December 6, 2011, - 9:02 am

Steve Jobs, In His Own Words, On (NOT) Being an Arab, Muslim

By Debbie Schlussel

The night Apple founder Steve Jobs died, and before all the also-rans, imitators, and rip-off artists copied me, I wrote the definitive column on the “Steve Jobs is a Muslim Arab” BS.  In it, I noted that Jobs never identified as either a Muslim or Arab and succeeded because he was adopted out of that lifestyle and background.  And Jobs, in his own words, agreed.

From page 258 of Walter Isaacson’s “Steve Jobs“:

Simpson [DS: Jobs’ biological sister, author Mona Simpson] assumed that Jobs would eventually meet Jandali [DS: his biological father, Abdulfattah “John” Jandali, a Syrian Muslim who is now married to his fourth wife], but as time went on he showed even less interest. In 2010, when Jobs and his son, Reed, went to a birthday dinner for Simpson at her Los Angeles house, Reed spent some time looking at pictures of his biological grandfather, but Jobs ignored them. Nor did he seem to care about his Syrian heritage. When the Middle East would come up in conversation, the topic did not engage him or evoke his typical strong opinions, even after Syria was swept up in the Arab Spring uprisings. “I don’t think anybody really knows what we should be doing over there,” he said when I asked whether the Obama administration should be intervening more in Egypt, Libya, and Syria. “You’re f-cked if you do and you’re f-cked if you don’t.”

(Emphasis and dashes in f-words added by me.)

Well, he was wrong about the second part. Just look at the predictable (and I and many others predicted it) Muslim Brotherhood victories in the Egyptian elections and the Al-Qaeda takeover (as I predicted) in Libya, etc.

Sorry, Steve, but you should have left it at, simply, “You’re f-cked if you do.” And since we did, we definitely are.




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20 Responses

He was right – either way, we got screwed. And we were. People don’t want to see it yet.

And Steve Jobs didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who was consumed by politics.

He lived and led a different life and the effects of his genius are only beginning to be felt.

That’s more than you can say for the mediocre politicians that are the bane of our present day world.

Steve Jobs will be sadly missed.

NormanF on December 6, 2011 at 9:32 am

I was weeks on the “wait list” for my copy through the DC Library, but I got it yesterday and I’m just starting it. But here’s what it says on page 5:

He would later bristle whenever anyone referred to Paul and Clara Jobs as his “adoptive” parents or implied that they were not his “real” parents. “They were my parents 1000%,” he said. When speaking about his biological parents, on the other hand, he was curt: “They were my sperm and egg bank. That’s not harsh, it’s just the way it was, a sperm bank thing, nothing more.”

So much for the “Jobs was a Syrian/Arab Muslim” nonsense.

Raymond in DC on December 6, 2011 at 12:02 pm

“I noted that Jobs never identified as either a Muslim or Arab and succeeded because he was adopted out of that lifestyle and background.”

From what I understand, his biological father doesn’t seem to identify much as one either. If Jobs had not been put up for adoption, I don’t think he would have wound up a terrorist, but there’s a good chance he would have started out as a blackjack dealer, and gone on to invent all sorts of internet devices that are even more efficient at roping people into online gambling.

Irving on December 6, 2011 at 12:04 pm

I find it interesting that the most inventive and innovative Arab-heritage business owner in recent history was NOT raised in the Arabic traditions.

LindaF on December 6, 2011 at 6:16 pm

    You would see something similar with so called “Islamic Science”. The individuals cited by Muslims frequently were not deemed to be “Good Muslims” during their lives. When you have Islamic groups retroactively adopting them, it is opportunism. In fact, Islam is backward looking and reactionary. This is what you would expect of a tribal and sectarian faith that never really evolved past that except superficially.

    worry01 on December 6, 2011 at 6:45 pm

Actually, he was at least partly right about the ‘f–ked if you don’t’. If we simply allowed the greater numbers to overrun things, as has happened in Egypt & Libya, one side quickly wins and is free to take on the Infidels either @ home or abroad. But adapt a strategy to prevent the losing side from getting eliminated and keep fanning the civil wars – prevent either side from prevailing, and the jihadi threats would be eliminated. E.g. It was wrong to totally secure Kurdistan – the Kurds should have been left in a permanent war w/ their neighbors, so that they couldn’t persecute the Assyrian Christians in their territory later.

Also, Muslims don’t believe in adoption, so Jobs describing Paul & Clara as his real parents buttresses his non-Muslim credentials even more.

Infidel on December 6, 2011 at 11:41 pm

    So much for democracy, or for trying to make the world safe for business. You are indeed an infidel. Jesus would certainly reject you, for sowing hatred and war. How evil and corrupted you are.

    scottindallas on December 7, 2011 at 9:54 am

If I read carefully, Steve Jobs never mentioned Islam as his belief. In fact he was more of a Buddhist or Hinduist especially during the turbulent 1960’s where he was into the LSD trips.

Mario on December 7, 2011 at 1:50 am

Who cares? Muslims will live happily ever after..

Mohamad on December 7, 2011 at 9:24 am

Scott, you really are a scumbag and a total buffoon. Where in Infidel’s (Pride) message he called for war and typed out hatred? I didn’t see anything like that in his message, or did I miss something?

Scott, just go away, far away, because you give internet trolls a horrible name and a terrible reputation with you’re own stupidity, demagoguery, idiocy, ignorance, etc. And quit using the son of man’s name (Jesus), he would be ashamed of you for you’re unhinged lunacy on community message boards on cyberspace! And BTW, Debbie, ban and block this “scottindallas” thing, this thing is doing nothing but libeling, defaming and trashing you’re character and reputation

“A nation is defined by its borders, language & culture!”

Sean R. on December 7, 2011 at 10:56 am

so why is it you keep telling us how obama is a muslim,if steve Jobs was not.

kay on December 7, 2011 at 3:34 pm

Kay, according to islamic law/sharia law, Barack Hussein Obama is a muslim, his late father was a muslim. And since Obama is now considered a christian, that’s his business, and I could careless about it. Yes Mr. Jobs’ father is a muslim, but he’s more of a secular-muslim who doesn’t follow all the teachings in islam (in other words, the man is NOT devout), and Steve Jobs was a buddhist before he passed away a few months ago, he didn’t give a rat’s-tail about islam!

“A naiton is defined by its borders, language & culture!”

Sean R. on December 7, 2011 at 5:14 pm

Sean

Thanks for backing me up on Scott.

On the difference b/w Jobs & Obama, Jobs’ parents were Paul & Clara – they were not Muslims, and Jandali’s identity had nothing to do w/ Steve’s. But whether their fathers were fanatical Muslims or not is besides the point – I’ve read nothing to suggest that Obama’s father was, even though his cousin is a jihadist in Kenya. But Obama was not adopted out to a non-Muslim – his father was very much Muslim. Actually, like you, I don’t care (nor know) whether Obama is Muslim or not, but even assuming that he ain’t one, the policies that he follows ain’t any different from what they would be had he actually been a Muslim. Jobs, otoh, as you point out, had embraced Buddhism.

Infidel on December 8, 2011 at 12:35 am

his Arab father was a genius. So its a given he could come up with great digital ideas

Protestants are False on December 3, 2013 at 1:46 pm

interesting, how come a son doesnt even interested in meeting with his own biological father??, what kind of son is he?, SHAME ON YOU STEVE!

more people dead in the name of christianity on February 12, 2014 at 9:42 am

So much for family values

RealConservative on June 28, 2014 at 10:01 pm

Steve Jobs was a tremendous innovator, his race or religion is totally irrelevant, all that matters is that he turned Apple into the business it is today and in my view he truly defines the American dream

Re Obama being a Muslim… he isn’t, the best thing Obama did was to totally sideline and ignore that “genius” Mccain and his moronic cronies, if we’d followed Mccain 2012 we’d be stuck in pig shit in Syria trying to defeat terrorists that Mccain was so ready to arm. The current policy of using drones in Pakistan and Yemen is prudent and intelligent, not going into Syria and Iraq is smart. American troops should be there to defend America, I never want to see an American life lost because a bunch of Arabs who worship a magic fairy in the sky decided they can’t live peacefully

NotLeftNotRight on July 23, 2014 at 4:56 pm

Steve Jobs , inherited his skills from his Arab father, since his father with professor and business man

Ahmed Aziz on August 30, 2015 at 1:09 pm

So, if someone doesn’t support Al-Qaeda, it means he is not a moslem. What kind of logic is that??? Saul logic??

Saul the Crazy Man on the Clift on February 5, 2016 at 1:34 pm

I’m waiting for your saul response and cocky atheist logic

Saul the Crazy Man on the Clift on February 5, 2016 at 1:35 pm

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