Quarterly is an English-language academic journal devoted to Arabist studies. It was established in 1979 by the late Professors Edward Said and Ibrahim Abu-Lughod. They envisioned the journal to be a platform for academic research to counter anti-Arab propaganda veiled by academic... - Nadia HijabNadia HijabNadia Hijab is a prominent Palestinian political analyst, author and journalist who comments frequently on human rights and the Middle East, and the situation of the Palestinians in particular.-Biography:...
, Journalist with Middle East Magazine and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Palestine StudiesInstitute for Palestine StudiesThe Institute for Palestine Studies is the oldest independent non-profit, public service, research institute in the Arab world, was established and incorporated in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1963 and has since served as a model for other such institutes in the region... - Rashid KhalidiRashid KhalidiRashid Ismail Khalidi , born 1948, a Palestinian-American historian of the Middle East, is the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, and director of the Middle East Institute of Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs.-Family, education and...
, Edward SaidEdward SaidEdward Wadie Saïd was a Palestinian-American literary theorist and advocate for Palestinian rights. He was University Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and a founding figure in postcolonialism...
Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University - Joseph MassadJoseph MassadJoseph Andoni Massad is Associate Professor of Modern Arab Politics and Intellectual History in the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies at Columbia University, whose academic work has focused on Palestinian, Jordanian, and Israeli nationalism...
, Professor at Columbia University known for his work on nationalismNationalismNationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
and sexuality in the Arab world - Edward SaidEdward SaidEdward Wadie Saïd was a Palestinian-American literary theorist and advocate for Palestinian rights. He was University Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and a founding figure in postcolonialism...
, Professor at Columbia University best known for his work on the subject of OrientalismOrientalismOrientalism is a term used for the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers, designers and artists, as well as having other meanings...
. - Hisham SharabiHisham SharabiHisham Sharabi was Professor Emeritus of History and Umar al-Mukhtar Chair of Arab Culture at Georgetown University, where he was a specialist in European intellectual history and social thought...
Professor Emeritus of History and Umar al-Mukhtar Chair of Arab Culture at Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown UniversityGeorgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States... - Rosemarie Said ZahlanRosemarie Said ZahlanRosemarie Said Zahlan was a Palestinian-US Christian historian and writer on the Persian Gulf states. She was a sister of Edward Said...
, historian, journalist & author, sister of Edward SaidEdward SaidEdward Wadie Saïd was a Palestinian-American literary theorist and advocate for Palestinian rights. He was University Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and a founding figure in postcolonialism...
Activists
- Alex OdehAlex OdehAlex Odeh was an Arab-American anti-discrimination activist who was killed in a bombing as he opened the door of his office at 1905 East 17th Street, Santa Ana, California...
, activist tied to the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination CommitteeAmerican-Arab Anti-Discrimination CommitteeThe American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee states that it is the largest Arab American grassroots civil rights organization in the United States. According to its web page it is open to people of all backgrounds, faiths and ethnicities and has over 40 chapters in 24 states and members in all...
Authors, Poets, Playwrights, and Journalists
- Susan AbulhawaSusan AbulhawaSusan Abulhawa is an American-based author of Palestinian descent. She is the author of the 2010 novel, Mornings in Jenin.-Background:Abulhawa is the daughter of Palestinian refugees of the 1967 War. She grew up in Kuwait, Jordan, occupied East Jerusalem, and the United States...
, Author - Ali AbunimahAli AbunimahAli Hasan Abunimah is a Palestinian American journalist and co-founder of Electronic Intifada, a not-for-profit, independent online publication about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Born in Washington D.C., he spent his early years in the United Kingdom and Belgium before returning to the...
, Journalist and co-founder of The Electronic Intifada - Ismail Khalidi (writer)Ismail Khalidi (writer)Ismail Khalidi is a Palestinian American playwright, poet, and actor, best known for the plays Tennis in Nablus and Truth Serum Blues...
, Playwright - Sahar KhalifehSahar KhalifehSahar Khalifeh is a Palestinian writer born in 1942 in Nablus of the West Bank. After studying at the University of Birzeit, in the Palestinian occupied territories, she received a Fulbright scholarship and went to continue her studies in the US...
, Novelist and founder of the Women's Affairs Center in NablusNablusNablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the... - Suheir HammadSuheir HammadSuheir Hammad is a Palestinian-American poet, author and political activist. She was born in Amman, Jordan. Her parents were Palestinian refugees who immigrated along with their daughter to Brooklyn, New York City when she was five years old...
, Poet - Nathalie HandalNathalie HandalNathalie Handal is a French-American poet and playwright of Palestinian origin. She has lived in Europe, the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Arab world.-Biography:...
, Poet and Playwright - Nadia HijabNadia HijabNadia Hijab is a prominent Palestinian political analyst, author and journalist who comments frequently on human rights and the Middle East, and the situation of the Palestinians in particular.-Biography:...
, Journalist with Middle East Magazine and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Palestine StudiesInstitute for Palestine StudiesThe Institute for Palestine Studies is the oldest independent non-profit, public service, research institute in the Arab world, was established and incorporated in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1963 and has since served as a model for other such institutes in the region... - Sahar KhalifehSahar KhalifehSahar Khalifeh is a Palestinian writer born in 1942 in Nablus of the West Bank. After studying at the University of Birzeit, in the Palestinian occupied territories, she received a Fulbright scholarship and went to continue her studies in the US...
, Novelist and founder of the Women's Affairs Center in NablusNablusNablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the... - Naomi Shihab NyeNaomi Shihab NyeNaomi Shihab Nye is a poet, songwriter, and novelist. She was born to a Palestinian father and American mother. Although she regards herself as a "wandering poet", she refers to San Antonio as her home.-Career:...
, Poet, songwriter, and novelist
Business and commerce
- Sam BahourSam BahourSam Bahour is a Palestinian-American businessman and entrepreneur who moved with his family to the Israeli-occupied West Bank in the 1990s following the signing of Oslo Accords to become involved in developing the economy of the future Palestinian state....
, co-founder of the Palestine Telecommunications Company, first private telecommunications company in the Middle East - Tom GoresTom GoresTom Gores is an American billionaire with an estimated current net worth of $2.4 billion dollars. He appears on the Forbes list of 2011 World's Billionaires. On June 1, 2011 he became the owner of the Detroit Pistons.-Biography:...
, billionaire businessman
Film and performing arts
- Hanan AlattarHanan AlattarHanan Alattar is an American operatic soprano and actress who has made appearances at the Los Angeles Opera, Berlin Staatsoper, New York City Opera, Lincoln Center New York]] as well collaborating with fellow conductors, Placido Domingo, James Conlon and Miguel Harth-Bedoya.- Early life :Alattar...
, operatic singer and actress - Cherien DabisCherien DabisCherien Dabis is a Palestinian American director, producer, and screenwriter. She was named one of Variety magazine's 10 Directors to Watch in 2009.-Background:...
, Film Director - Mai MasriMai MasriMai Masri is a U.S.-educated Palestinian filmmaker who has directed eight films.- Early life:Masri is the daughter of Munib Masri from Nablus and an American mother from Texas who was raised in Beirut, where she has lived most of her life. She graduated from San Francisco State University in 1981....
, Filmmaker and Director - Dean ObeidallahDean ObeidallahDean Obeidallah is a Palestinian-American/Italian-American comedian, who was born in Lodi, New Jersey, and grew up in nearby Paramus. His father was born in Battir, Palestine- a small village near Bethlehem; his mother's parents were born in Sicily...
, Comedian
Medicine
- Laila Al-MarayatiLaila Al-MarayatiLaila Al-Marayati is a Palestinian-American doctor and Islamic activist, and former presidential appointee to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, where she served for two years after being appointed by President Bill Clinton....
, Director of Women's Health at the Eisner Pediatric and Family Medical Center in downtown Los Angeles - Hashem El-SeragHashem El-SeragHashem El-Serag is a Palestinian-American doctor and medical researcher best known for his groundbreaking research in Hepatocellular carcinoma and the hepatitis C virus....
, doctor and medical researcher on Hepatocellular carcinomaHepatocellular carcinomaHepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of liver cancer. Most cases of HCC are secondary to either a viral hepatitide infection or cirrhosis .Compared to other cancers, HCC is quite a rare tumor in the United States...
(HCC) and the hepatitis C virusHepatitis C virusHepatitis C virus is a small , enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus of the family Flaviviridae...
Musicians
- DJ KhaledDJ KhaledKhaled bin Abdul Khaled , better known by his stage name DJ Khaled, is an American record producer, radio personality, DJ, and record label executive. He is a radio host for the Miami-based urban music radio station WEDR and the DJ for the hip hop group Terror Squad. In 2006, Khaled released his...
, DJ & Record Producer - FredwreckFredwreckFarid Karam Nassar, better known as Fredwreck is a record producer from Los Angeles, California. He got his big break when he became a producer for Dr. Dre's newly founded Aftermath Records label, and went on to work with Snoop Dogg's record label Dogghouse Records and became a known producer on...
, Record Producer & DJ - Simon ShaheenSimon ShaheenSimon Shaheen is a Palestinian-American oud and violin virtuoso and composer....
, oudOudThe oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
and violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
musician and composer
Politics
- Imad-ad-Dean AhmadImad-ad-Dean AhmadImad-ad-Dean Ahmad is an Palestinian American scholar and the president of the Minaret of Freedom Institute, a libertarian Muslim think-tank...
, head of the Minaret of Freedom InstituteMinaret of Freedom InstituteThe Minaret of Freedom Institute is an Islamic libertarian organization established in 1993 and based in Bethesda, Maryland. It was co-founded by Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, its president, and Shahid N. Shah...
, a libertarian think-tank - Huwaida ArrafHuwaida ArrafHuwaida Arraf is a Palestinian Christian human rights activist, lawyer and co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement , a Palestinian-led organization focused on assisting the Palestinian side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using non-violent protests...
, co-founder of the International Solidarity MovementInternational Solidarity MovementThe International Solidarity Movement is an organization focused on assisting the Palestinian cause in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using nonviolent protests. It was founded in 2001 by Ghassan Andoni, a Palestinian activist; Neta Golan, an Israeli activist; Huwaida Arraf, a... - Mubarak AwadMubarak AwadMubarak Awad is a Palestinian-American psychologist and an advocate of nonviolent resistance.-Early life and move to the United States:Awad, a Palestinian Christian , was born in 1943 in Jerusalem when it was under the British Mandate...
, founder of the Palestinian Centre for the Study of NonviolencePalestinian Centre for the Study of NonviolencePalestinian Centre for the Study of Nonviolence was founded in 1983 by Mubarak Awad, a Palestinian-American psychologist, and an advocate of nonviolent resistance.... - John E. SununuJohn E. SununuJohn Edward Sununu is a former Republican United States Senator from New Hampshire, of Lebanese and Palestinian Christian ancestry. Sununu was the youngest member of the Senate for his entire six year term. He is the son of former New Hampshire Governor John H...
, US Senator from New Hampshire (2003-2009), son of John H. SununuJohn H. SununuJohn Henry Sununu is a former Governor of New Hampshire and former White House Chief of Staff under President George H. W. Bush. He is the father of John E. Sununu, a former senator from New Hampshire, and formerly a U.S. Representative... - John H. SununuJohn H. SununuJohn Henry Sununu is a former Governor of New Hampshire and former White House Chief of Staff under President George H. W. Bush. He is the father of John E. Sununu, a former senator from New Hampshire, and formerly a U.S. Representative...
, Governor of New Hampshire (1983-1989) and White House Chief of Staff to President George H.W. Bush (1989-1991)
Sports
- Omar JarunOmar JarunOmar Jarun is a Palestinian international footballer, who currently plays for Arka Gdynia in the Polish I Liga.-Club career:Jarun played college soccer for the University of Memphis and the University of Dayton, combining his studies with an amateur career in the PDL with teams such as Fort Wayne...
, soccer player and member of the Palestine national football teamPalestine national football teamThe Palestine national football team is the national team of the Palestinian Football Association, representing the Palestinian National Authority.The Palestine Football Federation was founded in 1952... - Ramsey NijemRamsey NijemRamsey Nijem is a Palestinian-American mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight and lightweight divisions. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Nijem has made a name for himself fighting in Utah. He was a finalist on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs...
, mixed martial artist - Omar SheikaOmar SheikaOmar Sheika is an American boxer of Palestinian descent. As of October 2010 he holds a professional record of 30 wins and 10 losses.-Amateur career:...
, boxer - Samir BadrSamir BadrSamir Badr is an American soccer player of Palestinian descent playing for Seattle Sounders in the MLS.-Amateur:...
, soccer goal keeper.
Other
- Nidal Malik HasanNidal Malik HasanNidal Malik Hasan, USA is a United States Army officer and sole suspect in the November 5, 2009, Fort Hood shooting, which occurred less than a month before he would have deployed to Afghanistan....
, US Army (Major), sole suspect in the 2009 Fort Hood shootingFort Hood shootingThe Fort Hood shooting was a mass shooting that took place on November 5, 2009, at Fort Hood, the most populous U.S. military installation in the world, located just outside Killeen, Texas. In the course of the shooting, a single gunman killed 13 people and wounded 29 others... - Sirhan SirhanSirhan SirhanSirhan Bishara Sirhan is a Jordanian citizen who was convicted for the assassination of United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy. He is serving a life sentence at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, California.Sirhan was a Christian Arab born in Jerusalem who strongly opposed Israel...
, convicted murderer of Robert F. KennedyRobert F. KennedyRobert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
See also
- Palestinians
- List of notable Palestinians
- Palestinian diasporaPalestinian diasporaPalestinian diaspora is a term used to describe Palestinians living outside of historic Palestine - an area today known as Israel and the Palestinian territories or the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip...