Most Influential Arab Americans

Arab Americans

Ibtihaj Muhammad

Ibtihaj Muhammad is an American sabre fencer and member of the United States fencing team. She is known for being the first Muslim American woman to wear a headscarf while competing for the United States in the Olympics, as well as for winning an Olympic medal wearing it.

Farouk El-Baz

Farouk El-Baz is an Egyptian American space scientist and geologist, who worked with NASA in the scientific exploration of the Moon and the planning of the Apollo program.

Darrell Issa

Darrell Issa is a politician and businessman who served in Congress from 2001 to 2018, and was reelected in 2020 to represent California’s 50th District. He supports limited government, intellectual property rights, patent reform, and has dozens of patents, including a car alarm that uses his voice to scare burglars.

Fady Joudah

Fady Joudah is a Palestinian-American poet and physician. He is the 2007 winner of the Yale Series of Younger Poets Competition for his collection of poems The Earth in the Attic.

Rashida Tlaib

Rashida Harbi Tlaib is an American politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. representative for Michigan’s 12th congressional district. She is the first Palestinian American woman to serve in Congress and one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress.

Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek is of Lebanese heritage on her father’s side. She was nominated for an Academy Award in 2002 for playing Frida Kahlo in the movie Frida. She is also an advocate against domestic violence and campaigns against it in the US and worldwide.

Hoda Kotb

Hoda Kotb is a well-known American broadcast journalist, television personality, and author. She is currently one of the primary co-anchors for NBC News’ morning show, Today, and also co-hosts the show’s entertainment-focused fourth hour. Prior to her role in Today, Kotb worked as a correspondent for the television news magazine program, Dateline NBC.

Ahmed Zewail

Ahmed Hassan Zewail was a chemist of Egyptian and American nationality, who is known as the “father of femtochemistry.” He was awarded the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his pioneering work in femtochemistry. Zewail became the first ever Egyptian and Arab to win a Nobel Prize in the field of science, and the second African to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Donna Shalala

Donna Shalala made history by becoming the first Lebanese American to hold a U.S. Cabinet post. President Bill Clinton recognized her exceptional abilities by appointing her as Secretary of Health and Human Services. She served in this position for eight years, demonstrating her unwavering commitment to public service and leadership.

Elias Zerhouni

Elias Zerhouni, a prominent radiologist and researcher, was the first immigrant to lead the National Institutes of Health in 2002. He left the post in 2008 and was appointed as a presidential science envoy with a focus on the Muslim world by President Obama in 2009.

Sheikh Hamza Yusuf

Hamza Yusuf, a co-founder of Zaytuna College, is an American Islamic scholar and advocate for classical teaching methods in Islamic sciences worldwide.

Paula Abdul

Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreographer for the Laker Girls, where she was discovered by the Jacksons.

Maysoon Zayid

Maysoon Zayid is an American actress and comedian. Of Palestinian descent, she is known as one of America’s first Muslim women comedians.

Tony Shalhoub

Anthony Marc Shalhoub is an accomplished American actor known for his roles in Wings and Monk. He won three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance in Monk.

Abdel Rahman Nader

Abdel Rahman Nader is a professional basketball player for South East Melbourne Phoenix in the Australian National Basketball League. He is of Egyptian-American descent.

Casey Kasem

Casey Kasem was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio presenter. He created and hosted American Top 40 and was the voice of Shaggy Rogers in Scooby-Doo and Dick Grayson/Robin in Super Friends.

James Jabara

James “Jabby” Jabara was the first American and United States Air Force jet ace. Born in Oklahoma, he lived in Kansas where he enlisted as an aviation cadet at Fort Riley after graduating from high school.

Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)

Rami Malek, Egyptian, Emmy Award and Academy Award – winning actor for Bohemian Rhapsody. He is known for portraying computer hacker Elliot Alderson in the USA Network television series Mr. Robot, for which he received the Primetime Emmy Award.

Elias Zerhouni

Elias Zerhouni is an Algerian-born American scientist, radiologist and biomedical engineer. He spent much of his career on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, serving as its executive vice-dean from 1995 to 2002.

Paul Albert Anka

Paul Albert Anka OC is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including “Diana”, “Lonely Boy”, “Put Your Head on My Shoulder”, and ” Having My Baby”.