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Point of View Poem
Science[edit]
- Elias J. Corey, organic chemistry professor at Harvard University, winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize in Chemistry[1] (Lebanese parents)
- Ahmed Zewail, Egyptian-American scientist, known as the “father of femtochemistry“, winner of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- Michael E. DeBakey, pioneering Lebanese-American cardiovascular surgeon and researcher,[2] 1963 Lasker Award laureate
- Omar M. Yaghi, Jordanian-American reticular chemistry pioneer; winner of the 2018 Wolf Prize in Chemistry
- Mostafa El-Sayed, Egyptian-American US National Medal of Science laureate; leading nanoscience researcher; known for the spectroscopy rule named after him, the El-Sayed rule
- Huda Zoghbi, Lebanese-American physician and medical researcher who discovered the genetic cause of the Rett syndrome
- Huda Akil, pioneering Syrian-American neuroscientist and medical researcher
- Hunein Maassab, Syrian-American professor of epidemiology and the inventor of the live attenuated influenza vaccine
- Joanne Chory, plant biologist and geneticist (Lebanese)
- Elias Zerhouni, former director of the National Institutes of Health (Algerian)
- Anthony Atala, Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (Lebanese)
- Nawal M. Nour, obstetrician and gynecologist (Sudanese)
- Michel T. Halbouty, Lebanese-American geologist and geophysicist; pioneer in oil field research[3][4][5]
- Adah al-Mutairi (Saudi Arabian), inventor and scholar in nanotechnology and nanomedicine
- M. Amin Arnaout, Lebanese-American nephrologist and biologist
- Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Professor of Mathematics at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University
Engineering/Computer Science[edit]
- Fawwaz T. Ulaby Syrian-American professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, former Vice President of Research for the University of Michigan; first Arab-American winner of the IEEE Edison Medal
- Taher ElGamal, Egyptian-American cryptographer, inventor of the ElGamal discrete log cryptosystem and the ElGamal signature scheme
- Ali H. Nayfeh, Palestinian-American mechanical engineer, the 2014 recipient of Benjamin Franklin Medal in mechanical engineering
- Dina Katabi, Syrian-American Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT and the director of the MIT Wireless Center.
- Abbas El Gamal, Egyptian-American electrical engineer, educator and entrepreneur, the recipient of the 2012 Claude E. Shannon Award
- Oussama Khatib, roboticist and a professor of computer science
- Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah, Lebanese-American technology innovator[6][7]
- Mohammad S. Obaidat (Jordanian), computer science/engineering academic and scholar
- Charbel Farhat, Vivian Church Hoff Professor of Aircraft Structures; Director of the Army High Performance Computing Research Center; Chair of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University (Lebanese)
- Hany Farid, Professor of computer science at Dartmouth College, pioneer in Digital forensics (Egyptian)
- Ahmed Tewfik, Egyptian-American electrical engineer, Professor and college administrator
- Munther A. Dahleh, Professor and Director at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Palestinian)
- Michel j. Asmar, Lebanese Genius and Youngster, Bachelor in Computes Science. Self-taught from life’s experience[8]
Humanities[edit]
- Ismail al-Faruqi, philosopher, professor
- Suleiman M. Hamdan, Palestinian American academic
- Nahla Yassine-Hamdan, Lebanese American political scientist and author
- Fouad Ajami, Professor of International Relations
- Saddeka Arebi, professor of anthropology at UC Berkeley
- Mohammed Adam El-Sheikh, executive director of the Fiqh Council of North America[9] (Sudanese)
- Samih Farsoun, sociology professor at the American University[10]
- Philip Khuri Hitti, historian of Arab culture and history (Lebanese)
- Philip S. Khoury, Ford International Professor of History and Associate Provost at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Lebanese)
- Laura Nader, cultural anthropologist
- Edward Said, Palestinian-American literary theorist and former professor at Columbia University
- Ahmed Ismail Samatar, prominent writer, professor and former dean of the Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College; Somali ancestry
- Nada Shabout, Professor of Art History at University of North Texas
- Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, teaches religion, science, and freedom at the University of Maryland, College Park; directs the Minaret of Freedom Institute[11][12]
- Muhsin Mahdi, Iraqi-American Islamologist and Arabist.
- Talal Asad, anthropologist at the CUNY Graduate Center.
- Majid Khadduri, Iraqi–American academic, He was founder of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies Middle East Studies program.
University Presidents[edit]
Business[edit]
- Mohamed A. El-Erian, CEO and co-CIO of PIMCO (Egyptian)
- Alec Gores, founder of Gores Group; on the Forbes list of billionaires (Palestinian)
- Tom Gores, founder and CEO of Platinum Equity; on the Forbes list of billionaires (Palestinian)
- Sam Gores, founder of talent agency Paradigm Agency; on the Forbes list of billionaires[13] (Palestinian)
- Najeeb Halaby, former head of Federal Aviation Administration and CEO of Pan-American Airlines, and father of Queen Noor of Jordan (Syrian father)[14]
- Ray R. Irani, Chairman and CEO of Occidental Petroleum (Palestinian)
- Joseph Jacobs, founder of Jacobs Engineering, one of the leading engineering firms in the US (Lebanese)
- Steve Jobs, head of Apple, (Syrian biological father)[15][16]
- Mario Kassar, formerly headed Carolco Pictures[17] (Lebanese)
- John J. Mack, CEO of investment bank Morgan Stanley (Lebanese parents)[18]
- Maloof family, Lebanese family who owns numerous business properties in the Western United States, majority owners of the Sacramento Kings and the Palms Casino Hotel in Paradise, Nevada
- Sam Maloof (Lebanese parents)
- Sam Moore, founder and president of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the largest worldwide distributor of the Bible
- Manuel Moroun, owner of CenTra, Inc., the holding company which controls the Ambassador Bridge and Michigan Central Depot
- Jacques Nasser, former president and CEO of Ford Motor Company (Lebanese)
- Musse Olol, Chairman of the Somali American Council of Oregon (SACOO), Somali ancestry
- Paul Orfalea, nicknamed “Kinko”, entrepreneur, founder the copy-chain Kinko’s (parents of Lebanese descent)
- Moose Scheib, founder and CEO of Loanmod.com; inventor of the modern day loan modification
- Farouk Shami, founder of Farouk systems, a Houston-based company that manufactures hair care and spa products like CHI hair Irons (Palestinian)
- Joe Sitt, real estate developer and founder of Thor Equities (Syrian grandparents)
- John Zogby (Lebanese), founder and current President/CEO of Zogby International
Arts and entertainment[edit]
- Sam Esmail, screenwriter, director and producer; creator of the television series Mr. Robot (Egyptian)
- Callie Khouri, Academy Award-winning screenwriter (Syrian-Lebanese father)
- William Peter Blatty, Academy Award-winning screenwriter and writer (Lebanese)
- Sanaa Hamri, music video and movie director; her films include the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (Moroccan)
- Moustapha Akkad, Syrian-American film producer and director
- Casey Kasem, radio personality and voice actor, co-founder of American Top 40 franchise,[19] (Lebanese descent)
- George Noory, radio broadcaster of late-night paranormal-themed radio talk show Coast to Coast AM, Lebanese[20]
- Mario Kassar, film producer, founder of Carolco Pictures, (Lebanese descent)
- Tom Shadyac, director, screenwriter and producer, (Lebanese descent)
- Tony Thomas, producer, (Lebanese descent)
- Jehane Noujaim, documentary film director, (Egyptian)[21]
- Kerri Kasem, radio personality, (Lebanese descent)
- Dan Jbara, television and film producer, (Lebanese father)
- Diane Rehm, host and executive producer of The Diane Rehm Show on National Public Radio, (Syrian-Lebanese descent)
- Elie Samaha, film producer, (Lebanese)
- Emile Kuri, Academy Award-winning art director, (Lebanese descent)
- Zaida Ben-Yusuf, portrait photographer (Algerian)
- Rima Fakih, Miss USA 2010, (Lebanese)
- Remi Kanazi, performance poet, Palestinian descent[22]
- Abdisalam Aato, film director, producer, entrepreneur, and media consultant (Somali)
- Yousef Abu-Taleb, actor, lonelygirl15; film producer (Jordanian)
- James Sayess, actor NCIS:LA, Barry (TV series) (Palestinian heritage)
- Adam Saleh, YouTuber and singer (Yemeni)
- Cherien Dabis, film director (Palestinian)
- Tareq Salahi, television personality (Palestinian father)
- Yousef Erakat, YouTuber and actor (Palestinian)
- Yasmine Bleeth, actress, her mother was Algerian.
- Gabbie Hanna, Comedian, Actress, YouTube Personality, Singer. Lebanese Descent
- Tony Shalhoub, three-time Emmy Award-winning television actor on Monk, Lebanese[23]
- F. Murray Abraham, Academy Award-winning actor for his role in Amadeus, father was an Assyrian from Syria
- Danny Thomas, Emmy Award-winning actor, founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; father of Marlo Thomas (Lebanese parents)[24]
- Marlo Thomas, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actress, (father of Lebanese descent)
- Rami Malek, Emmy Award and Academy Award – winning actor, (Egyptian descent)
- James Sayess, American film, television and theater actor, (Palestinian heritage)
- Vic Tayback, two-time Golden Globe-winning actor, (Syrian parents)
- Kristy McNichol, two-time Emmy Award-winning actress,[25] maternal grandfather was of Lebanese descent
- Tige Andrews, Emmy-nominated actor, Syrian-American
- Michael Ansara, actor (Syrian)
- George Nader, American film and television actor.
- Jenna Dewan, film/TV actress (Step Up); paternal grandfather was of Lebanese descent[26]
- Shannon Elizabeth, film actress (American Pie, Scary Movie),[27] (father is of Lebanese and Syrian ancestry)
- Khrystyne Haje, actress on Head of the Class, Lebanese descent
- Teri Hatcher, actress, maternal grandfather was of Syrian ancestry
- Salma Hayek, Mexican actress (paternal grandfather was Lebanese)
- Rowan Blanchard, actress (paternal grandfather was Syrian)
- Anissa Jones, actress, Family Affair (maternal Lebanese grandparents)
- Jamie Farr, character actor, Lebanese[28]
- Catherine Keener, actress, Lebanese ancestry on mother’s side
- Wendie Malick, actress, Egyptian paternal grandfather
- Alanna Masterson, actress, half Lebanese
- Wentworth Miller, actor on Prison Break, Lebanese-Syrian from maternal great-grandmother[29]
- Najee Mondalek, actor/playwright, Lebanese descent
- Kathy Najimy, actress, Lebanese descent[30]
- Gregory Jbara, television and film actor
- Alia Shawkat, actress on Arrested Development, Iraqi father
- James Stacy, actor, father is of Lebanese descent
- Paola Turbay, actress, father is of Lebanese descent
- Vince Vaughn, actor (paternal grandmother was of Lebanese descent)
- Amy Yasbeck, actress, father was of Lebanese ancestry
- Sammy Sheik, actor, Egyptians parents
- Omar Metwally, actor, Egyptian father
- Waleed Zuaiter, actor; Palestinian parents
- Mo Gallini, actor; Lebanese parents
- Michael Nouri, actor; Iraqi father
- Haaz Sleiman, Lebanese-American television and film actor
- Emeraude Toubia, actress (Lebanese father)
- Edy Ganem, actress (Lebanese descent)
- Nadia Dajani, actress (Palestinian father)
- Rose Abdoo, comedian, actress (Lebanese)
Comedians[edit]
- Dean Obeidallah, stand-up comedian, writer, (Palestinian father)
- Ahmed Ahmed, actor and comedian, (Egyptian)
- Mohammed Amer, comedian, writer, actor; Rolling Stone, Al Barnameg, Allah Made Me Funny (Palestinian parents, born in Kuwait),
- Remy Munasifi, comedian also known as GoRemy (Iraqi father/Lebanese mother)
- Ronnie Khalil, stand-up comedian (Egyptian)
- Aron Kader, stand-up comedian, (Palestinian father)
- Maysoon Zayid, actress and comedian (Palestinian)
- Ray Hanania, journalist and stand-up comedian (Palestinian)
- Kassem G, comedian, actor, and YouTuber (Jordanian)
- Anwar Jibawi, YouTuber and comedian (Palestinian)
Fashion designers[edit]
- Paul Anka legendary singer/songwriter (Syrian Lebanese)
- Frank Zappa, musician, part Lebanese father[32] (Part Lebanese)
- Shakira, singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, choreographer, and model (paternal grandparents emigrated from Lebanon to New York City)
- DJ Khaled (Palestinian), popular hip-hop DJ, rapper, music producer
- RedOne producer, songwriter, music executive (Moroccan, Swedish)
- Tiffany, born Tiffany Renee Darwish, singer, father is of Lebanese descent
- Tiny Tim (born Herbert Khaury), musician, Lebanese father[33]
- French Montana, New York rapper (Moroccan)
- Paul Jabara, actor, singer, songwriter, Lebanese ancestry
- Dick Dale, surf rock guitarist, father was of Lebanese descent[34]
- Andrew Bazzi, singer-songwriter, Lebanese-American
- Soraya, singer/songwriter, mother is part Lebanese
- G.E. Smith, lead guitarist in the band Hall & Oates; musical director of Saturday Night Live
- David Yazbek, songwriter and musician, half Lebanese
- Raef Haggag singer (Egyptian)
- Stephan Said, singer, musician, writer and activist, Iraqi descent
- Kareem Salama, country singer-songwriter and musician, Egyptian-American
- Alissa Musto, singer/pianist, of partial Arab descent
- Kurtis Mantronik, born Kurtis el Khaleel, remixer and producer, founding member of 1980s old school hip hop group Mantronix, Syrian father
- Qusai Kheder, rapper, singer/songwriter, record producer, television personality, and DJ (Saudi)
- Malek Jandali, composer and pianist (Syrian-American)
- Sammy Hagar, songwriter, singer, musician, guitarist, Lebanese descent
- Ferras, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter (Jordanian)
- Fredwreck hip hop producer (Palestinian)
- Mohammed Fairouz, musician, composer (Arab)
- Emilio Estefan, Cuban-born, manager and producer of wife Gloria Estefan, Lebanese ancestry
- Ayad Al Adhamy, synthesizer player and multi-instrumentalist musician, born in Bahrain
- Ferras Alqaisi, singer-songwriter, Jordanian-American
- Mohammed El-Bakkar, singer and band-leader, Lebanese immigrant to Brooklyn
- Jeff Becerra, death metal musician, Arab Mexican origin
- Ron Affif, jazz guitarist and musician
- Paula Abdul, singer, musician, writer, actress, and television personality of partial Arab descent (Syrian-American), Syrian Jewish father
Literature[edit]
- Khalil Gibran, writer, poet, and member of the New York Pen League; the third-best-selling poet of all time (Lebanese)
- William Peter Blatty, American writer best known for his 1971 horror novel The Exorcist (Lebanese)
- Laila Lalami, Pulitzer Prize-nominated novelist, journalist, essayist, and professor (Moroccan)
- Mikhail Naimy, Nobel Prize-nominated author; member of the New York Pen League; well-known works include The Book of Mirdad and a biography of Khalil Gibran
- Edward Said, literary theorist, thinker, and the founder of the academic field of postcolonial studies (Palestinian)
- Ameen Rihani, “father of Arab American literature,” member of the New York Pen League and author of The Book of Khalid, the first Arab American novel in English; also an ambassador
- Mona Simpson, author of Anywhere but Here (Syrian father)
- Stephen Adly Guirgis, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (Egyptian father)
- Elmaz Abinader, poet, playwright, memoirist, writer (Lebanese)
- Diana Abu-Jaber, novelist and professor, author of Arabian Jazz and Crescent (Jordanian)
- Elia Abu Madi, poet, publisher and member of the New York Pen League (Lebanese)
- Etel Adnan, poet, essayist, and visual artist (Syrian father)
- Catherine Filloux, French-Algerian-American playwright
- Suheir Hammad, poet, playwright, artist, Tony Award winner, 2003 (Russel Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam on Broadway)
- Samuel John Hazo, State Poet of Pennsylvania
- Lawrence Joseph, poet
- Lisa Suhair Majaj, poet and literary scholar
- Jack Marshall, poet and author (Iraqi father/Syrian mother)
- Khaled Mattawa, poet, recipient of an Academy of American Poets award
- Claire Messud, author, Algerian
- Naomi Shihab Nye, poet
- Abraham Rihbany, writer on politics and religion
- Steven Salaita, expert on comparative literature and post-colonialism, writer, activist (Palestinian/Jordanian)
Media and journalism[edit]
- Pedram Javaheri, CNN International weatherman forecasting
- Helen Thomas reporter, columnist, and White House correspondent (Lebanese descent)
- Hala Gorani journalist and anchor of CNN’s International Desk; Levantine Cultural Center (Syrian)
- Anthony Shadid, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, foreign correspondent (Lebanese)
- Hoda Kotb broadcast journalist and TV host on Dateline NBC and the Today Show (Egyptian)
- Jim Avila, correspondent for ABC News “20/20”, half Lebanese
- Jamal Dajani, television producer and Middle East analyst, Palestinian
- Paula Faris, television correspondent and personality, half Lebanese[35]
- Ray Hanania, award-winning journalist; Managing Editor of The Arab Daily News; President and CEO of Urban Strategies Group media and political consultants
- Diane Rehm, American public radio talk show host
- Dena Takruri journalist, on-air presenter, and producer (Palestinian)
- Joseph Gedeon, journalist, producer, editor (Palestinian father, Egyptian mother)
- Fawaz Gerges, ABC analyst and regular guest on “Oprah’s Anti-war series” (Lebanese)
- Yasmeen Sami Alamiri, journalist, first member of the White House foreign press pool, (Iraqi)
- Susan Chira, journalist, former New York Times editor, foreign correspondent (Syrian)
- Lorraine Ali, reporter, editor, culture writer and music critic for Newsweek (Iraqi)
- Susie Gharib, co-anchor of the Nightly Business Report
- Walid Phares, Fox News correspondent, Middle Eastern policy advisor to the 2012 Mitt Romney presidential campaign and the 2016 Donald Trump presidential campaign (Lebanese)
- Paul Ajlouny, founder of the Palestinian newspaper Al-Fajr
- Daoud Kuttab, award-winning journalist; Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University (Palestinian)
- Nasser Weddady activist, Director of Civil Rights Outreach at American Islamic Congress (Mauritanian)
- Mona Eltahawy, freelance journalist. (Egyptian)
- Ayman Mohyeldin, journalist for NBC News (Egyptian)
Military[edit]
- John Abizaid, Lebanese[36]
- Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie, specialist in the United States Army who was kidnapped by insurgents in Baghdad, Iraq, on October 23, 2006
- Florent Groberg, mother of Algerian descent
- James Jabara, Lebanese
- George Joulwan, Lebanese
- Peter Mansoor, Palestinian Arab
- Michael A. Monsoor, first Arab American Medal of Honor awardee
- Ray Hanania, Vietnam Era Military Service, U.S. Air Force
Politics[edit]
- James Abdnor, U.S. Senator (R-South Dakota) (1981–1987)
- John Abizaid, retired general (Lebanese)
- James Abourezk, U.S. Senator (D-South Dakota) (1973–1979) (Lebanese ancestry)[38]
- Spencer Abraham, U.S. Secretary of Energy (2001–2005) and U.S. Senator (R-Mich.) Secretary of Energy under Bush (1995–2001) (Lebanese ancestry)
- Justin Amash, U.S. Representative (R-Michigan) (2011–), Palestinian and Syrian descent
- Victor G. Atiyeh, Governor of Oregon (R) (1979–1987) (Syrian)
- John Baldacci, Governor of Maine (D) (2003–2011) (Lebanese mother)
- Rosemary Barkett, U.S. federal judge and the first woman Supreme Court Justice and Chief Justice for the state of Florida (Syrian)
- Charles Boustany,[39] U.S. Representative from Louisiana; cousin of Victoria Reggie Kennedy[40] (Lebanese)
- Pat Danner, U.S. Congresswoman (D-Mo.) (1993–2001)
- Brigitte Gabriel, pro-Israel activist and founder of the American Congress For Truth (immigrated from Lebanon)
- Philip Charles Habib, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and Special Envoy to Ronald Reagan (Lebanese)
- Lisa Halaby (a.k.a. Queen Noor), Queen-consort of Jordan and wife of King Hussein of Jordan (father is of Syrian descent)
- Darrell Issa, U.S. Congressman (R-California) (2001–) (Lebanese father)
- Joe Jamail, Renown American trial lawyer and billionaire, also known as the “King of Torts” (Lebanese)
- James Jabara, colonel and Korean War flying ace (Lebanese)
- Chris John, U.S. Congressman (D-Louisiana) (1997–2005) (Lebanese ancestry)
- George Joulwan, retired general, former NATO commander-in-chief (Lebanese)
- George Kasem, U.S. Congressman (D-California) (1959-1961)[41]
- Abraham Kazen, U.S. Congressman (D-Texas) (1967–1985) (Lebanese ancestry)
- Jill Kelley, global advocate and American socialite[42] (Lebanese)
- Victoria Reggie Kennedy, attorney and widow of late Senator Ted Kennedy (Lebanese)
- Muna Khalif, fashion designer and MP in the Federal Parliament of Somalia (Somali)
- Johnny Khamis, Councilmember from San Jose (Lebanese)
- Ray LaHood, U.S. Congressman (R-Illinois) (1995–2009), U.S. Secretary of Transportation (2009–2013) (Lebanese and Jordanian ancestry)
- Darin LaHood, U.S. Congressman (R-Illinois) (2015–), son of Ray Lahood
- George J. Mitchell, U.S. Senator (D-Maine) (1980–1995) United States of America special envoy to the Middle East under the Obama administration, U.S. senator from Maine, Senate Majority Leader (Lebanese mother)
- Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, former Prime Minister of Somalia (Somali descent)
- Ralph Nader, politician and consumer advocate, author, lecturer, and attorney, candidate for US Presidency
- Jimmy Naifeh, Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives (D) (Lebanese ancestry)
- Mary Rose Oakar, U.S. Congresswoman (D-Ohio) (1977–1993)
- Abdisalam Omer, Foreign Minister of Somalia (Somali descent)
- Ilhan Omar, politician, DFL Party member of the Minnesota House of Representatives (Somali/Yemeni)
- Jeanine Pirro, former Westchester County District Attorney and New York Republican attorney general candidate (Lebanese parents)
- Dina Powell, current U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy (Egyptian)
- Nick Rahall, U.S. Congressman (D-West Virginia) (1977–2015) (Lebanese ancestry)
- Selwa Roosevelt (Lebanese), former Chief of Protocol of the United States and wife of the late Archibald Bulloch Roosevelt, Jr., grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt
- Zainab Salbi, co-founder and president of Women for Women International (Iraqi)
- Donna Shalala, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (1993–2001) (Lebanese parents)
- Chris Sununu, Governor of New Hampshire (R) (2017–), son of Governor John H. Sununu
- John E. Sununu, U.S. Senator (R-New Hampshire) (2003–2009) (father is of Lebanese and Palestinian ancestry)
- John H. Sununu, Governor of New Hampshire (R) (1983–1989) and Chief of Staff to George H.W. Bush (Lebanese and Palestinian ancestry)
- James Zogby (Lebanese), founder and president of the Arab American Institute
- Hady Amr diplomat, founding director of Brookings Doha Center (Lebanese father)
- Justin Abdelkader, ice hockey forward playing in NHL
- Alaa Abdelnaby, played for Duke and five years in the NBA (Egyptian descent)
- Oday Aboushi, NFL player (Palestinian descent)
- Dina Al-Sabah, professional figure competitor (Kuwaiti descent)
- Sarah Attar track and field athlete (Saudi Arabian father)
- Rocco Baldelli professional baseball player (Syrian)
- Doug Flutie, NFL player (Lebanese father)
- Bill George, NFL player and Hall of Famer
- Jeff George, NFL quarterback (Lebanese descent)
- Isra Girgrah, boxer
- Drew Haddad, NFL player (Jordanian)
- Gibran Hamdan, NFL QB (Palestinian and Pakistani descent)
- Jim Harrick, UCLA coach
- Omar Hassan, pro skateboarder[43]
- John Jaha, baseball player, of the MLB
- Ahmed Kaddour professional boxer, from NBC show The Contender (Lebanese)
- Sam Khalifa, MLB baseball player
- Hocine Khalfi, professional boxer, Algerian-American
- Khalid Khannouchi, athlete marathon runner (Moroccan)
- Amir Khillah, mixed martial artist and The Ultimate Fighter contestant (Egyptian)
- Rich Kotite, retired NFL tight end; NFL Head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets
- Joe Lahoud, MLB player for Boston an California (Lebanese descent)
- Gavin Maloof, businessman and owner of the Sacramento Kings
- George Maloof, Sr. businessman and former owner of the NBA’s Houston Rockets
- Justin Meram, MLS player for Columbus Crew (Iraqi sescent)
- Faryd Mondragón, MLS player for Philadelphia Union (Lebanese parents)
- Carl Nassib, defensive end for the Cleveland Browns
- Ryan Nassib, backup quarterback for the New York Giants
- Ramsey Nijem (Palestinian), mixed martial artist and UFC fighter
- Bobby Rahal (Lebanese ancestry)
- Joe Robbie, former owner and founder of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins
- Brandon Saad, NHL player (Syrian)
- Soony Saad, MLS player (Lebanese descent)
- Sabu ECW wrestler (Lebanese mother)
- Robert Saleh, defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers
- Tarick Salmaci, professional boxer (Lebanese)
- Damien Sandow, WWE wrestler (Lebanese)
- Rony Seikaly former NBA player, now DJ (Lebanese descent)
- Adam Shaheen, tight end from Ashland
- Omar Sheika (Palestinian), professional boxer, four-time world title challenger
- Kelly Slater, professional surfer (Syrian descent)
- Naser Jason Abdo, former soldier convicted of planning an attack near Fort Hood
- Sami Al-Arian, professor guilty of conspiracy to contribute services to or for the benefit of a Specially Designated Terrorist organization (Palestinian)
- Anwar al-Awlaki, believed by US officials to be a recruiter involved in planning terrorist operations for the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda (Yemeni)
- Nihad Awad, founding Executive Director of largest Muslim civil rights organization in the U.S., Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) (Palestinian)
- Rosemary Barkett, federal judge and first woman Justice and Chief Justice on the Florida Supreme Court (Syrian)
- Charles Bishop, suicide by plane crash in Tampa, Florida; grandson of Syrian immigrant[44][45]
- Nidal Malik Hasan, former soldier convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting (Palestinian descent)
- Hussein Ibish, writer, journalist, advocate for Arab causes in the United States (Lebanese)
- Ali Hassan Abu Kama, gunman in 1997 Empire State Building shooting (Palestinian)
- Candice Lightner, founder of MADD (Lebanese mother)[46]
- Edward L. Masry, lawyer (Lebanese descent)
- Rasmea Odeh, convicted of immigration fraud, for concealing her arrest, conviction, and imprisonment for fatal terrorist bombing (Palestinian)[47][48]
- Walid Rabah, publisher
- Saint Raphael of Brooklyn, first Orthodox bishop to be consecrated in North America; born Raphael Hawaweeny in Beirut of Damascene Syrian parents
- Karim Rashid (Lebanese descent)
- Zainab Salbi, co-founder and president of Women for Women International (Iraqi)
- Sirhan Sirhan, convicted murderer of Robert F. Kennedy (Palestinian with Jordanian citizenship)
- Nadya Suleman, “Octomom“, father is Iraqi
- James Zogby, Arab-American civil rights activist (Arab-American Institute); brother of John (Lebanese descent)
- John Zogby, pollster for Zogby International (Lebanese descent)
