biological son of an Arab American who was born in Homs, Syria, and studied
at the American University of Beirut.
With accolades that include CEO of the decade and person of the year, Steve
Jobs is routinely voted one of the most influential and powerful people in
the world. He catapulted Apple to the world's leading technology company
through the iPod revolution and innovations that followed such as the iPhone
and the iPad. The creative mind of Steve Jobs is often chronicled, including
his life story as the adopted child of a modest American family.
What most fail to realize is that his living biological father is of Syrian
origin. Abdul Fattah "John" Jandali emigrated to the United States in the
early 1950s to pursue his university studies. Most media outlets have
published little about Jandali, other than to say he was an outstanding
professor of political science, that he married his girlfriend (Steve's
mother) and by whom he also had a daughter, and that he slipped from view
following his separation from his wife.
An American historian, however, has now stirred controversy over the role of
genes and their superiority over nurture in the case of Steve Jobs, by
describing Jandali in a detailed critical article published briefly on the
Internet before it was suddenly removed, as "the father of invention", given
that Jandali's daughter Mona (Simpson) – Steve's sister – is also one of the
most famous contemporary American novelists and a professor at University of
California in Los Angeles (UCLA).
The 79-year-old Jandali has deliberately kept his distance from the
media.What is known about him lacks detail, and is both one-sided and a
source of curiosity at the same time. Here is his story as Jandali himself
told it to Al-Hayat.
Jandali in Syria
Abdul Fattah Jandali was born in 1931 to a traditional family in Homs,
Syria. His father did not reach university, but was a self-made millionaire
who owned "several entire villages", according to his son. His father held
complete authority over his children, authority not shared by his
traditional and "obedient" wife.
"My father was a self-made millionaire who owned extensive areas of land
which included entire villages," Jandali said. "He had a strong personality
and, in contrast to other parents in our country, my father did not reveal
his feelings towards us, but I knew that he loved me because he loved his
children and wanted them to get the best university education possible to
live a life of better opportunities than he had, because he didn't have an
education. My mother was a traditional Muslim woman who took care of the
house and me and my four sisters, but she was conservative, obedient, and a
housewife. She didn't have as important a part in our upbringing and
education as my father. Women from my generation had a secondary role in the
family structure, and the male was in control."
The American University
Jandali did not stay long in Syria. "I left for Beirut when I was 18 to
study at the American University, and I spent the best years of my life
there," he said.
He was a pan-Arabism activist, and his star soon began to shine. He headed
an intellectual and literary society which had a nationalist bent and
counted among its members symbols of the Arab nationalists' movements such
as George Habash, Constantine Zareeq, Shafiq Al-Hout and others.
"I was an activist in the student nationalist movement at that time," he
said. "We demonstrated for the independence of Algeria and spent three days
in prison. I wasn't a member of any particular party but I was a supporter
of Arab unity and Arab independence. The three and a half years I spent at
the American University in Beirut were the best days of my life. The
university campus was fantastic and I made lots of friends, some of whom I
am still in contact with. I had excellent professors, and it's where I first
got interested in law and political science."
The university's Campus Gate magazine published in its 2007 spring issue an
article by Tousef Shabal in which he says: "The Al-Urwa Al-Wuthqa
Association was founded in 1918 and dedicated to cultural and political
activities. Between 1951 and 1954 the society was headed by Abdul Fattah
Jandali, the now deceased Eli Bouri, Thabit Mahayni and Maurice Tabari. The
decision to disband the society was taken after the events of March 1954…" a
reference to the violent demonstrations that took place on the university
campus against the Baghdad Pact.
According to Shabal, the society consisted of "diverse political groups such
as Arab nationalists and communists, and competition for the managing
positions was red hot, but in the end went in favor of the Arab
nationalists."
When Jandali graduated from the American University in Beirut, Syria was
going through troubled political and economic times, according to Jandali,
and although he wanted to study law at Damascus University and become a
lawyer, his father did not agree, saying that there were "too many lawyers
in Syria".
He continued: "Then I decided to continue my higher studies in economy and
political sciences at the United States where a relative of mine, Najm
Al-Deen Al-Rifa'i, was working as a delegate of Syria to the United Nations
in New York. I studied for a year at Columbia University and then went to
Wisconsin University where I obtained grants that enabled me to earn my
master's and doctorate. I was interested in studying the philosophy of law
and analysis of law and political sciences, and I focused in my studies at
the American University on international law and the economy."
The birth of Steve and Mona
While studying in Wisconsin, Jandali met Joanne Carole Sciebele by whom he
had a boy while they were both still students, but Sciebele's father was
conservative and wouldn't agree to them getting married, so she gave her
baby boy – Steve Jobs – up for adoption.
Mona Simpson is the author of five books of fiction: My Hollywood, Off Keck
Road, A Regular Guy, The Lost Father and Anywhere But Here.Initially, a
lawyer and his wife approached, but did not proceed with adoption when they
found out the child was a boy and not a girl as they wanted. Another couple
came forward, neither of whom had gone through university education, and
adopted the newborn baby after agreeing to the mother's condition that the
child be given a university education later in life.
Abdul Fattah (who added "John" to his name) returned and married Sciebele,
and they had a daughter and named her Mona, but he then traveled to Syria –
part of the United Arab Republic at the time – intending to enter the
diplomatic corps.
The United Arab Republic
"I had two basic paths open to me after graduating," Jandali said. "Either
go back to my home country and work with the Syrian government, or stay in
the United States and in university education, and that is what I did for a
while. I went back to Syria when I got my doctorate, and I thought I'd be
able to find work in the government, but that didn't happen. I worked as a
manager at a refinery plant in my hometown of Homs for a year, during which
Syria was part of the United Arab Republic and run by the Egyptians.
Egyptian engineers, for example, ran the Ministry of Energy in Syria, and
the situation wasn't right for me, so I went back to the United States to
rejoin education there."
According to Jandali, his wife decided to break up with him while he was
away in Syria, but that didn't stop him from pursuing his academic work.
"I enjoyed university education very much, it was a rewarding profession,
but unfortunately during the sixties and seventies in the United States the
pay was very poor for academics, and in general they did not enjoy great
respect due to the prevailing belief that professors only taught because
they couldn't do anything else. That is stupid and wrong, of course. I was
an assistant professor at Michigan University then at Nevada University. I
purchased a restaurant and became interested in making money, and I gave up
academic work to run the business. After the restaurant I was a manager at
companies and organizations in Las Vegas, and then I opened two restaurants
in Reno and joined the organization that I manage today."
Jandali describes himself as an "idealist". "Any job I want to do, I try my
utmost to see it through completely or not do it at all. Academically, I was
very successful. In business management, after a couple of difficult years,
I improved. For example, now I run the organization I work in. Success in
the world of business requires you to be interested in your assistants and
staff and to have a clear vision."
80 years: No to retirement
Jandali is that rare case of a person continuing work beyond the age of
retirement, and it is something he is proud of.
"Next March I'll be in my eighties, but to look at me you'd think I was only
in my sixties because I've taken care of myself, looked after my health, and
I love work. I think retirement is the worst of western societies'
institutions. When people retire they become detached, grow old and stop
looking after themselves. Enthusiasm for life dies out and energy levels
drop, and they effectively kill themselves, even though they're still alive.
I'm not planning to retire even if I leave my position here after a year or
two. I'll dedicate myself to writing, I might write a book or two. My
daughter is a very successful novelist with five books, and I plan to move
on from my work, and I'm thinking of writing about the Arab World, perhaps a
historical narrative with analysis for the future."
But even so, Jandali has not been to Syria for over 35 years. "Not because I
don't want to, but because of the worry which affects an emigrant when he
wants to go back to his home country after so many years, and over what
might await him there. I'm thinking of visiting Lebanon and Abu Dhabi next
summer to see relatives," he said.
He doesn't hide his nostalgia. "I miss my family in Syria. When I left, my
closest relatives were still alive. I miss my culture and society and the
tight social bonds between relatives as well as the standard of living. Here
in the United States there is technological advancement and abundant
opportunities for growth and work, but it's not life itself, and while one
appreciates the individual freedoms in western societies, there are times
when you really feel that you are alone, that you don't have the moral
family support that you have in the east.
I'm not talking about one's mother or father, but the wider family,
relatives, that entity that makes you feel you are part of it, that's what I
miss most about my home country. Of course I miss the social life and
wonderful food, but the most important thing is the outstanding cultural
attributes which in general you don't find in the West.
"If I had the chance to go back in time, I wouldn't leave Syria or Lebanon
at all. I would stay in my home country my whole life. I don't say that out
of emotion but out of common sense. I think I've wasted my energies and
talents in the wrong place and in the wrong society. But that's just
theoretical talk, and what's happened has happened." So what remains of his
Syrian identity and Arabic culture after nearly 60 years in America?
"I'm a non-practicing Muslim and I haven't been on the Haj, but I believe in
Islam in doctrine and culture, and I believe in the family. I have never
experienced any problem or discrimination in the United States because of my
religion or race. Other than my accent which might sometimes suggest that I'm
from another country, I have completely integrated in society here. I advise
young Arabs coming here, however, to get a university degree and not prolong
their stay, as there are lots of opportunities in the Arab World today,
particularly in the Gulf. The good minds of the Arab world must stay there,
as they might be able to help their countries there more than they can here.
Father of invention
Responding to his being called the "father of invention", Jandali says: "My
daughter Mona is a famous writer, and my biological son is Steve Jobs, the
chief executive of Apple. The reason he was put up for adoption was because
my girlfriend's father was extremely conservative and wouldn't let her marry
me, and she decided to give him up for adoption. Steve is my biological son,
but I didn't bring him up, and he has a family that adopted him. So if it's
said that I'm the 'father of invention', then that's because my biological
son is a genius and my daughter a brilliant writer. I thank God for my
success in life, but I'm no inventor.
"I think that if my son Steve had been brought up with a Syrian name he
would have achieved the same success. He has a brilliant mind. And he didn't
finish his university studies. That's why I think he would have succeeded
whatever his background. I don't have a close relationship with him. I send
him a message on his birthday, but neither of us has made overtures to come
closer to the other. I tend to think that if he wants to spend time with me
he knows where I am and how to get hold of me.
"I also bear the responsibility for being away from my daughter when she was
four years old, as her mother divorced me when I went to Syria, but we got
back in touch after 10 years. We lost touch again when her mother moved and
I didn't know where she was, but since 10 years ago we've been in constant
contact and I see her three times a year. I organized a trip for her last
year to visit Syria and Lebanon and she went with a relative from Florida. I
always take the side of the mother because the son will always be happiest
with his mother.
I'm proud of my son and his accomplishments, and of my work. Of course I
made mistakes, and if I could go back in time I would have put some things
right. I would have been closer to my son, but all's well that ends well.
Steve Jobs is one of the most successful people in America, and Mona is a
successful academic and novelist."
On the likelihood of Steve Jobs being regarded as an "American-Arab",
Jandali says: "I don't think he pays much attention to these gene-related
things. People know that he has Syrian origins and that his father is
Syrian, that's all well-known. But he doesn't pay attention to these things.
He has his own distinctive personality and he's highly-strung. People who
are geniuses can do what they want."
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