99 Arab American Men {Resource}

99 Arab American Men April is National Arab American Heritage Month, celebrating the contributions Arabs have made to American culture and history.

The immigrants that spoke Arabic arrived in various times in US history from the 22 Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa, also called MENA.

US Representative (D-MI) Debbie Dingell introduced the month into the 115th Congress, 1st Session on April 5, 2017 to recognize the vital role that the Arab American community plays in American’s civic life.

From the Congressional Record:
Arab Americans embody the core values of our country through their initiative, work ethic and dedication to faith and family, and their contributions to the United States are worthy of commendation.

A few years ago I compiled a list of 99 Arab American women and thought I would follow it up with a list of Arab American men that have made vital contributions to American heritage.

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Abdisalam Aato, film director, producer, entrepreneur, and media consultant

Joseph Abboud, menswear fashion designer and author

James Abdnor, U.S. Senator (R-South Dakota)

James Abourezk, U.S. Senator (D-South Dakota)

F. Murray Abraham, Academy Award-winning actor

Spencer Abraham, U.S. Secretary of Energy and U.S. Senator (R-Mich.)

Stephen Adly Guirgis, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright

Ron Affif, jazz guitarist and musician

Ahmed Ahmed, actor and comedian

Moustapha Akkad, film producer and director

Ayad Al Adhamy, synthesizer player and multi-instrumentalist musician

Ferras Alqaisi, singer-songwriter

Mohammed Amer, comedian, writer and actor

Tige Andrews, Emmy-nominated actor

Paul Anka, legendary singer, songwriter and actor

Nihad Awad, founding Executive Director of largest Muslim civil rights organization in the U.S., Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR)

Andrew Bazzi, singer-songwriter

Jeff Becerra, death metal musician

William Peter Blatty, Academy Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker

Charles Boustany, U.S. Representative from Louisiana; cousin of Victoria Reggie Kennedy

Elias J. Corey, organic chemistry professor at Harvard University, winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize

Dick Dale, surf rock guitarist

DJ Khaled, hip-hop DJ, rapper, music producer

Charles Elachi, professor of electrical engineering and planetary science at Caltech and the former director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Farouk El-Baz, space scientist who worked with NASA to assist in the planning of scientific exploration of the Moon

Sam Esmail, screenwriter, director and producer; creator of the series Mr. Robot

Emilio Estefan, manager and producer of wife Gloria Estefan

Jamie Farr, television, film, comedian and theater actor

Doug Flutie, NFL player

Mo Gallini, actor

Bill George, NFL player and Hall of Famer

Khalil Gibran, writer, poet, and member of the New York Pen League; the third-best-selling poet of all time

Sammy Hagar, songwriter, singer, musician, and guitarist

Raef Haggag, singer

Omar Hassan, pro skateboarder

Essam Heggy, space scientist

Darrell Issa, U.S. Congressman (R-California)

Malek Jandali, composer and pianist

Dan Jbara, television and film producer

Steve Jobs, investor, business magnate; head of Apple

Chris John, U.S. Congressman (D-Louisiana)

Ahmed Kaddour, professional boxer, from NBC show The Contender

Aron Kader, stand-up comedian

Remi Kanazi, performance poet, writer and activist

Casey Kasem, radio personality and voice actor, co-founder of American Top 40 franchise

George Kasem, U.S. Congressman (D-California)

Rami Kashou, fashion designer

Abraham Kazen, U.S. Congressman (D-Texas)

Hocine Khalfi, professional boxer

Khalid Khannouchi, athlete marathon runner

Nadir Khayat, known as RedOne, producer, songwriter, and music executive

Amir Khillah, mixed martial artist and The Ultimate Fighter contestant

Emile Kuri, Academy Award-winning art director

Ray LaHood, U.S. Congressman (R-Illinois), U.S. Secretary of Transportation

Darin LaHood, U.S. Congressman (R-Illinois)

Rami Malek, Emmy Award and Academy Award – winning actor

Sam Maloof, furniture designer and woodworker, the first craftsman to receive a MacArthur fellowship

Edward L. Masry, lawyer

Khaled Mattawa, poet, and a renowned writer, also a leading literary translator, focusing on Arabic poetry; recipient of an Academy of American Poets award

Noureddine Melikechi, Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physicist, member of the Mars Science Laboratory

Omar Metwally, actor

Wentworth Miller, actor and screenwriter

George J. Mitchell, U.S. Senator (D-Maine) United States of America special envoy to the Middle East under the Obama administration, Senate Majority Leader

Najee Mondalek, actor and playwright

French Montana, New York rapper

Sam Moore, founder and president of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the largest worldwide distributor of the Bible

George Nader, American film and television actor

Ralph Nader, politician, consumer advocate, author, lecturer, and attorney, candidate for US Presidency

Jacques Nasser, former president and CEO of Ford Motor Company

Michael Nouri, actor

Dean Obeidallah, stand-up comedian and writer

Paul Orfalea, nicknamed “Kinko”, entrepreneur, founder the copy-chain Kinko’s

Nick Rahall, U.S. Congressman (D-West Virginia)

Saint Raphael of Brooklyn, first Orthodox bishop to be consecrated in North America

Ameen Rihani, “father of Arab American literature,” member of the New York Pen League and author of the first Arab American novel in English; also an ambassador

Brandon Saad, NHL player

Edward Said, literary theorist, thinker, and the founder of the academic field of postcolonial studies

Kareem Salama, country singer-songwriter and musician

Tarick Salmaci, professional boxer

Elie Samaha, film producer

Damien Sandow, WWE wrestler

Anthony Shadid, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and foreign correspondent

Tony Shalhoub, three-time Emmy Award-winning television actor on Monk

Sammy Sheik, actor

Omar Sheika, professional boxer; four-time world title challenger

Haaz Sleiman, television and film actor

Kelly Slater, professional surfer