List of Iraqi Americans

This is a list of notable Iraqi Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.

Academia/science

• Elias Alsabti, plagiarist medical researcher and Pennsylvania medical licensed
• Sinan Antoon, academic, writer, filmmaker
• Hind Rassam Culhane, professor
• Rafil A. Dhafir, physician
• Mona Hanna-Attisha, pediatrician, professor, Flint Water Crisis whistleblower and public health advocate
• Khidir Hamza, scientist and fraudulent
• Emanuel Kamber, physics professor at Western Michigan University
• Abraham Karem, designer of fixed and rotary-wing unmanned aircraft, regarded as the founding father of drone technology
• Majid Khadduri, academic and founder of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies Middle East Studies program
• Jessica Meir, NASA astronaut, marine biologist, and physiologist
• Thomas L. Saaty, Assyrian-Iraqi professor at the University of Pittsburgh
• Nada Shabout, art historian and Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]}
• Ella Shohat, professor, author and activist
• Saadi Simawe, translator, novelist and teacher
• Donny George Youkhanna, archaeologist, anthropologist, author, curator, and scholar, and visiting professor at Stony Brook University in New York

Activists

• Faisal Saeed Al Mutar, human rights activist and social entrepreneur^[8]
• Amir Ashour, LGBT Rights activist

Actors

• Yasmine Hanani, actress known for her role in Voices of Iraq and The Kingdom
• Nicholas Kadi, actor^[9]
• Chris Kattan, comedian and actor; best known for his work on Saturday Night Live; paternal grandfather was of Iraqi Jewish descent
• Jemima Kirke, artist, actress and director
• Lola Kirke, actress and singer-songwriter
• Michael Nouri, actor; father is from Iraq
• Heather Raffo, award-winning playwright/actress most known for her role in 9 Parts of Desire
• Basam Ridha, actor
• Alia Shawkat, actress known as Maeby Fünke on Arrested Development, father is from Iraq

Architecture

• Hisham N. Ashkouri, architect

Artists

• M. J. Alhabeeb, calligrapher
• Sama Raena Alshaibi, artist
• Halla Ayla, artist^[10]
• Zigi Ben-Haim, painter and sculptor
• Wafaa Bilal, artist and professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
• Hayv Kahraman, artist/painter
• Toba Khedoori, artist

Business

• Efrem Harkham, hotelier and philanthropist
• David Hindawi, software entrepreneur, co-founder of cybersecurity firm Tanium
• Huda Kattan, CEO of Huda Beauty
• Shakir al Khafaji, businessman
• Moishe Mana, businessman and real estate developer
• Selim Zilkha, entrepreneur
• Alina Habba, Donald Trump's personal attorney

Comedians

• Brian Awadis, also known as FaZe Rug
• Remy Munasifi, also known as GoRemy

Directors

• Usama Alshaibi, filmmaker
• Carole Basri, filmmaker
• Ali Hossaini, filmmaker, philosopher and pacifist
• Anisa Mehdi, Emmy Award-winning film director and journalist

Military

• Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie, soldier
• Ahmed K. Altaie, Specialist in the United States Army, killed in Iraq

Models

• Amy Fadhli, fitness model, actress and winner of the Fitness America National Champion 1996

Musicians

• Hanan Alattar, soprano opera singer
• Rahim AlHaj, musician and composer
• Ahmed El Faleh, singer who participated in Super Star 3, the pan-Arabic version of Pop Idol
• Amir ElSaffar, musician and younger brother of Dena
• Sargon Gabriel, Assyrian singer
• Juliana Jendo, Assyrian singer
• Chemda Khalili, singer-songwriter and co-host of the Keith and The Girl podcast
• Stephan Said, musician, writer and political activist
• Ashur Bet Sargis, Assyrian singer
• Janan Sawa, Assyrian musician^[11]
• TIMZ, rapper

Politics

• Rend al-Rahim Francke, politician, political activist and once held the position as Iraqi ambassador to the United States
• Ayham al-Samarie, politician
• Adam Benjamin, Jr., Assyrian-Iraqi, Indiana Congressman
• Wadie Deddeh, Assyrian assemblyman and California State Senator
• Anna Eshoo, Assyrian-Iraqi, California Congressman
• John Nimrod, Assyrian-Iraqi, Illinois Senator
• Qubad Talabani, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) representative in Washington DC and son of Iraqi president Jalal Talabani

Sports

• Alex Agase, Assyrian-American, American football (Gridiron) player
• Lou Agase, Assyrian-American, American football (Gridiron) player
• Najah Ali, boxer
• Steven Beitashour, Assyrian who played in Major League Soccer
• Falah Hassan, footballer
• Justin Meram, Assyrian U.S. based soccer player^[12]
• Michael Shabaz, Assyrian American tennis player

Writers and journalists

• Lorraine Ali, reporter, editor, culture writer and music critic for Newsweek^[13]
• Ibrahim al-Marashi, academic plagiarized by the British government
• Alise Alousi, poet^[14]
• Sinan Antoon, poet, novelist and translator^[15]
• Leila Barclay, American journalist and storyteller
• Alon Ben-Meir, professor, writer and is the Middle East Project director at the World Policy Institute
• Sargon Boulus, Assyrian-Iraqi
• Abdul Ameer Yousef Habeeb, journalist
• Jack Marshall (author), poet and author
• Dunya Mikhail, poet
• Armand Nassery, author and filmmaker
• Greg Patent, author (born in Hong Kong to a Russian father and Iraqi mother)^[16]
• Daniel Pearl, journalist (kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan)
• Ayad Rahim, journalist
• Mahmoud Saeed, Iraqi novelist^[17]
• Zainab Salbi, writer, activist, co-founder and president of Women for Women International
• Cindy Sargon, Assyrian-Iraqi TV chef
• Anita Sarkeesian, Canadian-American feminist media critic and public speaker. Her parents are Armenians from Iraq who emigrated to Canada in the 1970s
• Rachel Wahba, writer
• Thura Al Windawi, author
• Obelit Yadgar, Assyrian-Iraqi-Radio Glendale, Wisconsin

Other

• Husham Al-Husainy, Sheikh of the Karbala Islamic Education Center
• Noor Almaleki, honor killing victim
• Hassan Al-Qazwini, religious leader
• Mohammed Odeh al-Rehaief, attorney who helped the United States armed forces rescue Jessica Lynch from Iraq
• Aban Elias, civil engineer (held hostage and has not been heard from)
• Samir Gegea, Iraqi interpreter who captured Saddam Hussein
• Jumana Hanna, involved in war propaganda
• Farris Hassan
• Steven Menashi, lawyer who serves as a US judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• Michael Mizrachi, professional poker player (Iraqi Jewish father)
• Robert Mizrachi, professional poker player and older brother of Michael Mizrachi
• Mohammad Munaf, terrorist
• Samuel Nalo, businessman, hijacker, burglar, and brother of Robert
• Nadya Suleman, gave birth to octuplets in January 2008
• Abdul Rahman Yasin, suspected terrorist

See also

• List of Iraqis