Wafah Dufour
Encyclopedia
Wafah Dufour born in Los Angeles, California
, is an American
singer-songwriter
, socialite, and model (1.60 m).
Her father, Yeslam bin Ladin
(half brother of Osama bin Laden
), is Saudi Arabia
n (father of Yemeni origin and mother of Iranian origin) and her mother, Carmen bin Ladin
, is of Swiss
father and Iranian mother from a noble family (mothers name: Mirdoth/Sheybani). She is one of over 400 nieces and nephews of Osama bin Laden
. She has Swiss nationality by her mother and United States nationality by birth.
Wafah Dufour spent the early part of her life in Los Angeles
, then Jeddah
, Saudi Arabia
but later moved to Geneva
, Switzerland
with her parents and two sisters Nadjia (1979) and Noor (1987).
In 1988, her parents separated and finally divorced only in January 2006. Her father and his family have reportedly not spoken to either her or her two younger sisters since she was 15 years old. She changed her last name to her mother's maiden name, Dufour.
She earned a law degree from Geneva University and a masters degree from Columbia Law School
in New York
.
She speaks French
(her mother tongue), English
, and Persian
. In early 2006, publisher Judith Regan
signed Dufour to appear in a reality television
show which planned to follow her battle for success in the music industry in a fly-on-the-wall documentary. In the end, the project was canceled due to lingering resentments about the September 11 attacks.
At present, she is recording her first album and she now lives in London
. She is also set to collaborate with Atlanta rock band Black Lips
.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, socialite, and model (1.60 m).
Her father, Yeslam bin Ladin
Yeslam bin Ladin
Yeslam bin Muhammad bin 'Awad bin Ladin better known as Yeslam bin Laden, also written Yeslam Binladin, as he prefers to spell it, is a Swiss businessman and the half-brother of the deceased al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden....
(half brother of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
), is Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
n (father of Yemeni origin and mother of Iranian origin) and her mother, Carmen bin Ladin
Carmen bin Ladin
Carmen Binladin was a member of the bin Laden family. She was raised in Lausanne, Switzerland by her mother along with three other sisters...
, is of Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
father and Iranian mother from a noble family (mothers name: Mirdoth/Sheybani). She is one of over 400 nieces and nephews of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
. She has Swiss nationality by her mother and United States nationality by birth.
Wafah Dufour spent the early part of her life in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, then Jeddah
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
but later moved to Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
with her parents and two sisters Nadjia (1979) and Noor (1987).
In 1988, her parents separated and finally divorced only in January 2006. Her father and his family have reportedly not spoken to either her or her two younger sisters since she was 15 years old. She changed her last name to her mother's maiden name, Dufour.
She earned a law degree from Geneva University and a masters degree from Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
She speaks French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
(her mother tongue), English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
. In early 2006, publisher Judith Regan
Judith Regan
Judith Regan is an American editor, producer, book publisher and television and radio talk show host. She is the mother of a son and a daughter and lives in New York City and Los Angeles.-Early life:...
signed Dufour to appear in a reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show which planned to follow her battle for success in the music industry in a fly-on-the-wall documentary. In the end, the project was canceled due to lingering resentments about the September 11 attacks.
At present, she is recording her first album and she now lives in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. She is also set to collaborate with Atlanta rock band Black Lips
Black Lips
Black Lips are a "Flower Punk" band from Atlanta, Georgia.-History:The band formed in 1999 in Dunwoody, Georgia after guitarist Cole Alexander and bassist Jared Swilley left the Renegades, and guitarist Ben Eberbaugh left the Reruns. Alexander and Swilley were known for their crude antics both...
.
External links
- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10587661- appearance on GQ mirror
- Pop career for bin Laden niece, The Observer, 15 March 2003
