Mvslim
You probably know or heard of at least some of these famous people. But did you know they all have Palestinian roots? Mvslim listed them for you!
Yousef Saleh Erakat
Yousef Saleh Erakat, or better known to the world as Fouseytube is a Palestinian-American YouTube personality, vlogger, comedian and prankster. He created his channel on March 21 in 2011, probably not knowing he would reach over 10 million subscribers a couple years later. Why we love Yousef? He brings us a balanced mix of funny videos, entertaining vlogs and interesting social experiments. And let’s not forget that moment he came on Fox news wearing a kefiyyeh with Palestinian pride.
DJ Khaled
DJ Khaled was born on November 26, in 1975. DJ Khaled is a hip hop DJ and producer, born and raised in Louisiana, New Orleans but has Palestinian roots. Besides being succesful in the music industry, he can also be named the King of Snapchat. It’s all thanks to DJ Khaled everybody now knows the keys to success.
Jelena Noura Hadid
Jelena Noura Hadid, or better known as Gigi Hadid, is a 20-year old supermodel. Her father is Mohamed Hadid, a Palestinian real estate developer. Gigi Hadid shared a picture not so long ago of some henna tattoos and proudly highlighted her culture and background by writing: ‘Check out the last name. Hadid. Palestinian and proud of it.’
Dean Obeidallah
Dean Obeidallah was born on December 1969 in New Jersey. His mother is Italian, his father Palestinian. Dean is a comedian and also co-founder and co-executive producer of the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival. He has appeared on Al Jazeera, CNN’s ‘Inside the Middle East’, Fox News Radio and several other programs. He also has publications in The New York Times, Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times and Time Magazine. Besides performing in the US, Dean also shares his comedy in the Middle East, performing in cities like Haifa and Ramallah.
Mohammed Assaf
Mohammed Assaf was born on September 1 in 1989. He grew up in the Khan Younis refugee camp in Gaza after his family moved from Misrata, Libya at the age of 4. In 2013, Assaf became the winner of Arab idols and his victory was celebrated in the entire Arab world. For his audition Assaf traveled 2 days from Palestine to Egypt, facing some complications and difficulties at the Egyptian border. During the contest Assaf sang patriotic songs, such as ‘Ya Tayer el Tayer’ (Oh bird in flight), which were a tribute to the beautiful cities of Palestine and a reminder about the suffering of his people and the Palestinian cause.
Queen Rania
Rania al Yassin was born on August 31, 1970 in Kuwait. Her parents Faisal Sedki al-Yassin and Ilham Yassin are from Palestine. Because of the first Gulf War, Rania’s family had to flee to Amman, Jordan. At a dinner party she met Abdullah bin al-Hussein, now the King of Jordan. A half year later they got married and she became one of the most visible and important first ladies in the Arab world. She plays an active role in promoting education and youth, highlighting the importance of women’s leadership and speaking up for refugees.
Mahmoud Darwish
We saved you the best for last. Mahmoud Darwish was born on 13 March 1941, in Al-Birwah, Galilee, a small village that was occupied and later demolished by Israel. Mahmoud Darwish was not just a Palestinian poet but one of the most celebrated and leading artists of the Arab world. In his life, Darwish faced oppression, witnessed brutal sieges, was placed under house arrest and lived years in exile. He was known for giving a voice to the struggle of his people, the illegal occupation and land confiscation. His work symbolizes the Palestinian resistance. Mahmoud died on August 9, 2008 in Houston, Texas but was laid to rest in Ramallah, Palestine.
