1. Famous Arab-Americans Matt Salloum April 24, 2003 A29635799

2. What have Arab-Americans really done for the United States of America? Many people think that all Arabs are terrorists and horrible people. All that they do is blow up buildings and cause trouble for the world; a terrible stereotype. Now, we should all know that this is untrue. Arabic people have done much for this country and people should realize the beauty of their culture. By listening to the top 40 countdown, or eating a bowl of Flutie Flakes, Arabs are in more places than you think. Arabs do get bad publicity and have a bad reputation. Arabic history is not the dictatorship of Saddam Huessin and is not the terrorist acts committed by Osama Bin Laden, the history goes back many years and many great people have come out of it. Great Arab- Americans include Doug Flutie, Casey Kasem, Ralph Nader, and Paula Abdul (cpack 21-32). Even though they have gone unnoticed, Arab- Americans have done a great deal for our country.

3. “Ignorance about Arab Americans among North Americans at large means that, before looking at more detailed accounts of the Arab- American experience, we may benefit from a quick review of Arab immigration to North America and what the Arab-Americans communities here have been like” (Suleiman 1). This quote shows that many current Americans know nothing about the Arabic heritage. Thus, all they know comes from watching it on the news. Much of this coverage is bad, so Arab-Americans suffer with all the media

4. Why do Arabs have a bad reputation? zI believe that all the bad things are the only thing that make the news. zMedia craves disasters. zMiddle East is a big area and has many problems, the war between the Palestinians and Jews is all that you hear about. z What can be done? yThere needs to be more Arabic leaders. yAmerican people need to be educated more. yWe need to concentrate on good news more, not bad news.

5. Is that why Americans do not know about Arabs in the U.S.? zI think that it is a reason. zMany people do not think about who comes from what country. zPeople look to Hollywood for entertainment, Arabs are just not in the picture. zAmericans tend to learn things from the television.

6. This is a time where I will explain how important Arab-Americans have been to our country. They have done great things and we should look at where they have come from. Some of the ones, that I have selected, include Doug Flutie, Casey Kasem, Ralph Nader, and Paula Abdul. They all have done great things and we should look at them more closely. There are many more that have done great things, these are just a few that can be researched.

7. Doug Flutie z Doug Flutie is the first person talked about. z Professional football player. z Set up an autism charity.

8. Doug Flutie is one of the most interesting football players ever to play the game. Born October 23, 1962, he was not a son that was born to play professional football (4). He comes from Lebanese descent, but was born in Manchester, MD (4). When he was full grown, he stood at 5’10’’, which is not a football players build. He was told that he was too small and slow, but he was never the one to back down from a challenge. He went to Boston College, there he made national news and broke record books. Not known for his size, rather known for ability and leadership. Alabama coach, Ray Perkins said, “Flutie’s special magic is not in running or even in passing but in his ability to make a play out of nothing(4).”

9. Records set z Four years at Boston College. z Has career record for yards passing - 10,579. z Best known for the throw against Miami. z Heisman Trophy winner.

10. One of the greatest games in the history was won by Doug Flutie. With time going down, Flutie unloaded a 60 yard Hail Mary TD pass that was caught as Boston College beat Miami 47-45(4). That pass that he made marked his whole career. After being a highly talked about quarterback, Flutie was chosen in the NFL Draft. He was selected in the 11th round by the Los Angeles Rams (4). But, he was also selected by the rival league, USFL, by the New Jersey Generals (4). As he was traded from team to team in the NFL, he was benched in the USFL as teams merged (4). NFL and USFL were rivals, USFL went under and the NFL was the only professional league in the country (9).

11. Stats z1988 - New England Patriots. y11 games 1,150 yards and 8 Td's. z1989 - five games, then released at the end of the season. y493 yards and 2 Td's. z 1990, joined the Canadian Football League (CFL). z Rewrote the record books, in 1998 his dream came true. *All stats from bib number 4.

12. Great career in the CFL, won Most Outstanding Player 6 times in 8 years (4). In 1998, he got the starting job for the Buffalo Bills (4). Started five games into the season, led the Bills to a 7-3 record. He lead the Bills to a playoff spot and earned two awards; Pro Bowl selection and NFL Comeback Player of the year (4). Last season, Flutie was traded to San Diego and benched. But, he will always be remembered for what he did in Buffalo, the CFL, and at Boston College.

13. Flutie Foundation Doug Flutie’s son, Doug Jr., was born with Autism. To help learn more about the disease and help his son, he set up this foundation. The Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism is a great charity, some money from Flutie Flakes go to this foundation (8). It can be visited at: http://www.dougflutiejrfoundatio n.org/ http://www.dougflutiejrfoundatio n.org/

14. Doug Flutie has done some great things for this country. He had entertained many people, at his days at Boston College, to the USFL, to the CFL, and finally to the NFL. He has done some amazing things and he thank him for that. One of the best things anyone could ever do is set up a foundation and try to help many people with the same conditions. Doug Flutie is a great Arab-American and the world is better with him.

15. Ralph Nader z Consumer advocate z Lawyer z Author z Presidential Candidate.

16. Ralph Nader was born Winsted, Connecticut on February 27, 1934 (6). He had a regular childhood, but he was known to be very smart. In 1955, he received a magna cum laude from Princeton University, and in 1958 he received a LLB from Harvard University (6). At first, he started off as a lawyer. He began as a lawyer in Hartford, Connecticut. At the University of Hartford he lectured on government and history in 1959 and from 1961-63 (6). He received the Nieman Fellows award in 1965-66 and was named one of ten Outstanding Young Men of Year by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1967(6).

17. Organizations/Books - set up or help set up yAmerican Antitrust Institute yCenter for Auto Safety yCenter for Justice and Democracy yPublic Citizen (largest) yClean Water Action Project yEqual Justice Foundation  And many more. yUnsafe at Any Speed yCorporate Power in America (with Mark Green) yYou and Your Pension (with Kate Blackwell) yThe Lemon Book yWho's Poisoning America (with Ronald Brownstein and John Richard)  And many more. *Information from bib number 6.

18. Green Party One of the most important times in Ralph Nader’s life was when he ran for President in November of 2000. He started his own party, called the Green Party (7). He had many followers, but was did not get the support to become a legitimate party. I political party needs 5% of the vote to become a party (7). The Green Party was not successful for some reasons. It was opposed to all the Democratic and Republican viewpoints (7). It basically was the opposite of the parties and Nader was quoted as saying Republicans and Democrats were the same party (7). He is a environmentalist and many people are against that kind of thinking. Nader wanted to be different and have a new political party. He had many supporters, especially on college campuses across the country. But, it never took off to the older voters

19. Ralph Nader has done many things for this country. Not only has he setup, or help setup, clubs and foundations, he has written many books, and even ran for President of the United State in 2000. He is a great Arab- American and a good leader. Even though his party did not reach the plateau that he wanted, he still is considered a hero to many people.

20. Paula Abdul z Musician z Songwriter z Dancer z Actress

21. Paula Julie Abdul was born on June 19th, 1963 in San Fernando, California (5). At a young age she was in love with Gene Kelly from the 'Singing In The Rain', and as a young girl her ultimate goal was to be a successful dancer like her (5). At age nine she enrolled in dance lessons where she showed off her ability to dance and entertain (5). After graduation, she was in the 1978 movie-musical 'Junior High School’ (5). In the early 1980s Paula attended an audition to cheer for the LA Lakers, dancing was always a dream for her (5). She earned a choreographer position. In that position, she became well known and got bigger jobs. Some of the bigger jobs were with movies; 'Private School' (1983) and 'Coming To America' (1988) (5). With enough money in her pocket, she recorded a demo tape and her career took off from there.

22. In 1988 she recorded and released a single called "Knocked Out," it reached number 41(5). Her biggest single, in February 1989, “Straight Up” went to number one, as did the single "Forever Your Girl” (5). She had her third number one hit with "Cold Hearted". In February 1990 Paula had her forth number one with "Opposites Attract” (5). She will always be known to be one of few females to have four number one hits. The 'Forever Your Girl' album sold over ten million copies worldwide (5). This is when her career really took off and she was well known amongst many people in the world.

23. Big Hits - Albums released album title chart peak RIAA status 1988 forever your girl #1 7x Platinum 1990 shut up and dance #7 Platinum 1991 spellbound #1 3x Platinum 1995 head over heels #18 Gold 2000 greatest hits none none *Stats from bib number 5

24. Big Hits - Singles released single title chart peak RIAA status 1988 knocked out #41 none 1988 (it's just) the way that you love me #88 none 1988 straight up #1 platinum 1989 forever your girl #1 gold 1989 cold hearted #1 gold 1989 (it's just) the way that you love me #3 none 1989 opposites attract #1 gold 1991 rush rush #1 gold 1991 the promise of a new day #1 none 1991 blowing kisses in the wind #6 none *Many more, these were the biggest. *Stats from bib number 5

25. With her career doing very well, Paul Abdul married Emilio Estevez (5). In 1992, private things came about with her. She told the media she suffered from bulimia and checked herself into a clinic (5). She also divorced Emilo Estevez in May 1994, citing irreconcilable differences, they still are close to this day (5). In 1995, she had a come back album called ‘Head over Heels.’ It only hit 18 on the top charts, but she wanted to prove that she could still entertain (5). She has appeared in several T.V. shows, but the biggest one was in the summer of 2001. She was one of the judges for American Idol (5). It is a top show in the ratings, and Paula can spot new talent. She was on the best entertainers of her day and she will never be forgotten for what she did and how she did it.

26. Casey Kasem z Radio host z Activist z DJ z Actor

27. Best known for his Top 40 countdown, Casey Kasem has also done many other things. He was born April 27, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan (3). Casey is the the son of Lebanese Druze parents (3). He was married twice and has four children, Kerri, Michael and Julie and one child with his current wife Jean, Liberty (3). He had a normal childhood, but there was something special about him. Casey majored in speech education at Wayne State University (3). He always wanted to be on T.V. With the voice that he has, that was possible. He has done many shows throughout his career. His best known was the voice of Norville 'Shaggy' Rogers in the Scooby-Doo shows (3). He was the spokesman for many found raisers and telethons.

28. Things he has done zAnti-alcohol abuse zAnti-smoking zCharities zTelethons z "Casey's Top 40 with Casey Kasem” - debuting on July 4, 1970 z "Casey's Countdown” z "Casey's Hot 20" z "Casey's Biggest Hits” - his five minute program *Info from bib number 3.

29. Casey is also involved in many social and humanitarian causes. His interests and involvement goes a long way. They range from vegetarianism, to anti-smoking, to anti-discrimination projects (3). He has made many guest appearances and also help cohost Jerry Lewis' Labor Day Telethon since 1981 (3). In 1954, being a DJ took him to several cities. He started in Detroit then went to Cleveland, Buffalo, Oakland and ended up in Los Angeles (3). He was also inducted to the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1995 (3).

30. Conclusion As one can see, Arab-Americans have done a great amount for this country. Arab-American have been in many places, many places that I never even knew about. There have been athletes, singers, DJs, and political figures. Many other Arab-Americans have done much for this country. Others include Spencer Abraham, Paul Anka, Tony Shalhoub, Kathy Najimy, Salma Hayek, Danny Thomas, and many others (cpack 21-32). Arab- Americans are in many places across the nation. They have many skills and have shown them to the country and throughout the world. If this country can forget about all the problems we have with each other, we can see the true beauty of all cultures. There are many talented people in the world, we should try to take advantage of what we have.

31. Bibliography 1. Hassoun collections, Spring Semester 2003: IAH 211C Coursepack. 21-32. 2. Suleiman, Michael W. Arabs in America: Building a New Future. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1999. 3. http://www.infoage.org/NBHF-CaseyKasem.html3. http://www.infoage.org/NBHF-CaseyKasem.html. Visited on April 20-22, 2003. 4.http://football.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2 F%2Fmembers.aol.com%2FArgonuter%2Findex.html4.http://football.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2 F%2Fmembers.aol.com%2FArgonuter%2Findex.html. Visited on April 20-22, 2003.

32. Bib Continued 5. http://rainy.net/pabdul/pages/biography.html5. http://rainy.net/pabdul/pages/biography.html. Visited on April 19-23, 2003. 6. http://www.nader.org/6. http://www.nader.org/. Visited on April 22, 2003. 7. http://the7. http://therealdifference.com. Visited on April 22, 2003. 8. http://www.dougflutiejrfoundation.org/8. http://www.dougflutiejrfoundation.org/. Visited on April 21- 22, 2003. 9. http://www.espn.com. Visited April 17-19, 22-23, 2003.