In September 2025, Osama Siblani came into renewed spotlight—Dearborn and Wayne County just honored him by naming part of Warren Avenue after him, a milestone for Osama Siblani, Dearborn, Michigan, where he has lived and worked for decades.
For more than 40 years, Siblani has quietly built one of the most enduring voices for Arab Americans: a bilingual weekly paper in Arabic and English, founded in 1984, that bridges stories from the homeland with life in the United States.
That recent street-naming makes his story viral again—social media posts are celebrating how an immigrant came with little, built a media institution, challenged media biases, and became a community leader. It’s not just nostalgia; it’s timely in discussions about media diversity, immigrant contributions, and representation in local politics.
Osama Siblani’s Roots: Family, Culture & Lebanese American Background
Born in 1955, Beirut, Lebanon, the Lebanese American journalist moved to Michigan in 1976, where he would later become the founder of the Arab American News. He emigrated to the United States during a turbulent period in Lebanon’s history to pursue higher education.
He completed a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Detroit (now University of Detroit Mercy) in 1979. Before launching his newspaper, he worked in import-export trade: from 1980 until 1984, he was Vice President of Energy International, Inc., a firm dealing with Middle Eastern trade.
The decisive spark came in 1982, after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Siblani felt mainstream American media covered the events with what he believed was bias or a missing perspective. Living among a growing Arab American community in Metropolitan Detroit (especially in Dearborn), he saw the need for a publication that would tell stories his community wasn’t hearing or that weren’t being told fairly.
Cultural identity was central. He grew up in Lebanon, where the national narrative, regional politics, sectarian divides, war and peace, displacement—all of that was part of his upbringing. The sense of having lost something (home, stability, knowing one’s story) seems to have coloured his later work.
Inside Osama Siblani’s Private Life in Dearborn, Michigan
70-year-old Osama Siblani tends to keep much of his personal life private in public records. What is known: he is married to a woman named Raja, who has been part of his life through much of his work. At the recent Warren Avenue naming ceremony, she spoke publicly about the sacrifices the family made.
He has children, though details about them are sparse in public reporting. Few verified interviews go deeply into his home life. He balances a rigorous schedule as publisher and community leader, with personal cost. At public events, he often acknowledges that his family—spouse and children—have absorbed difficult moments: delayed weekends, long hours, media scrutiny, political controversy.
In 2025, much of his daily life revolves around the operations of The Arab American News, attending community functions, advocating for Arab American representation, meeting with political and civic leaders, and engaging with U.S. media when issues affecting his community reach national headlines. His home remains in Michigan, in the Dearborn area, where he has lived since coming to America.
How Osama Siblani Built His Career: From Engineer to Arab American News Founder
Siblani came in 1976, got his degree by 1979, and worked for a few years in business until 1984. The turning point came that year—On September 7, 1984, he published the first issue of The Arab American News, now recognized as the oldest Arab American newspaper USA still in print.”
He left his vice-president post at Energy International to run the newspaper full-time. The early years were tough: financial constraints, limited advertising, incomplete infrastructure, and the challenge of reaching readers, both Arabic-speakers and those more comfortable in English. But because there were few alternatives, his voice filled a gap. He presented articles in both languages, infused with political, cultural, and civil rights concerns.
Over time, the Arab American News grew. It became a platform for opinion, analysis, news from the Arab world, local community affairs, and advocacy. Siblani’s reputation as a media interlocutor grew: interviewed by national and international news outlets, called upon in moments of crises impacting the Arab world or Arab Americans.
In recent years, including 2025, one of his major public moments was the naming of Warren Avenue after him—an acknowledgment by local government of how much he has done for civic life in Dearborn and Wayne County.
He also holds leadership roles in community organizations: founding or co-founding groups like the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC), Congress of Arab American Organizations (CAAO), and serving on boards such as Garden City Hospital, among others.
“He has earned multiple Osama Siblani journalism awards, including the ‘Spirit of Diversity in Journalism’ in 2010, and in 2013 he joined the Osama Siblani Michigan Hall of Fame list of inductees.
Osama Siblani Net Worth & Income 2025: Arab American News Founder
There is no public disclosure of Siblani’s net worth or complete income streams as of 2025. Sources like his own newspaper’s “About the Publisher” page and other interviews don’t publish hard numbers.
What can be inferred (carefully) is that his income likely comes from:
Advertising and subscription revenue of The Arab American News, which has served the Arab American community for over four decades, has a stable readership base.
Speaking engagements, media appearances, and possibly paid lectures at universities or community events (since he is often asked to comment on U.S.-Arab relations, ethnic media, etc.).
Leadership roles in community institutions (though whether those carry remuneration or are voluntary is not fully clear).
Given all this, his lifestyle is seen as modest relative to major media moguls. He invests much into the newspaper and community efforts rather than flashy personal ostentation. The 2025 street-naming event in Dearborn, for instance, featured community leaders emphasizing his sacrifices.
Thus, any number thrown around (in less-reliable sources) would be speculative. A responsible estimation would say he is well-established, comfortably stable, but not part of billionaire-style media wealth.
Fast Facts About Osama Siblani: Arab American News Founder in Dearborn
Osama Siblani came to the U.S. in 1976 with the intention to study, not to immediately start a newspaper.
His engineering degree often surprises people, given his prominence today in journalism and activism.
The destruction of his family home in Beirut during the 1982 conflict weighed heavily on him—he has said it made the media bias feel personal, fueling his resolve.
He is the first from an ethnic media outlet (in Michigan) to be inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame.
His newspaper, The Arab American News, is the oldest running bilingual weekly (Arabic/English) for Arab Americans in the U.S., founded in 1984.
Beyond publishing, he is often described as an Arab American community leader in Michigan, advocating for civil rights and political representation.
FAQ About Osama Siblani: Arab American News Founder
Q: Who is Osama Siblani?
A: Osama Siblani is a Lebanese American journalist and the founder of The Arab American News, the oldest bilingual Arab newspaper in the United States. He has been a key figure in the Michigan Arab American community and a media pioneer since 1984.
Q: Where is Osama Siblani originally from?
A: He was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1955.
Q: When did he start The Arab American News?
A: He founded it on September 7, 1984.
Q: Why is he a prominent figure in Arab American media?
A: Because for decades he has provided bilingual reporting, advocacy, analysis, and a platform for Arab American voices at times when few existed. Also, because he has been active politically and civically, co-founded community organizations.
Q: Has the U.S. government honored him or recognized his work officially?
A: Yes. Among honors, he was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame in April 2013. In 2025, Wayne County named a section of Warren Avenue in Dearborn after him, now known as Warren Avenue Dearborn Osama Siblani, highlighting his decades of civic impact.
Q: Does Osama Siblani have a public net worth figure?
A: No publicly verified net worth has been disclosed. Estimates exist in less-reliable sources, but they are not confirmed.
Q: What issues does he often speak about?
A: He regularly speaks about Arab and Arab American civil rights, media bias, U.S. foreign policy toward the Arab world, Palestinian rights, and issues of representation.
Q: Does Osama Siblani have a Wikipedia page
A: As of 2025, Osama Siblani does not have a dedicated Wikipedia page. Most verified information about him is available through news sources, interviews, and The Arab American News' official website.