Posted on 12/14/2001 5:35:30 PM PST by wimpycat
Arab-Americans: Making a Difference
by Casey Kasem
There are about 3 million Arab-Americans. As a community, we’ve been making a difference by demonstration our loyalty, inventiveness, and courage on behalf of the United State for over 100 years.
Among America’s activists who are making a great difference are the founder of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), Candy Lightner, and America’s --- and probably the world’s – foremost consumer advocate, Ralph Nader. Back in 1960, Ralph Johns, a key participant in the civil rights movement, encouraged the famous Woolworth ‘sit-in’ at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Among business leaders is the founder of an international, billion dollar engineering firm, Jacobs Engineering Group, Dr. Joseph Jacobs. A former chemist with dozens of patents became Armand Hammer’s successor as Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Occidental Petroleum – Dr. Ray Irani. The former head of the Federal Aeronautics Authority, Najeeb Halaby, was CEO of Pan-American Airlines. An internationally respected financial expert and economic forecaster is Dr. Ray Jallow. Paul Orfalea founded the world’s biggest international chain of copying service stores, Kinko’s, and Waleed and Malik Ali founded MPI, the world’s largest home-video distributor of documentaries.
Entrepreneur Tony Ismail founded the Alamo Flag Company in Dallas and Built it into the largest retailer of flags and related items in the US today. Wood-working furniture maker Sam Malouf, whose quality pieces are in demand, has had many of his creations exhibited in museums.
The Texas lawyer who won the biggest settlement in US history, on behalf of Pennzoil ($10 billion dollars!), is one of this country’s most successful attorneys, Joseph Jamail.
Some of the famous people you may know in the entertainment world are singer-songwriter Paul Anka who was one of America’s first pop teen idols. Ukelele-plucking, falsetto-singing Herbert Khaury became famous as "Tiny Tim." In the world of rock, there was the late, legendary Frank Zappa. On the West Coast, Dick Dale was the ‘King of the Surf Guitar.’ One of today’s superstars is singer-dancer Paula Abdul. The first teenage singer to have her first two singles hit Number One is Tiffany. Speaking of music, two of American’s landmark shows on radio were created by two Arab-Americans, Don Bustany and yours truly - - "American Top 40" and "American Country Countdown." Recently, I added "Casey’s Top 40" and "Casey’s Countdown."
On Broadway, playwright Fred Saidy wrote two classics, Finian’s Rainbow and Bloomer Girls. Opera prima donna Rosalind Elias hit the high notes at the Met. For avant-garde "Dancer of the Year" in 1992, The New York Times picked Elie Chaib, a 20 year male Broadway veteran with the Paul Taylor Company.
Turning to television, Lucie Salhany, chair of Fox Broadcasting Co., was the first woman to direct a television network. She now heads the United Paramount (TV) Network.
Among TV directors, two Arab-Americans have each helmed over 300 episodes for the network. Assad Kelada has done numerous pilots for series Like "Family Ties" and episodes of "The Fact of Life," "Who’s the Boss?" "WKRP in Cincinnati," etc. After directing Broadway hits like "Sweet Charity," "Mame," and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," John Bowab switched to TV and has directed "Soap," "Benson," "Bosom Buddies," "The Facts of Life," and the last season and a half of the "The Cosby Show."
Did you know that the highest-rated episode in television history was the last episode of "M*A*S*H"? The actor who played the role of not-so-crazy Corporal Klinger for its entire 11-year run was the talented Jamie Farr.
On NBC-TV, "Saturday Night Live’s" bandleader for many years was G.E. Smith. His family’s Lebanese name, Haddad, means ‘blacksmith.’
The best known Arab-American was also the founder of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital - - the late, great comedian and actor Danny Thomas. His daughter is Emmy Award-winning actress Marlo Thomas, and his son is a television and film producer and multi-Emmy winner for the "The Golden Girls" – Tony Thomas.
The leading man who starred in the movie Flashdance was Michael Nouri, more recently seen in TV’s "Love and War" sitcom. Actress Amy Yasbeck and actor Tony Shalhoub who currently plays Antonio are both featured in the TV series "Wings." Crusty but soft-hearted Mel in TV’s "Alice" was portrayed by the late Vic Tayback. One of the co-stars of the series "Empty Nest" was Kristy McNichol. Khrystyne Haje, who was picked by People magazine as one of the "50 most beautiful people in the US", was the star of TV’s "Head of the Class."
Two other fine movie and television actors who also starred in popular TV dramas are James Stacy, who played the title role in "Laramie" and M Michael Ansara, who played Cochise in "Broken Arrow."
Among the many other performers, and award-winning comic actress from San Diego recently scored a hit as a fun-loving nun in the Sister Act films, Kathy Najimy. The head of Carolco Pictures, handling the Rocky, Rambo, and Terminator films, among other, is "billion-dollar producer," Mario Kassar.
The producer who presented the epics the Message: The Story of Islam (a biography of Mohammed) and Lion of the Desert, not to mention all the blockbuster Halloween chillers, is Moustapha Akkad. The co-writer-director of the loony comedy hit Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is Tom Shadyac, who recently directed Eddie Murphy in the remake of the Nutty professor.
Fouad Said was the cinematographer who designed Cinemobile - - the first customized van for filming on locations while working on the TV series "I Spy." One of show business’s legendary talent managers was George "Bullets" Durgom. Who through the years, managed Jackie Gleason, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Marilyn Monroe, to mention a few. Mike Toney played ‘Fat Sally’ in Martin Scorsese’s film Casino.
Among Oscar winners: Best Actor for the movie Amadeus- F. Murray Abraham. Winner for Best Screenplay Adopted From Another Medium - - his novel, The Exorcist - - William Peter Blatty. The first woman to receive an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Thelma and Louise - - Callie Khouri.
For Best Song – "Last Dance" from Thank God, It’s Friday- composer Paul Jabara. Also, set decorator Emil Kuri, nominated for films like Mary Poppins, won the Oscar twice for The Heiress and Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
In the military world, US Air Force Col. James Jabara became the world’s first jet ace during the Korean War. West Point graduate and 4-star General George Joulwan commands both the US and NATO forces in Europe.
In World War II, Army officers like Maj Gen. Fred Safay fought alongside Gen. Patton, and Brig. Gen. Elias Stevens served on Gen. Eisenhower’s staff. In 1994, one of our Navy’s ships, the destroyer escort USS Naifeh, was named in honor of an Arab-American Navy Lt. Alfred Naifeh of Oklahoma.
In politics, US Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (D-ME) has retired. A new Arab-American Senator is Michigan’s Spencer Abraham. New Congressman, Nick Joe Rahall II, and Congresswoman Pat Danner from Missouri. Today, the first Arab American ever appointed to a US Cabinet position is the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala.
One of CNN’s political commentators is the former White House Chief of Staff and Governor of New Hampshire, John Sununu. Then there’s American’s longest-serving White House chief of protocol, Ambassador Selwa Roosevelt. Her assistant, Thomas A. Nassif, also served as US Ambassador to Morocco. A special Presidential envoy was the late Ambassador Philip Habib. A 50-year veteran with United Press International is the dean of the White House press corps – feisty Helen Thomas, who’s covered eight Presidents since 1961.
Others who have served in high elective office include former US Senators James Abourezk and James Abdnor, both of South Dakota; former Congressional members Mary Rose Oakar of Ohio, George Kasem of California, Abraham Kazen, Jr. of Texas, and Toby Moffett of Connecticut. Victor Atiyeh was the popular governor of Oregon.
In sports, the Heisman Trophy-winner who threw the "miracle touchdown" pass for Boston College some years back was Doug Flutie, more recently the Canadian Football League’s Most Valuable Player. Also quarterback Jeff George of the Atlanta Falcons, and Philadelphia Eagles coach Rich Katite who now coaches the NFL’s New York Jets. Don’t forget former linebacker for the Chicago Bears and an NFL Hall of Famer, Bill George, or former Cleveland Brown Abe Gibran.
The former owner of the Miami Dolphins has a football stadium named after him – Joe Robbie. One of the owners of Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals was Fred Saigh. In auto racing, Bobby Rahal won the Indy 500 in 1986 and is the all-time earnings champ among Indy car racers. Major League baseball player Joe Lehoud played with the Boston Red Sox. The founder of the Professional Bowlers Association is Eddie Elias. In the ring, Petey Sarron won the world feather-weight championship in 1936-1937; Zuhair "Steve" Mansour was weightlifting’s Gran 3-time U.S. National Chess Champion is Seattle’s Yasser Seirawan.
In the world of fashion, the prestigious CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year Award for 1990 and 1991 went to Arab-American Joseph Abboud. He’s the only designer to win the award tow years in a row. J.M. Haggar of Haggar Slacks manufactures more men’s slacks than anyone in the world. In addition, Farah Brothers manufactures men’s and women’s slacks; and Maloof Brothers manufactured Mod-O-Day women’s dresses.
Another inspiring success story was that of writer-lecturer on business and success, Nido Qubein. When he came to the United States as a teenager, he could barely speak English. He went on to become president of the National Speakers’ Association and the youngest member inducted into the International Speakers’ Hall of Fame.
In education, Jack Shaheen, Emeritus Professor of Mass Communications at Southern Illinois University, is also a film critic, consultant on the Middle East for CBS, and author of books like the TV Arab. Columbia University professor Edward Said is a will-known literary and social critic, as well as a respected music reviewer whose column appears in The Nation. David Adamany is President of Wayne State University in Detroit. The 1990 Pulitzer Prize for biography (Jackson Pollock: An American Saga) went to the author of three other national bestsellers as well – writer-publisher Steven Naifeh of South Carolina.
In science and medicine, one of America’s most famous pioneers is Houston heart surgeon, Dr. Michael DeBakey, who invented the heart pump. Today he’s Chancellor of Baylor University’s College of Medicine. The winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize for Chemistry is Harvard’s Dr. Elias Corey. Geologist George A. Doumani’s explorations helped prove the theory of continental drift; he has a mountain peak named after him in Antarctica. Another American geologist, Farouk El-Baz, helped plan all the Apollo moon landings and later pioneered the use of space photography to study the Earth. Finally, the courageous astronauts who lost their lives aboard the space shuttle Challenger included several racial and ethnic groups: African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American, Anglo-American, Jewish-American – and an Arab-American: a school teacher, Christa McAuliffe.
We’ve all heard this quote before, "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country," a famous quote by an Irish American President, John F. Kennedy. These words, that inspired an entire generation, were first written by, among others, the Arab-American author of the Prophet, Kahlil Gibran, more than 60 years ago.
...Voice of Shaggy from Scooby Doo... Thanks for the great contribution you've made to America!
Other well-known Americans born in 1933 according to The World Almanac include F. Lee Bailey, Michael Dukakis, Rev. Jerry Falwell, Louis Farrakhan, Dianne Feinstein, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Larry King, George Mitchell, Ann Richards, Louis Rukeyser, and Pete Wilson.
I don't know if babies born in 1933 were more likely to grow up as leftists, or if The World Almanac is simply more likely to consider someone noteworthy if they lean left. I don't count Falwell or Rukeyser as leftists. I'm not sure where Pete Wilson belongs, other than in obscurity.
Wow! There are Irish-Americans, Greek-Americans, African-Americans, Jewish-Americans, Arab-Americans, and the rest are what Archie Bunker referred to as "regular" Americans! LOL!
MOST OF THESE PEOPLE ARE CHRISTIAN, NOT MUSLIM AND THEIR FAMILIES HAVE BEEN AMERICAN PROBABLY LONGER THAN HALF THE FAMILIES OF THE PEOPLE ON THIS THREAD AND THEY'RE JUST AS AMERICAN AS I AM AND THEY DIDN'T REFER TO THEMSELVES AS ARAB-AMERICANS--CASEY KASEM DID!
YES I AM YELLING! I DON'T APPRECIATE PEOPLE CASTING ASPERSIONS ON THESE AMERICANS BECAUSE OF THEIR ETHNIC ORIGIN, MANY OF WHOM WE'VE ALL KNOWN AND LOVED FOR YEARS AND YEARS!
Paula Abdul - The bubble gum hit machine from the early 1990s. She had huge success as a singer, dancer, and choreographer from 1988 to about 1995. She has cooled off since then. The most frequently "found" biography says her is father is not Jewish and her mother is a Sephardic Jew. She married a religious Jewish guy in a ceremony that got wide publicity, but the marriage lasted just 17 months. Her father, most bios say, is an Arab and she is cross-listed on Casey Kasem's ("America's Top 40") web list of famous Arab Americans (others Ralph Nader, F. Murray Abraham, Danny Thomas, Paul Anka, former Senator Spencer Abraham and Casey, himself).
However, there is something odd about Abdul's background. A Canadian visitor tells us that a Canadian Jewish paper says her father is a Sephardic Jew and her mother an Ashkenazi Jew. And her mother has an Ashkenazi last name. She may be "all Jewish"; but she has no interest, for whatever reason, in clarifying her background.
Little update: Several visitors have told us they have seen a profile of Harry Abdul, her father, in the Jewish press and that he is a Sephardic Jew. Abdul may hold the record for varying descriptions: Syrian and Brazilian (where her father lived); French Canadian (her parents lived in Quebec); Arab; Jewish. Anyway, we are pretty sure she is just plain Jewish.
Little note--Casey has the interesting problem of defining "who is an Arab?" Funny, huh? Anyway, Casey does not count famous Jews from Arab countries as Arabs. However, he does include persons of "half Jewish"/"half Arab" background like "he thinks" Abdul is. F. Murray Abraham is, by the way, half Italian Catholic. Except for Casey, all the famous persons listed above are, interestingly enough, Christian Arabs--a small minority in the Arab world; but they form a substantial portion of the Arab community in the United States and most Arab American "celebrities" are Christian Arabs--usually from Lebanon. Casey, however, is a member of the Druze sect. A sect that many Muslims view as "heretics". Druze who live in Israel have pledged their loyalty to Israel and serve in the Israeli army. Christian Arabs have their own issues and problems with the Muslim majority in the Arab countries where they live. The world is a very complex place.
Of the four Moslem Arabs doctors in my area, (none of which are related.) All four lost their medical licenses, for bizarre behavior and poor medical skills.
I am sure that there are fine Moslem-Arab-Americans, but I haven't come across any yet. Doesn't mean they are not there.
They are Americans. When are they required to do something? Where is it in the Constitution? Does the following describe you (From James Jabara: Hero ) :
Jabara stood out among his group of fighter pilots almost as much as if he really had been a Knight of yore on a quest for the grail. Veteran of over 100 European missions flown in a P-51 before he was twenty, he had a very hot start in Korea when in weeks he downed four MiGs, only one short of the total necessary to become an 'ace'. But instead of resting on an accomplishment in advance of any other pilot in the war, Jabara was worried about a 'dry spell' that had lasted almost a month.For more : Google Search of James Jabarasnip
The mission of May 20 was no milk run. About five p.m. two flight of Sabres, twenty-eight planes, engaged fifty MiGs near Sinuiju in northwest Korea. Because the Sabres dropped their wing tanks when entering battle to achieve better aerodynamics, fuel limitations meant battles seldom lasted over ten minutes. Jabara's time was busy.
His initial problem was that one of his wing tanks failed to release, requiring him to fly with both hands on the stick. The Air Force rule was that in such a situation a pilot was to disengage and return to base. Jabara instead attacked a group of three MiGs and got on the tail of one of them. No evasive maneuver would shake the American pilot and the MiG eventually took three machine-gun bursts in the fuselage and wing. The enemy plane did two violent snap rolls, began to smoke, then to belch flames and fell into an uncontrolled spin. Jabara and his wing man saw the pilot bail out and went into a tight 360 degree turn to follow the plane all the way down to confirm its destruction. "All I could see of him was a whirl of fire," said Jabara. "I had to break off then because there was another MiG on my tail." With no time to think about having become America's first jet ace, Jabara accelerated his airplane back into the battle above him. But as he reached 20,000 feet, he noticed a difficulty perhaps more serious than the drag of his wing tank. His companion had gotten diverted by enemy fire and was no longer with him. Fighting in pairs was essential in jet fighter battles, as the speed and g-forces in aerial maneuver were so great that the attacker had to concentrate fully on the target and rely on the wing man to cover him and warn of other planes approaching. The rule was that if you were separated from your wing man you disengaged and returned to base. Jabara instead attacked another group of MiGs.
Whatever titles are appropriate, however, what is remarkable is that for Jabara May 20 wasn't a terribly unusual day. It was his sixty-third Korean mission of an eventual 163: he was to have two other days when he was to down two planes, and would become in that war a triple ace. He won a Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second highest decoration, on May 20, but he was to add a silver star and oak leaf cluster to that for repeat performances. He earned a stateside leave for a publicity tour which he did not want, and media attention that had not been the object of his quest. He wanted to return to his canopied cockpit and carry on his business as soon as his back muscles recoved from the strain of in-flight maneuvers. "I can hardly sit down," he told reporters who met him in Japan on his way home to Wichita, "my fanny is so sore." They gave him a press biography form then containing the question, "Anything that might be of news interest?" Jabara wrote, "None".
snip
"I don't want to sound corny, or like a hero, or a flag-waver, or war monger. But I think there is something we have to fight back at, or it will destroy us. It's something that used to fly Messerschmidts over Europe, and flies MiGs over Korea. Call it Fascism, Nazism or Communism, its something that can't live with freedom. My children, and your children, will not be allowed to grow up in peace if it grows stronger . . . I just want to clobber a few more MiGs in Korea --- before they clobber all of us --- in Wichita. " Jabara turned down job offer from aircraft firms at many times his Air Force salary, and once called his own family "imperialists" because they concentrated on their business instead of volunteering for military duty. It was patriotism that drove him hardest.
While serving on the USS MEREDITH in the Solomon Islands, the ship was struck by a massive Japanese air raid and rapidly sunk. Naifeh, lieutenant, junior grade, worked for two days and nights to locate his wounded shipmates and place them aboard life rafts. On the third day, he died of exhaustion after fighting off shark attacks and rescuing many shipmates. Naifeh was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal and the Purple Heart for his heroics.
Those two alone have done more than probably everybody in this little thread that wants to try and pull the leftist wool over our eyes by somehow saying that these Americans are different than you and I because of the color of their skin. I'm sure your fans of affirmitive action as well, because you know black Americans need a step up, because they are not as good as white Americans.
People can make all the little leftist/racist comments they want, but when you go trashing American heroes, you went a little bit too far.
I'm not, I've had Syrian and Lebanese roommates, priests, friends. I always thought they were as common as Italians or Greeks or Germans. I think everyone knows a lot of Lebanese and Syrians but they don't think of them as Arabs. They're just typical white people you see anywhere, which is one reason it seems strange foreign Arabs are crying racism ---they're white.
Keep on yelling wimpycat!
Glad to see somebody else tired of people bashing their fellow Americans, or saying they are different, because they happen to be a little darker than most. It's this same little liberal lie that has kept affirmative action alive and well.
We're Americans. It's too bad some people are too short-sighted to see that.
According to the New York Times article dated 11/1/98, Abraham is Orthodox Christian, not Catholic. Funny, I always assumed he was Jewish.
Maybe Paula Abdul doesn't know what she is. Or maybe she wants to be like Yul Brynner, who told wild tales about his origins, but to this day, nobody knows where he came from.
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