Farouk Shami is a Palestinian-American entrepreneur and founder of hair and spa care products company, Farouk Systems located in Texas. He was born in Beit Ur al-Tahta, a village near Ramallah, Palestine. In 2009, Shami ran for the election of Texas governor in 2010.
Video Farouk Shami
Entrepreneur
Shami has worked for decades in the field of hair care product development, and attended a cosmetology school in Arkansas. He created the first ammonia-free hair color, after developing an allergy to chemicals that initially encouraged doctors to encourage him to leave his profession.
His company, Houston-based Farouk Systems, currently employs over 600 people in the US, and exports hair and skin care products under the BioSilk, SunGlitz and Cationic Hydration Interlink (CHI) brands to more than 106 countries worldwide.
On May 1, 2011, Shami made an appearance on The Celebrity Apprentice , when the event contestants were given a project in which they promoted Farouk Systems products. She appeared again in the fourth episode of All Star Celebrity Apprentice.
Maps Farouk Shami
Controversy as governor candidate
On 19 November 2009, Shami announced he was running for Texas governor as a Democrat. During his campaign, he stated that he was not a member of a particular organized religion, but said that he had a deep personal relationship with God and that he felt a 'religious pull' in deciding to run for public office. Shami lost to former Mayor Bill White in the Primary Democrats with more than 60% margin.
Shami has had a controversial moment on the campaign trail. Especially, when asked if he believed there was a possibility the US government was involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks, Shami stated that he was "not sure" if the US government was behind the bombing or not. After being given the opportunity to clarify his statement, Shami again declared that the jury had gone out and refused to rule out the possibility. In the same interview with Dallas radio station, Shami stated that he mostly hired Blacks and Hispanics because he did not believe that white people wanted to work on the factory floor. He stated that whites would want a supervisory position or want to be paid more than their peers.
Shami is a member of the American Task Force council in Palestine, he resigned in 2010.
Relationship with Donald Trump
Shami describes himself as a "Trump friend for 12 years" and has a long business relationship with Donald Trump through the Miss USA/Miss Universe and Celebrity Apprentice contests. Donald Trump is also famous for using CHI Helmet Head product from Farouk System. In June 2015, Farouk Systems drew the sponsor of Miss USA contest ads for Donald Trump's anti-Hispanic comments, even though Farouk System products continued to be used by contestants at the event. In December 2015, Farouk Systems returned as an event sponsor.
References
External links
- Farouk Shami's Profile at Institute for Middle East Understanding
- "Color of success" Houston Business Journal , 3 May 2002
- the Farouk Systems Group website
- An interview with Farouk Shami
- Campaign Site
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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