Several famous musicians, athletes, and comedians are Palestinian. Some of these celebrities were born in the Middle East, whereas others were born in the U.S. to Palestinian immigrants. Two infamous killers are also of Palestinian descent.
Who is the most famous person who is Palestinian? DJ Khaled tops our list. DJ Khaled, born Khaled Khaled, was born to Palestinian parents in New Orleans, Louisiana. He has collaborated with such hip-hop stars as Dr. Dre, T-Pain, and Rick Ross. Record producer Fredwreck was born in Michigan to Palestinian parents. He is a producer with Snoop Dogg's production company, Doggystyle Records.
Some people of Palestinian descent are famous for committing violent crimes. Sirhan Sirhan, the man who assassinated Robert F. Kennedy, was born in Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine, to a Palestinian Christian family. Nidal Malik Hasan, the man responsible for the Fort Hood mass shooting in 2009, was born in Virginia to Palestinian parents.
Are you surprised that so many famous people are of Palestinian descent? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
#1. DJ Khaled.
Photo: flickr / CC0
DJ Khaled, born Khaled Mohammed Khaled, was born to Palestinian parents in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is an American-Palestinian DJ, record executive, record producer, actor, and media personality.
#2. Hanan Alattar.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY
Texas-born opera singer and actress, Hanan Alattar is of Palestinian-Iraqi descent. She has had an active international career in concepts and in operas since the early 2000s.
#3. Cherien Dabis.
Photo: Metaweb / GNU Free Documentation License.
Cherien Dabis was born in Nebraska to a Palestinian father and Jordanian mother. She is an actress, director, producer, and screenwriter. She was named one of Variety magazine's 10 Directors to Watch in 2009.
#4. Mai Masri.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY
Mai Masri was born in Jordan to an American mother and Palestinian father. She is a filmmaker, director and producer. Her films are primarily documentaries which focus on the real life struggles of the women and children living in the occupied Palestinian territories and Lebanon.
#5. Dean Obeidallah.
Photo: flickr / CC0
Dean Obeidallah was born in New Jersey to a Palestinian father and Italian mother. He is a lawyer, comedian and journalist. He also host the SiriusXM Progress' The Dean Obeidallah Show. A frequent contributor to CNN, The Daily Beast and MSNBC.
#6. Tareq Dirgham Salahi.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY
Tareq Salahi is an American-Palestinian vintner, winery owner, travel/tourism expert, and television personality. He has appeared in two reality-television shows: Where Elites Meet, and NBC Universal/Bravo's The Real Housewives of D.C. Tareq Salahi was born in the U.S. to a Palestinian father and Belgian mother.
#7. Fredwreck.
Photo: Metaweb / GNU Free Documentation License
Farid Karam Nassar, better known as Fredwreck, is a Grammy Award winning American-Palestinian. He is a music artist and record producer. He was born in Michigan to Palestinian parents.
#8. Simon Shaheen.
Photo: flickr / CC0
Simon Shaheen was born in Israel to Palestinian parents. He is a oud and violin player and composer who holds Israeli citizenship and he became a U.S. citizen in his late-20s.
#9. John Henry Sununu.
Photo: Metaweb / GNU Free Documentation License.
John Henry Sununu was born in Cuba to a Palestinian father and a Salvadoran mother. He is an American-Palestinian politician who was the 75th Governor of New Hampshire (1983-1989) and later White House Chief of Staff under George H. W. Bush. Sununu prevented the signing of a 67-nation commitment to freeze carbon dioxide emissions at the 1989 Noordwijk Climate Conference.
#10. Omar Sheika.
Photo: flickr / CC0
Omar Sheika is an American former professional boxer and multiple time super middleweight world title challenger. Omar is of Palestinian descent.
#11. Ramsey Nijem.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY
Ramsey Nijem was born in California and raised in Washington. Nijem is a Palestinian-American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Professional Fighters League (PFL). A professional MMA competitor since 2008.
#12. Omar Jarun.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY
Omar Jarun was born in Kuwait to an American mother and a Jordan-born father of Palestinian descent. Omar was a former footballer who is the current manager of Atlanta United FC Academy. Jarun has played professionally in the United States, Canada, Poland, Belgium and India.
#13. Nidal Malik Hasan.
Photo: Metaweb / CC-BY
Nidal Malik Hasan, MD is a former American Army Major convicted of killing of 13 people and injuring more than 30 others in the Fort Hood mass shooting on November 5, 2009. Hasan is of Palestinian descent and was a United States Army Medical Corps psychiatrist.
#14. Sirhan Bishara Sirhan.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY
Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, the man who assassinated Robert F. Kennedy, was born in in Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine, to a Palestinian Christian family. Sirhan was convicted of murder and sentenced to death, but was later commuted to a life sentence; Sirhan is currently serving his sentence at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County, California.
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