Tag: Lebanese American

LEBANESE / YEMENI-ARAB AMERICAN mayors in Michigan nominated by Trump as ambassador to Kuwait and Tunisia

Amer Ghalib and Bill Bazzi were among a number of Muslim leaders from the state who publicly endorsed Trump for the presidency last year

‘It’s a great honor to have the trust of the president,’ Ghalib tells Arab News. ‘I will utilize my skills … to strengthen the relationship between’ the US and Kuwait

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FAST FACTS

• Amer Ghalib, who became mayor of Hamtramck in November 2021, is the first Arab American and Muslim to hold the office in the city.

• Bill Bazzi, who was born in Lebanon, was appointed mayor of Dearborn Heights in January 2021 following the death of the incumbent and won the election for the office in November that year.

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Amer Ghalib, the mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan, said on Friday he was “honored” to be nominated by President Donald Trump for the post of US ambassador to Kuwait.


Meanwhile, Bill Bazzi, the mayor of Dearborn Heights, also in Michigan, was nominated by Trump this week to serve as the US envoy to Tunisia.
Arab American Muslims Ghalib and Bazzi were among the Michigan officials who publicly endorsed Trump for the presidency last year over Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.


“It’s a great honor to have the trust of the president placed in me to represent our great county and serve as the next ambassador to the State of Kuwait,” Ghalib told Arab News on Friday.

Bazzi did not respond to Arab News when asked to comment on his nomination, but in a message posted on Facebook, he wrote: “I am honored and appreciate President Donald Trump’s appointment to serve as US Ambassador to Tunisia.


“Among the distinct countries I have visited over the years, I hold a great affinity to Tunisia and its honorable parliament, elected officials, educators, and other industry leaders — along with the people I met while touring orphanages, women’s career institutions, schools, and a multitude of companies which distinguish the country’s rising presence in the region.


“With my visits overseas, the cohort’s visits to the US, and the relations we have established over the years, I am excited to return and honorably represent our Country in Tunisia as its US Ambassador. My purpose is to continue serving in capacities which make an impact, promote peace and diplomatic partnerships, which benefit our Country and enhance global relations.”


Trump wrote on social media platform X: “Bazzi is a decorated US Marine, who honorably served our Country for 21 years, collaborating with US Embassy Ambassadors, Diplomats, and Leaders throughout the world.”


Bazzi, who was born in Bint Jbeil, Lebanon, was appointed mayor of Dearborn Heights in January 2021 following the death of the incumbent and won the election for the office in November that year. He had previously served as the temporary chairperson of Dearborn Heights City Council since 2017.


Bishara Bahbah, the founder of Arab Americans for Trump, an organization that worked in several states to rally Arab and Muslim American elected officials and leaders in support of Trump’s presidential campaign, praised the appointments of Ghalib and Bazzi as “a demonstration of the president’s commitment to the Arab and Muslim community.”


He told Arab News: “Arab Americans for Peace, formerly Arab Americans for Trump, is delighted with President Trump’s nomination of two distinguished Arab American mayors from Michigan as the new ambassadors to Kuwait and Tunisia.


“Both men risked their political careers, having been elected as Democrats to their posts. Mayor Bazzi and Mayor Ghalib are outstanding individuals who wanted to see the end of the wars in both Gaza and Lebanon.”


The nominations reflect the growing influence of Arab Americans in US politics, Bahbah said, and are “a testament to the newfound power of Arab Americans in this past US presidential election and future presidential elections.


“We are confident that both mayors will be effective ambassadors representing the best interests of the United States. Their Arab backgrounds will undoubtedly help foster better US-Kuwaiti and US-Tunisian diplomatic relations.”


The nominations must now be considered and approved by a majority vote in the US Senate.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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US President Donald Trump introduces Democratic Muslim mayor of Hamtramck Amer Ghalib during his last campaign rally at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 5, 2024. (AFP file photo)

Dearborn Heights, Michigan, Mayor Bill Bazzi†speaks as U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a campaign rally at Suburban Collection Showplace on October 26, 2024 in Novi, Michigan. (AFP file photo)

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AMERICAN / LEBANESE / YEMEN

ARAB AMERICANS : Trumps names two Arab Americans Dr. Janette Nesheiwat & Dr. Marty Makary for his Cabinet

President-elect Donald Trump nominated Dr. Janette Nesheiwat to be US surgeon general

He also nominated Dr. Marty Makary as head of the US Food and Drug Administration

President-elect Donald Trump has named two Arab Americans to serve in his Cabinet once he is sworn into office in January.

Trump nominated Dr. Janette Nesheiwat to be US surgeon general and Dr. Marty Makary as head of the US Food and Drug Administration.

The appointments were applauded by Dr. Bishara Bahbah, chairman of Arab Americans for Trump, who helped the former president to win nearly half of the Arab American vote in the Nov. 5 election against US Vice President Kamala Harris.

“We are delighted with President Trump’s nomination of the first two Arab Americans to be part of his administration,” Bahbah said in a message to Arab News on Saturday.

“This is a testament to the hard work of Arab Americans for Trump and recognition of President Donald J. Trump of the role Arab Americans played in his election as the 47th president of the United States. AAFT looks forward to additional Arab American appointments in President Trump’s administration, particularly in the political field.”

Dr. Makary is a British American surgeon of Lebanese background. He is a public policy researcher at Johns Hopkins University serving as a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and a professor, by courtesy, at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.

His current research focuses on the underlying causes of disease, public policy, health care costs, and relationship-based medicine. Dr. Makary previously served in leadership at the World Health Organization patient safety program and has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

Clinically, Dr. Makary is the chief of Islet Transplant Surgery at Johns Hopkins. He is the recipient of the Nobility in Science Award from the National Pancreas Foundation and has been a visiting professor at more than 25 medical schools. He has published more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles and has served on several editorial boards. He is the author of two New York Times bestselling books, “Unaccountable” and “The Price We Pay.”

Dr. Makary is also an anti-vaxxer who refused vaccination for COVID-19, a view shared by many of President-elect Trump’s conservative and Republican supporters.

Dr. Nesheiwat is a double board-certified medical doctor described on her website as “bringing a refreshingly no-nonsense attitude to the latest medical news, breaking down everything you need to know to keep you — and your family — healthy at all times.” She is also the author of “Beyond the Stethoscope: Miracles in Medicine.”

A graduate of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, UAMS, Dr. Nesheiwat has been “shaped by her faith and her upbringing.”

Born in Carmel, New York, she is the daughter of Christian Jordanian immigrants and one of five children raised by her widowed mother, Hayat Nesheiwat. Her siblings are Julia Nesheiwat, Jaclyn Stapp, Dina Nesheiwat and Daniel Nesheiwat.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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President-elect Donald Trump nominated Dr. Janette Nesheiwat to be US surgeon general . (AP)

Dr Marty Makary / pix source: amazon.com

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AMERICAN / ARAB / JORDANIAN / LEBANESE

LEBANESE AMERICAN Filmmaker Ruby Malek shines spotlight on Saudi Talent 

Arab American filmmaker Ruby Malek is shining a spotlight on Saudi talent in the 10-episode docuseries “Herstory” which follows the journeys of Saudi’s modern-day female music stars.  

“We were just fascinated by the amount of talent because a lot of these artists are self-taught. And, you know, there were no music schools that they went to. There wasn’t like a piano teacher that would teach these women,” said Malek to Arab News.  

“A lot of these artists actually didn’t show their identity, didn’t show their faces, and weren’t really out there… We’re still talking about 2020 now, so it wasn’t like now in 2023.”  

Chronicling these artists’ struggles, triumphs and their place in the cultural history of the Kingdom, the series blends the passion for music-infused storytelling Ruby honed making music videos and her skills as a documentarian.  

“I’m the generation that grew up watching MTV, VH1, so I was very into the various reality shows, and that’s what I kind of fell into. I fell into creating reality shows and formats, and so went from music videos to reality shows, documentaries. And then one thing led to another,” said Malek.  

Motivated by the positive changes of Saudi Vision 2030, Malek sought to showcase a side of Saudi Arabia that she had not seen in the West. With the series having opened doors for the creator, she’s excited to continue working in the Kingdom.  

“I actually have been back to Saudi. I shot a show for Vice, and yes, I would definitely (work there again). I mean, as a producer, there’s so much potential and there’s so many stories to be told that I think I will be going there more often and very soon,” she said.  

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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Arab American filmmaker Ruby Malek is shining a spotlight on Saudi talent in the 10-episode docuseries “Herstory” which follows the journeys of Saudi’s modern-day female music stars.  

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AMERICAN / LEBANESE

LEBANESE AMERICAN: James Abourezk, 1st Arab American US Senator

James Abourezk, 1st Arab American US senator, dies at 92.

James Abourezk, attorney and Democratic politician who served as a United States senator and United States representative from South Dakota and co-founder of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee(ADC), died today on his 92nd birthday.

He was born in Wood, South Dakota, the son of Lena (Mickel), a homemaker, and Charles Abourezk, an owner of two general stores. Both of his parents were Lebanese immigrants. He grew up near Wood on the Rosebud Reservation and has lived in South Dakota most of his life.

Abourezk represented South Dakota in the United States Senate from 1973 until 1979. He was the author of the Indian Child Welfare Act, passed by Congress in 1978 to try to preserve Indian families and tribal culture.

He was instrumental in the creation of both the American Indian Policy Review Commission and the Select Committee on Indian Affairs. He became chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee from its creation in 1977 to 1979.

Abourezk was elected in 1970 as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives and served from 1971 to 1973. In 1972 he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served from 1973 to 1979.

Abourezk was an outspoken critic of Israel and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East after touring the region and visiting his parents’ hometown in Lebanon as a senator. The position lost him many political allies, and he decided to retire from the Senate after a single term.

In 1980, Abourezk co-founded the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and traveled throughout the U.S. organizing Arab Americans in the wake of the “Abscam” debacle. Abscam was an FBI sting operation where agents dressed up as “oil-rich sheiks” in the late 1970s and early 1980s that led to the convictions of seven members of the United States Congress, among others, for bribery and corruption.

Abourezk’s marriages to Mary Ann Houlton and Margaret Bethea ended in divorce. In 1991, he married Sanaa Dieb, a restaurateur. They moved to Sioux Falls where she opened an award-winning Arab restaurant.

Survivors include his wife; children Charles Abourezk, Nikki Pipe On Head, and Paul Abourezk from his marriage to Houlton; daughter Alya Abourezk from his third marriage; a stepdaughter; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Warren David, president of Arab America and a former national president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee said, “during a time when discourse regarding the negative portrayal of Arabs and the injustice faced by Palestinians were scarce, he (Abourezk) acted as a pioneer who instilled a sense of immediacy in the Arab American community–he was a trailblazer in that regard.”

Compiled by Arab America

source/contents: arabamerica.com (headline edited)

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Former Senator James Abourezk

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AMERICAN / LEBANESE

Dana Ballout Emmy-Nominated Producer

Dana Ballout, the Lebanese-American Emmy-nominated producer of “Trafficked with Mariana Zeller,” knows the exact moment she started paying attention to what was going on in the world. It was February 14, 2005.

Ballout was a senior in high school in Beirut, and as she sat in class that Valentine’s Day morning, a bomb went off just down the block, sending the building’s shatter-proof windows into convulsions. Lebanon’s recently-resigned prime minster, Rafic Hariri, had been assassinated.

She spent years covering the war in Syria as a reporter for outlets including The Wall Street Journal, but it was in podcasts and documentaries that she fully found her voice, allowing her to journey in depth into people’s lives in a way she never could before.

Ballout is a storyteller, but the stories she chooses to tell are ones that few are brave enough to tell. Often they can be harrowing, including the latest documentary she co-produced, “Groomed,” which follows a woman returning to her hometown in search of answers about the man who abused her as a child.

In “Trafficked,” recently renewed for a third season at National Geographic, Ballout and company travel across the world to profile the global underworld, sitting down with the titans of illegal industries such as scamming, steroids, counterfeiting and poaching.

source/content : arabnews.com

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Ballout had grown up in a household with a newspaper on the table every morning. (Supplied) / arabnews.com

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AMERICAN / LEBANESE

Amin J Barakat known for the Diagnosis of ‘Barakat Syndrome’

Dr. Amin J Barakat, MD, FAAP. Pediatrician

Education:

  • Medical Education : American University of Beirut
  • Pediatric Residency : Johns Hopkins University Hospital, Baltimore
  • Fellowship Residency in Pediatric Nephrology : Georgetown University Medical Center
  • Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics
  • Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP)

Positions:

  • Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Pediatric Nephropathy, Georgetown University
  • President, American Foundation for Saint George Hospital
  • Member – ALSAC / St. Jude Childrens’ Research Hospital Leadership Council

Barakat Syndrome :

In 1977, Barakat and co-authors J.B. D’Albora, M.M. Martin, and P.A. Jose described four siblings with familial nephrosis , nerve deafness , and hypoparathyroidism. This syndrome is now known as Barakat Syndrome

Barakat syndrome is an inherited condition characterized by hypoparathyroidism, sensorineural hearing loss, and renal (kidney) disease. Most cases have been attributed to a mutation on chromosome 10p which affects the GATA3 gene. Inheritance is likely autosomal dominant. Treatment is symptomatic and supportive (source: wikipedia)

Awards and Honors :

  • Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
  • Ellis Island Medal of Honor
  • Best Doctors in America
  • Guide to America’s Top Pediatricians
  • Who’s Who in Medicine and Health Care, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the World

Books :

  • Barakat, Amin Y; et al. (1986). The Kidney in Genetic Disease. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. 
  • Barakat, Amin Y. (1990). Renal Disease in Children: Clinical Evaluation and Diagnosis. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. 
  • Amin J. Barakat and Russell W. Chesney, editors. (2009). Pediatric Nephrology for Primary Care. Amer Academy of Pediatrics. 
  • Amin J Barakat and H. Gil Rushton, editors. Congenital Anomalies of the Kidney and Urinary Tract: Clinical Implications in Children. Switzerland, Springer, 2016. 
  • In 2007, Barakat edited the Arabic edition of the American Academy of Pediatrics’s  Caring For Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5. Beirut, AllPrints. (source: wikipedia)

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pix : pressrelease.healthcare . Health News Today

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U.S.A. / LEBANESE-AMERICAN / ARAB AMERICAN