Petrofac honours legacy of Maroun Semaan

Lebanese philanthropist and entrepreneur Maroun Semaan was posthumously honored for his significant contributions to the advancement of education at the AMIDEAST Award Gala.https://anca.org/amideast-to-celebrate-education-hero-maroun-semaan/

PETROFAC’S president, executive director and co-founder Maroun Semaan has decided to retire after 22 years with the oil and gas service provider.Semaan joined the group in 1991 and joined the board in 2002.

He played a key role in the group’s listing as a public company back in 2005 and held a number of c-level executive positions since then.Semaan steps down at the end of the year and it is understood that the president role – which was essentially created for him – will not be filled with another candidate.“I will leave the business confident in its future prospects to deliver strong, sustainable growth over the long-term, and on my part intend to remain a long term shareholder,” said Semaan.“Since we co-founded Petrofac in 1991 the business has enjoyed tremendous growth,” said group chief executive Ayman Asfari.

“Much of that growth is directly attributable to Maroun.”

February 21, 1965: In New York City, Malcolm X, an African American nationalist and religious leader, is assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights.Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1925, Malcolm was the son of James Earl Little, a Baptist preacher who advocated the black nationalist ideals of Marcus Garvey.

Threats from the Ku Klux Klan forced the family to move to Lansing, Michigan, where his father continued to preach his controversial sermons despite continuing threats.

In 1937, Malcolm was taken from his family by welfare caseworkers.

By the time he reached high school age, he had dropped out of school and moved to Boston, where he became increasingly involved in criminal activities.In 1946, at the age of 21, Malcolm was sent to prison on a burglary conviction.

It was there he encountered the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam, whose members are popularly known as Black Muslims.

The Nation of Islam advocated black nationalism and racial separatism and condemned Americans of European descent as immoral “devils.” Muhammad’s teachings had a strong effect on Malcolm, who entered into an intense program of self-education and took the last name “X” to symbolize his stolen African identity.After six years, Malcolm was released from prison and became a loyal and effective minister of the Nation of Islam in Harlem, New York.