100 Notable alumni of
American University of Beirut
Updated:
The American University of Beirut is 250th in the world, 48th in Asia, and 1st in Lebanon by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from the American University of Beirut sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Zaha Hadid
- Enrolled in the American University of Beirut
- Graduated with bachelor's degree in mathematics
- Occupations
- designersculptorjewelry designeruniversity teacherpainter
- Biography
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Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid was an Iraqi and British architect, artist, and designer. She is recognised as a key figure in the architecture of the late-20th and early-21st centuries. Born in Baghdad, Iraq, Hadid studied mathematics as an undergraduate and later enrolled at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in 1972. In search of an alternative to traditional architectural drawing, and influenced by Suprematism and the Russian avant-garde, Hadid adopted painting as a design tool and abstraction as a method to "reinvestigate the aborted and untested experiments of Modernism [...] to unveil new fields of building".
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Ashraf Ghani
- Occupations
- university teacherpoliticianwriteranthropologisteconomist
- Biography
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Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai is an Afghan former politician and economist who served as the 8th and last president of Afghanistan from 2014 until his government was overthrown by the Taliban in 2021.
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Imad Mughniyah
- Occupations
- military commander
- Biography
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Imad Fayez Mughniyeh, also known by his nom de guerre al-Hajj Radwan (الحاج رضوان), was a Lebanese militant leader who was the founding member of Lebanon's Islamic Jihad Organization and number two in Hezbollah's leadership. He is believed to have been Hezbollah's chief of staff and overseer of its military, intelligence, and security apparatus. He has been described as a skilled military tactician and a highly elusive figure. He was often referred to as an ‘untraceable ghost’.
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Mohamed Agha
- Occupations
- entrepreneurpolitician
- Biography
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Najib Azmi Mikati is a Lebanese politician and businessman who served as the 52nd prime minister of Lebanon from 2021 to 2025. He also served in this post as the 48th and 45th prime minister from 2011 to 2014 and in 2005, after holding the post of Minister of Public Works and Transport from December 1998 to 2003.
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Mahmoud Hessabi
- Occupations
- nuclear physicistacademicpolitician
- Biography
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Mahmoud Khan Mirza Hessabi was an Iranian nuclear physicist and senator. He was the minister of education in the cabinet of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh from 1951 to 1952.
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George Habash
- Occupations
- politicianphysician
- Biography
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George Habash was a Palestinian politician and physician who was the founder and first general-secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) from 1967 to 2000.
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Walid Jumblatt
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Walid Kamal Jumblatt is a Lebanese politician, who was the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party from 1977 until 2023. A Druze and former militia commander, Jumblatt led the Lebanese National Resistance Front, allying with Amal, the Palestine Liberation Organisation, and Marada Brigade during the 1983-1990 phase of Lebanese Civil War. He worked closely with Suleiman Frangieh to oppose Amine Gemayel's rule as president during the Mountain War, consolidating his control of the Chouf. After the civil war, he initially supported Syria but later led an anti-Assad stance during the start of the Syrian Civil War. He is still active in politics, most recently leading his party, the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in the 2022 Lebanese general election.
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Zalmay Khalilzad
- Occupations
- diplomatpolitician
- Biography
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Zalmay Mamozy Khalilzad is an American diplomat and foreign policy expert. He served as the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation from 2018 to 2021. He also served as United States ambassador to the United Nations, serving in the role from 2007 to 2009. He previously served in the Bush administration as ambassador to Afghanistan from 2004 to 2005 and Ambassador to Iraq from 2005 to 2007.
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Talal Abu-Ghazaleh
- Occupations
- entrepreneur
- Biography
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Talal Abu-Ghazaleh is a Jordanian-Palestinian businessman, entrepreneur, and the founder and chairman of the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org), an international company headquartered in Jordan. He has been recognized for his role in promoting intellectual property rights in the Arab world.
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Wadie Haddad
- Occupations
- physicianactivistpolitician
- Biography
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Wadie Haddad, also known by the kunya Abu Hani (أبو هاني), was a Palestinian militant and founding leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) who later split to form the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - External Operations (PFLP-EO). Haddad organized several hijackings of international civilian passenger aircraft in the 1960s and 1970s.
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Rula Ghani
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Rula F. Saadah Ghani is a former first lady of Afghanistan and wife of former president of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani.
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Ali Akbar Salehi
- Occupations
- physicistdiplomatuniversity teacherpolitician
- Biography
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Ali Akbar Salehi is an Iranian academic, diplomat and former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, who served in this position from 2009 to 2010 and also from 2013 to 2021. He served for the first time as head of the AEOI from 2009 to 2010 and was appointed to the post for a second time on 16 August 2013. Before the appointment of his latter position, he was foreign affairs minister from 2010 to 2013. He was also the Iranian representative in the International Atomic Energy Agency from 1998 to 2003.
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Abdullah Al-Nafisi
- Occupations
- criticwriterpolitician
- Biography
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Abdullah Fahad Al-Nafisi is a Kuwaiti politician and academic. He graduated from The University of Cambridge in 1972. He was a member of the National Assembly of Kuwait in 1985.
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Jihad Mughniyah
- Biography
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Jihad Mughniyah was a prominent member of the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah, and the son of Imad Mughniyeh. He was killed in 2015 in the Mazraat Amal incident, an airstrike attributed to Israel.
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Wasfi Tal
- Occupations
- diplomatpolitician
- Biography
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Wasfi Tal was a Jordanian politician, statesman and military officer. He served as the 15th Prime Minister of Jordan for three separate terms, 1962–63, 1965–67 and 1970 until his assassination in 1971.
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Gebran Bassil
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Gebran Gerge Bassil is a Lebanese politician who is the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement since 2015 and leader of the Strong Lebanon bloc in the Lebanese parliament since 2018. A Maronite Christian, he is the son-in-law of former president Michel Aoun, and has been his most senior advisor since 2005.
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Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi is the current ruler of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. He became the chief of the ruler's Emiri court in 1979, the head of the Municipal Council in 1986, and the Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of the Emirate in June 2003. Then, he officially became the ruler of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in 2010 after his father's death.
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Ali Al-Wardi
- Occupations
- anthropologistsociologistwriterhistorian
- Biography
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Ali Hussain Muhsin Al-Wardi was an Iraqi sociologist and public intellectual specialized in the field of social history.
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Shoghi Effendi
- Occupations
- religious leadertranslatorGuardian of the Bahá'í Faith
- Biography
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Shoghí Effendi was Guardian of the Baháʼí Faith from 1922 until his death in 1957. As the grandson and successor of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, he was charged with guiding the development of the Baháʼí Faith, including the creation of its global administrative structure and the prosecution of Baháʼí teaching plans that oversaw the expansion of the religion to several new countries. As the authorized interpreter of the Baháʼí literature, he translated the primary written works of the Faith's central figures, providing unity of understanding of its essential teachings and safeguarding its followers from division. Upon his death in 1957, leadership passed to the Hands of the Cause, and in 1963 the Baháʼís of the world elected the Universal House of Justice, an institution which had been described and planned by Baháʼu’llah.
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Ali Moein Jaber
- Years
- 1961-.. (age 65)
- Occupations
- television presenter
- Biography
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Ali Jaber is a Lebanese journalist, media consultant, TV personality and the Group TV Director of MBC, the Arab world's largest satellite broadcaster.
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Abdulla Yameen
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom is a Maldivian politician who served as president of the Maldives from 2013 to 2018.
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Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni
- Occupations
- militantpolitician
- Biography
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Abdul Qadir al-Husayni was a Palestinian revolutionary and Arab nationalist guerrilla military leader. In late 1933, he founded the secret militant group known as the Organization for Holy Struggle (Munathamat al-Jihad al-Muqaddas), which he and Hasan Salama commanded as the Army of the Holy War (Jaysh al-Jihad al-Muqaddas) during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt and the 1948 war.
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Hanan Ashrawi
- Occupations
- scholar of Englishhuman rights defenderuniversity teacherpolitician
- Biography
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Hanan Daoud Mikhael Ashrawi is a Palestinian politician, activist, and scholar.
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Antun Saadeh
- Occupations
- writerjournal editoractivistphilosopherpolitician
- Biography
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Antoun Saadeh was a Lebanese politician, sociologist, philosopher and writer who founded the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.
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Salam Fayyad
- Occupations
- politicianeconomist
- Biography
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Salam Fayyad is a Palestinian politician and economist who served as the first prime minister of Palestine from January 2013 until his resignation in June of that same year. He was previously the fourth prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority from 2007 until the post was replaced in 2013. He was Finance Minister from June to November 2005 and from March 2007 to May 2012.
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Fouad Siniora
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Fouad Siniora is a Lebanese politician. He served as the 46th prime minister of Lebanon from 2005 to 2009. He served as minister of Finance from 2000 to 2004.
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Ted Arison
- Occupations
- bankership-ownerbusinessperson
- Biography
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Ted Arison was an Israeli businessman who co-founded Norwegian Cruise Lines in 1966 with Knut Kloster and soon left to form Carnival Cruise Lines in 1972.
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Badryah El-Bishr
- Years
- 1967-.. (age 59)
- Occupations
- writernovelist
- Biography
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Badriah Al-Beshr is a Saudi Arabian writer and novelist. She was born in Riyadh and obtained a bachelor's degree and master's degree from King Saud University and a PhD from the Lebanese University in 2005. She has taught at Al Jazeera University in Dubai. A weekly columnist at Al Yamama magazine since 1997, she won the prize for "best newspaper column" at the Arabic Press Awards in 2011, becoming the first woman to do so. She also writes regularly for Al Hayat newspaper.
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Ibrāhīm tooqān
- Occupations
- teacherwriterjournalistliterary scholarpoet
- Biography
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Ibrahim Abd al-Fattah Tuqan was a Palestinian nationalist poet whose work rallied Arabs during their revolt against the British mandate. Tuqan was the brother of fellow poet Fadwa Tuqan, whom he tutored and influenced; the two belonged to the prominent Tuqan family that governed Nablus during the 18th and 19th centuries.
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Sa'dun Hammadi
- Occupations
- politicianbanker
- Biography
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Sa'dun Hammadi was an Iraqi politician, writer and economist who held various positions in the Iraqi state, most notably as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1974 to 1983, and later as the longest serving Speaker of the National Assembly under President Saddam Hussein from 1996 until the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
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Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah
- Occupations
- mathematicianresearcherinventortelecommunications engineer
- Biography
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Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah was a Lebanese electrical and electronics research engineer, mathematician and inventor. He was born in Nabatieh in present-day Lebanon.
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Ardem Patapoutian
- Occupations
- neuroscientistmolecular biologist
- Biography
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Ardem Patapoutian is a Lebanese-American molecular biologist, neuroscientist, and Nobel Prize laureate of Armenian descent. He is known for his work in characterizing the PIEZO1, PIEZO2, and TRPM8 receptors that detect pressure, menthol, and temperature. Patapoutian is a neuroscience professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California. In 2021, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with David Julius.
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Nazim al-Kudsi
- Occupations
- diplomat
- Biography
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Nazim al-Qudsi, was a Syrian politician who served as the president of Syria from 14 December 1961 to 8 March 1963.
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Jurji Zaydan
- Occupations
- poetwriterjournal editornovelistteacher
- Biography
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Jurji Zaydan was a prolific Lebanese novelist, journalist, editor and teacher, most noted for his creation of the magazine Al-Hilal, which he used to serialize his twenty three historical novels.
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Ismail al-Azhari
- Occupations
- writerpolitician
- Biography
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Ismail al-Azhari was a Sudanese nationalist and political figure. He served as the first Prime Minister of Sudan between 1954 and 1956, and as Head of State of Sudan from 1965 until he was overthrown by Gaafar Nimeiry in 1969.
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Riad Salameh
- Occupations
- political economistfinancierbanker
- Biography
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Riad Toufic Salameh is a Lebanese economist. He previously was governor of Lebanon's central bank, Banque du Liban, from August 1993 until July 2023. He was appointed Governor by decree, approved by the Council of Ministers for a renewable term of six years. He was reappointed for four consecutive terms; in 1999, 2005, 2011 and 2017. Riad Salameh left his position on 31 July 2023 upon the end of his term, and due to the Lebanese parliament’s failure in electing a new president and forming a new government capable of appointing a successor he was succeeded by his first deputy Wassim Mansouri in an acting capacity
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Hamed Sinno
- Occupations
- singer
- Biography
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Hamed Sinno is a Lebanese-American musician and writer. They were the lead singer of the alternative rock band Mashrou' Leila until the group disbanded in 2022.
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Hisham Kabbani
- Occupations
- ulemapreacher
- Biography
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Hisham Kabbani was a Lebanese-American Sunni Sufi Muslim scholar belonging to the Naqshbandi Haqqani Sufi order. Kabbani has counseled and advised Muslim leaders to build community resilience against violent extremism. In 2012, the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre named him on The 500 Most Influential Muslims.
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Salim al-Huss
- Enrolled in the American University of Beirut
- Graduated with Bachelor of Economics
- Occupations
- economistdiplomatuniversity teacherpolitician
- Biography
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Salim Ahmad al-Huss, also spelled Selim El-Hoss, was a Lebanese politician who served as the prime minister of Lebanon and a longtime Member of Parliament representing his hometown, Beirut. He was known as a technocrat.
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Tony Nader
- Occupations
- university teacherneuroscientistneurologist
- Biography
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Tony Nader is a Lebanese neuroscientist, researcher, university president, author and leader of the Transcendental Meditation movement. He has a medical degree in internal medicine, received his Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked as a clinical and research fellow at a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.
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Faris al-Khoury
- Years
- 1877-1962 (aged 85)
- Occupations
- diplomatpolitician
- Biography
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Fares al-Khoury was a Syrian statesman, minister, prime minister, speaker of parliament, and father of modern Syrian politics. Faris Khoury went on to become prime minister of Syria from October 14, 1944, to October 1, 1945, and from October 1954 to February 13, 1955. Fares Khoury's position as prime minister is, as of 2025, the highest political position a Syrian Christian has ever reached. Khoury's electoral popularity was due in part to his staunch secularist and nationalist policies. As a die-hard Syrian nationalist, Khoury never compromised on his principles and was resolutely against pan-Arabism and the ill-fated union between Syria and Egypt. Khoury opposed the short-lived union between Nasser's Egypt and republican Syria, the United Arab Republic. Through it all Faris Khoury served his country for almost 50 years. He was the grandfather of noted Syrian novelist Colette Khoury.
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Omar Abu Risha
- Occupations
- diplomatplaywrightpoet
- Biography
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Omar Abu Risha was a Syrian poet and diplomat. He served as the Syrian ambassador to the United States from 1961 to 1964 and was a renowned poet who lyricized Fī Sabīli al-Majd (In Pursuit of Glory), Syria's de facto national anthem.
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Adnan Pachachi
- Enrolled in the American University of Beirut
- In 1943 studied political science
- Occupations
- diplomatpolitician
- Biography
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Adnan Muzahim Ameen al-Pachachi, better known as Adnan Pachachi, was an Iraqi politician and statesman who served as Iraq's Permanent Representative to the United Nations (1959–1965 and 1967–1969) and foreign minister (1965–1967).
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Charles Malik
- Occupations
- writerdiplomatphilosopherpolitician
- Biography
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Charles Habib Malik was a Lebanese academic, diplomat, philosopher, and politician. He served as the Lebanese representative to the United Nations, the President of the Commission on Human Rights and the United Nations General Assembly, a member of the Lebanese Cabinet, the head of the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education and of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigration, as well as being a theologian. He participated in the drafting of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
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Fahda bint Saud
- Occupations
- writerpainter
- Biography
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Fahda bint Saud Al Saud is a Saudi royal and artist. She is one of the grandchildren of Saudi Arabia's founder King Abdulaziz and one of the children of King Saud.
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Omar Karami
- Years
- 1934-2015 (aged 81)
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Omar Abdul Hamid Karami was the 39th prime minister of Lebanon for two non-consecutive terms. He was Prime Minister for the first time from 24 December 1990, when Selim al-Hoss gave up power, until May 1992, when he resigned due to economic instability. He was again Prime Minister from October 2004 to April 2005 as the 44th Prime Minister.
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Fadi Ghandour
- Occupations
- entrepreneur
- Biography
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Fadi Ghandour is a Lebanese Jordanian entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist. He is the Executive Chairman of Wamda, a platform that builds and invests in entrepreneurship ecosystems across the Middle East and North Africa, Turkey and East Africa through Ecosystem Development programs and a venture capital fund investing in technology-enabled companies that operate in these markets.
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Abdullah Ensour
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Abdullah Ensour is a Jordanian economist who served as the 40th prime minister of Jordan between October 2012 and May 2016. A veteran politician, he has held various cabinet positions in Jordanian government in addition to being prime minister.
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Yusuf al-Khal
- Occupations
- translatorpoetjournalistwriter
- Biography
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Yusuf al-Khal was a Syrian-Lebanese poet, journalist, and publisher. He is considered the greatest exponent of avantgardist prose poetry (qaṣīdat al-natr) in the Arab world as well one of the pioneers of Arabic surrealist poetry.
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Kamal Nasser
- Occupations
- poetpolitician
- Biography
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Kamal Butros Nasser was a Palestinian political leader, writer and poet. In the early 1970s, Nasser was a spokesman for the Palestine Liberation Organization.
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Sadiq Jalal al-Azm
- Occupations
- university teacherphilosophernon-fiction writer
- Biography
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Sadiq Jalal Al-Azm was a Professor Emeritus of Modern European Philosophy at the University of Damascus in Syria and was, until 2007, a visiting professor in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. His main area of specialization was the work of German philosopher Immanuel Kant, but he later placed a greater emphasis upon the Islamic world and its relationship to the West, evidenced by his contribution to the discourse of Orientalism. Al-Azm was also known as a human rights advocate and a champion of intellectual freedom and free speech.
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Talal Arslan
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Emir Talal Arslan is a Lebanese politician and political chief of the Druze sect. He is the chief of the Arslan family, who claim descent from the Lakhmids.
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Bassam Abu Sharif
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Bassam Abu Sharif is a former senior adviser to Yasser Arafat and leading cadre of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). He was previously a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
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Mariam C. Said
- Occupations
- writer
- Biography
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Mariam C. Said is a Lebanese-American writer and activist. She is the widow of Palestinian-American academic and activist Edward Said.
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Ismail al-Faruqi
- Enrolled in the American University of Beirut
- Studied in 1949
- Occupations
- university teacherphilosopher
- Biography
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Ismaʿil Raji al-Faruqi was a Palestinian-American Muslim philosopher and scholar of religion. He contributed significantly to Islamic studies, ethics, and interfaith dialogue, and is best known for pioneering the Islamization of knowledge and articulating tawhid (monotheism) as a comprehensive worldview. He proposed a model of meta-religion based on shared ethical values and the universal concept of divine unity.
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Nasri Atallah
- Occupations
- writer
- Biography
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Nasri Atallah is a British-Lebanese Author, television host, film producer, and entrepreneur. He is the editor-in-chief of Esquire Middle East, Esquire Saudi and Esquire Qatar. He is the Head of Content at SRMG, a co-founder of Last Floor Productions, and a Contributing Editor at GQ Middle East.
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Karimeh Abbud
- Occupations
- photographer
- Biography
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Karimeh Abbud or Karimeh Abboud, was a Palestinian professional photographer and artist who lived and worked in Palestine in the first half of the twentieth century. She was one of the first woman photographers in Palestine and the Middle East.
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George Saliba
- Years
- 1939-.. (age 87)
- Occupations
- historian
- Biography
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George Saliba is a Lebanese-American historian who is Professor of Arabic and Islamic Science at the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies, Columbia University, New York, where he has been since 1979. Saliba is currently the founding director of the Farouk Jabre Center for Arabic & Islamic Science & Philosophy and the Jabre-Khwarizmi Chair in the History Department.
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Saeb Salam
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Saeb Salam was a Lebanese politician and za'im (political boss) who served as Prime Minister six times between 1952 and 1973. Following his death, the Lebanese daily As-Safir described Salam as "most successful in dealing with the media and in presenting a particular image of himself to people on a daily basis through wearing his customary carnation... and expounding unforgettable slogans", and that he was Lebanon's most popular prime minister after independence leader Riad Al Solh. A significant aspect of Salam was that, unlike other Lebanese leaders, he did not act as a chief over a particular area in the country. Salam fiercely advocated the unity of Lebanon.
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Constantin Zureiq
- Occupations
- political scientistprofessorwriterintellectualhistorian
- Biography
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Constantin Zureiq was a prominent Syrian intellectual who was one of the first to pioneer and express the importance of Arab nationalism. He stressed the urgent need to transform stagnant Arab society utilizing rational thought and radical modification of the methods of thinking and acting. Some of his ideas, such as the "Arab mission" and "national philosophy" became key concepts for Arab nationalist thinkers. He was a strong proponent of the intellectual reformation of Arab society, emphasizing the need for rationalism and an ethical revolution.
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Ahmad Jarba
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Ahmad Jarba, born in the city of Qamishli in 1969, is a Syrian opposition member and former political prisoner. He is a public opponent of Bashar al-Assad and between 6 July 2013 and 11 July 2014 he was President of the Syrian National Coalition, which is the main coalition of opposition groups in the Syrian Civil War, as well as being a member of the Syrian National Council. His election took place in the second round of voting of a three days meeting organized by the Coalition in order to renew its board. He obtained 55 votes, three more than his rival Mustafa Sabbagh, who was supported by Qatar. A July 2013 article in The Economist commented that "there is little reason to believe he will wield more influence than his predecessor, Moaz al-Khatib." Jarba was re-elected on 5 January 2014, with 65 votes, defeating his only opponent Riyad Farid Hijab by 13 votes.
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Reem Acra
- Occupations
- fashion designer
- Biography
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Reem Acra is a fashion designer born in Beirut, Lebanon, known for her eponymous bridal gown line and her ready-to-wear collection.
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As'ad AbuKhalil
- Occupations
- bloggerpolitical scientist
- Biography
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As'ad AbuKhalil is a Lebanese-American professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. AbuKhalil is the author of Historical Dictionary of Lebanon (1998), Bin Laden, Islam & America's New "War on Terrorism" (2002), and The Battle for Saudi Arabia (2004).
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Abdelmunim al-Rifai
- Occupations
- diplomatpolitician
- Biography
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Abdelmunim Rifai was prominent Jordanian political figure, held several significant positions within the government throughout his career, including serving as the 18th Prime Minister of Jordan in 1969 and 1970 and in various ministerial roles.
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Abdelraouf al-Rawabdeh
- Occupations
- civil servantpolitician
- Biography
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Abdelraouf Salem Nahar al-Rawabdeh is a Jordanian retired politician who served as the 32nd Prime Minister of Jordan from 4 March 1999 until 19 June 2000, a leading political figure from the northern city of Irbid in Jordan.
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Huda Zoghbi
- Occupations
- neurogeneticistneurologistuniversity teacherphysician
- Biography
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Huda Yahya Zoghbi is a Lebanese-born American geneticist, and a professor at the Departments of Molecular and Human Genetics, Neuroscience and Neurology at the Baylor College of Medicine. She is the director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute. She was the editor of the Annual Review of Neuroscience from 2018-2024.
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Anbara Salam Khalidy
- Occupations
- translatorpoetwomen's rights activistwriter
- Biography
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Anbara Al-Salam Al-Khalidi was a Lebanese feminist, translator and author, who significantly contributed to the emancipation of Arab women.
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Leila Shahid
- Occupations
- diplomatpolitician
- Biography
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Leila Shahid was a Palestinian diplomat. She was the first woman ambassador of Palestine, serving the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Ireland in 1989 and the Netherlands in 1990, then serving the Palestinian Authority (PA) in France where she had taken office in Paris in 1993. From 2006 to 2014, she was the General Delegate of Palestine in the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg.
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Ma Haide
- Occupations
- physician
- Biography
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Ma Haide, born Shafick George Hatem (Arabic: جورج شفيق حاتم), was an American-born Chinese doctor who practiced medicine in China.
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Kim Ghattas
- Occupations
- journalistopinion journalist
- Biography
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Kim Ghattas is a Lebanese journalist based in Beirut who writes for The Atlantic. Previously, she covered the US State Department for the BBC. She is a scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the author of Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East, which The New York Times recognized as one of the "100 Notable Books of 2020." She is currently a writer for The Atlantic and a contributing editor to the Financial Times.
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Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar
- Occupations
- diplomatpolitician
- Biography
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Abdul Rahman Shahbandar was a Syrian statesman and prominent nationalist figure during the French Mandate of Syria. He was a leading opponent of compromise with the French colonial authority in Syria, and his devotion to Arab nationalism dated to the days of the Committee of Union and Progress and its "Turkification" policies. Shahbandar supported the Arab Revolt during the First World War and briefly headed the foreign ministry under Emir Faisal.
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Kamal Salibi
- Occupations
- historianarchaeologistuniversity teacherwriter
- Biography
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Kamal Suleiman Salibi was a Lebanese historian, professor of history at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and the founding Director (later Honorary President) of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies in Amman, Jordan.
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Mansur al-Atrash
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Mansur al-Atrash was a Syrian politician and journalist. Together with fellow university students, Atrash became a founding member of the Ba'ath Party and its Syrian regional branch in 1947. During the presidency of Adib Shishakli (1951–54), he became an anti-government activist and was imprisoned twice, only to be released in an unsuccessful attempt by Shishakli to gain the support of Atrash's father, Sultan. In the year Shishakli was overthrown, Atrash was elected to parliament and turned down an offer to serve in Said al-Ghazzi's government. During the period of the United Arab Republic (1958–61), Atrash became a strong supporter of Egyptian president and pan-Arab leader Gamal Abdel Nasser. He opposed Syria's secession from the UAR and turned down offers to serve in successive separatist governments in protest.
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Ignatius IV of Antioch
- Occupations
- patriarch
- Biography
-
Patriarch Ignatius IV was the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and All The East from 1979 to 2012.
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Haig Papazian
- Enrolled in the American University of Beirut
- Studied in 2009
- Occupations
- violinistarchitect
- Biography
-
Haig Papazian is a Lebanese-Armenian multidisciplinary artist, composer, and architect born in Beirut and currently based out of New York. He is a founding member and violinist of Lebanese pop band Mashrou' Leila.
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Ghassan Tueni
- Occupations
- writerjournalistdiplomatpolitician
- Biography
-
Ghassan Tueni was a Lebanese journalist, politician and diplomat who headed An Nahar, one of the Arab world's leading newspapers. Some call him "The Dean of Lebanese Journalism".
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Mohamed Waheed Hassan
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik is a Maldivian politician who served as the fifth president of the Maldives from 7 February 2012 to 17 November 2013, having previously served as vice president from 2008 to 2012. He assumed the presidency following the resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed.
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Muhammad Fadhel al-Jamali
- Occupations
- ministerwriterpolitician
- Biography
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Muhammad Fadhel al-Jamali was an Iraqi statesman, educator, politician and diplomat, who held important posts in the government of Iraq, during the royal era. Most notably he served as Iraq's prime minister two times and foreign minister from 1946 to 1948 and was also the Director of Foreign Affairs and a member of the Arab Federation Council in 1958.
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Neemat Frem
- Occupations
- engineerbusinesspersonpolitician
- Biography
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Neemat Georges Frem is a prominent Lebanese politician, businessman, and entrepreneur. He is currently a Member of the Lebanese Parliament representing the Keserwan and Byblos constituency and has been serving since May 2022.
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Bahij al-Khatib
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Bahij al-Khatib was a French-appointed Syrian Head of State from July 8, 1939 to April 4, 1941.
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Ayah Bdeir
- Occupations
- designerengineerentrepreneur
- Biography
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Ayah Bdeir is a Lebanese-Canadian entrepreneur, inventor, and innovator. She is the inventor of littleBits, a company that produces modular electronics kits for education and prototyping, and that was acquired by Sphero in 2019. She is also the co-founder of Daleel Thawra, a directory of protests, initiatives, donations for the Lebanese Revolution.
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Said Khoury
- Occupations
- entrepreneur
- Biography
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Said Tawfiq Khoury was a prominent Palestinian entrepreneur and philanthropist. He was one of the three founders of Consolidated Contractors Company, currently based in Athens.
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Mohamad Chatah
- Enrolled in the American University of Beirut
- In 1974 graduated with bachelor's degree in economics
- Occupations
- diplomateconomistpolitician
- Biography
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Mohammad Chatah was a Lebanese economist and diplomat.
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Haidar Abdel-Shafi
- Occupations
- politicianphysician
- Biography
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Haidar Abdel-Shafi, was a Palestinian physician, community leader and political leader who was the head of the Palestinian delegation to the Madrid Conference of 1991.
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Suleiman al-Nabulsi
- Enrolled in the American University of Beirut
- Studied social studies and jurisprudence
- Occupations
- diplomateconomistpolitician
- Biography
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Suleiman Nabulsi was a leftist Jordanian political figure who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Jordan in 1956–57.
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Yassine Jaber
- Years
- 1951-.. (age 75)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Yassine Jaber is a Lebanese politician and businessman. He represented the Nabatiyeh district in the Lebanese Parliament from 1996 until 2022. Although an independent that has never been a member of any party, due to the Shiite power sharing structures he is affiliated with the Liberation and Development bloc led by Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri. He is currently serving as the Minister of Finance in the Cabinet of Nawaf Salam.
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Kevork Ajemian
- Enrolled in the American University of Beirut
- Studied in 1958
- Occupations
- poetwriter
- Biography
-
Kevork Vartani Ajemian was a prominent Syrian-Armenian writer, journalist, novelist, theorist and public activist, and long-time publisher of the Beirut-based literary, artistic and general publication Spurk (in Armenian Սփիւռք). Ajemian was a co-founder of the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) military organization.
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Raya El Hassan
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Raya El Hassan is a Lebanese politician who held the office of the interior and municipalities ministry, and the finance ministry. She is the first woman in Lebanon to be appointed to these and equivalent posts in the government.
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Shibli Shumayyil
- Years
- 1853-1917 (aged 64)
- Occupations
- writerjournalistphysicianpoetjournal editor
- Biography
-
Shibli Shumayyil was a Lebanese doctor who published on topics such as Islamic socialism and social Darwinism in leading Arabic-language journals of his day.
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Suad Amiry
- Occupations
- architectengineerwriter
- Biography
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Suad Amiry is a Palestinian author and architect living in Ramallah.
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Taha Baqir
- Occupations
- anthropologistlinguisthistorianuniversity teacherassyriologist
- Biography
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Taha Baqir was an Iraqi Assyriologist, author, cuneiformist, linguist, historian, and former curator of the National Museum of Iraq.
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Rima Khalaf
- Years
- 1953-.. (age 73)
- Occupations
- politicianeconomist
- Biography
-
Rima Khalaf Hunaidi is a national of Jordan who served as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) from 2010 to 2017. She resigned from this position in March 2017, rather than comply with a request from the UN Secretary General António Guterres to withdraw a report that accused Israel of establishing an apartheid regime.
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Tarek Mitri
- Occupations
- university teacherpolitician
- Biography
-
Tarek Mitri is a Lebanese university professor, independent politician and former government minister who is currently serving as the deputy prime minister of Lebanon as of 8 February 2025.
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Ahmad Toukan
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Ahmad Toukan was a Jordanian political leader of Palestinian descent. He was briefly the 20th Prime Minister of Jordan from 26 September 1970 to 28 October 1970, during a crackdown that drove the PLO guerillas out of Jordan.
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Mostafa Mesbahzadeh
- Occupations
- economistjuristjournalistpolitician
- Biography
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Mostafa Khan Mesbahzadeh was an Iranian Publisher, President of Kayhan Media Corporation, Founder of the Iranian College of Press and Communication ("Daneshkadeh-ye Matbou'at va Oloum-e Ejtema'i", Persian: دانشکده مطبوعات و علوم اجتماعی), University Professor, Member of Parliament and Senator, Member of the Senate of Iran.
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Majid Khadduri
- Occupations
- juristuniversity teacher
- Biography
-
Majid Khadduri was an Iraqi academic. He was founder of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies Middle East Studies program, a division of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington, D.C. Internationally, he was recognized as a leading authority on a wide variety of Islamic subjects, modern history and the politics of the Middle East. He was the author of more than 35 books in English and Arabic and hundreds of articles.
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Mary Ajami
- Occupations
- writerjournalistsalonnièrepoetjournal editor
- Biography
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Mary Ajami was a Syrian poet and pioneering feminist writer in Arabic, who launched the first women's periodical in West Asia, titled Al-'Arus (Arabic: العروس, lit. 'The Bride').
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Rosarita Tawil
- Occupations
- actorbeauty pageant contestantmodel
- Biography
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Rosarita Tawil is a Lebanese humanitarian, model, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Lebanon 2008.
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Salma Jayyusi
- Enrolled in the American University of Beirut
- Studied Arabic literature and English literature
- Occupations
- literary critichistoriananthologisttranslatorpoet
- Biography
-
Salma Khadra Jayyusi was a Palestinian poet, writer, translator and anthologist. She was the founder and director of the Project of Translation from Arabic (PROTA), which aims to provide translation of Arabic literature into English.
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Fawzi al-Mulki
- Occupations
- diplomatpolitician
- Biography
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Fawzi Al-Mulki was a Jordanian diplomat and politician. While serving as ambassador to the United Kingdom in the early 1950s, he befriended King Hussein, who was studying there.
