Confirmed: Miss USA Rima Fakih first Arab-American winner

Written by NIRAJ WARIKOO

Thursday, 20 May 2010 00:56

It is indeed true that Rima Fakih is the first open Arab-American to win Miss USA.

False claims on blogs, Wikipedia, and even some mainstream media outlets have asserted -- without any reporting -- that Miss USA 1983, Julie Hayek, was an Arab-American with roots in Lebanon.

But Hayek says that is not true.

Contacted by the Free Press, Miss USA 1983 said that she has no ancestry in the Arab world at all and is not Arab-American.

"I am not Arabic," Hayek told the Free Press on Wednesday. "I am Czech. Hayek is of Czech descent."

After Fakih's win Sunday, some bloggers, Wikipedia, and newspapers claimed this week, without offering any evidence, sources, or reporting, that Hayek's father was Lebanese. The falsehood circulated around the world, with other reporters and people picking up on the idea that Hayek was Arab-American and Lebanese-American.

But Hayek told the Free Press that the claims were totally inaccurate.

"My father is not Lebanese," Hayek said. "He is half Czech and half German."

Hayek added: "Thanks for asking."

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