The Dubai Stars is a project by Burj Khalifa developer, Emaar, where 10,000 stars will stretch along the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard in Downtown Dubai to pay tribute to eminent personalities who have influenced the world through their work in different fields including the arts, sports, science, and many more.
The project is set to be launched with its first 400 stars in October of this year in an event to be attended by celebrities that were chosen by the public! The first to be announced was the Lebanese Fashion Designer, Elie Saab.
Shortly after, Bollywood Mega Star Shah Rukh Khan was also added to the list. Shifting to sports, legendary footballer Lionel Messi was also announced to have his very own star. We now also know that Saudi singer Abdul Majeed Abdullah, Indian cricketeer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and Lebanese poet Gibran Kahlil Gibran will also have their stars.
Till now the list mostly consists but is not limited to Arabs. People from all over the world can nominate whomever they think is influential enough to deserve his/her own star. Here is a list of people that definitely deserve their own Dubai Stars!
Rami Malek
The American actor with Egyptian roots, Rami Malek, made the entire Arab World proud when he won his first Best Actor Oscar for his role as the late Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. He also proved to be an incredibly talented actor with his role as Elliot in the hit TV series Mr. Robot.
Raneem El Welily
Another person who definitely deserves a Dubai Star for making Arabs proud is Raneem El Welily! The Egyptian squash player is currently ranked as the number one squash player in the world. She was also the first ever Arab to reach world number one ranking in a sport.
Mohamed Salah
Mo Salah, the Egyptian King, is currently considered as one of the best football players in the world. He plays in the English Premier League for Liverpool FC and on the international stage for Egypt’s national team. He has several awards including the FIFA Puskas Award, the African Player of the Year Award, Premier League Golden Boot, and was recognized as African football’s most promising talent of the year back in 2012.
Maysoon Zayid
Maysoon Zayid is an American writer, actress, and comedian of Palestinian descent. She is one of the first American Muslim women comedians and is the founder of the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival. She’s also one of the first ever to perform standup comedy in Palestine and Jordan.
Sama
DJ Sama is one of the main pillars of the thriving techno scene in Palestine. She is considered as the first Palestinian DJ and electronic music producer. Her set with Boiler Room Palestine garnered over 2.5 million views on YouTube.
Nadine Labaki
Nadine Labaki is a Lebanese actress and director who directed the amazing feature-length film Capernaum. The movie was nominated for both an Oscar in the category of Best Foreign Language Film and the Palm d’Or Cannes
Ilhan Omar
From refugee
