Morad Fareed
Encyclopedia
Morad Fareed is a Palestinian-American entrepreneur and soccer player who was a member of the first Palestinian national soccer team
, and is well known for his prominent role in the 2006 documentary Goal Dreams. He currently lives between Manhattan, New York, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Fareed was born in 1979 in Long Island
, New York
to Palestinian
parents originally from the West Bank
. He attended New York University
from 1997 to 2001, earning a B.A.
in economics
, and played on the men's soccer team all four years. He received his team's MVP award during his freshman and senior seasons, and served as team captain for three years. He also earned All Conference honors, the Arthur Ashe Award for Athletics, and was an Academic All-American. While a student, Fareed began a two-year internship at Goldman Sachs & Co.
After graduating, he went into business, establishing first a successful telecommunications firm with his father in Manhattan
, and later founding a real estate investment firm, Fareed Capital.
In 2004, Fareed took a break from his professional career to join the first Palestinian national soccer team in its quest to qualify for the 2006 World Cup
. Although Palestine did not qualify for the World Cup, Fareed earned three "caps", honors awarded by FIFA
, for his work on the team. He also appeared prominently in the 2006 film Goal Dreams, a documentary directed by Maya Sanbar and Jeffrey Saunders that follows the Palestinian
national team on their quest to qualify for the World Cup. The film was aired on The Sundance Channel and became an official selection at numerous film festivals, including the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam, the Thessaloniki Film Festival, the International Humans Rights Film Festival, and was named to Amnesty International’s Top 10 Movies that Matter. He featured prominently in two other soccer documentaries, including the BBC’s Frontline Football: Palestine vs. Iraq as well as Nike's Soccer NYC.
Fareed has since worked on becoming an ambassador for Palestinian youth and on his career as a real estate developer. He served as an ambassador for FIFA’s Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football campaign, and began a speaking tour of North America and the UK, highlighting the importance of encouraging Palestinian athletics. Fareed is a member of several non-profit groups including Soccer For Peace, Seeds of Peace, and FC Unity and sponsors local soccer teams in Palestine. He is currently the Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Delos Living, a Dubai-based real estate development company.
Palestine national football team
The Palestine national football team is the national team of the Palestinian Football Association, representing the Palestinian National Authority.The Palestine Football Federation was founded in 1952...
, and is well known for his prominent role in the 2006 documentary Goal Dreams. He currently lives between Manhattan, New York, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Fareed was born in 1979 in Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
parents originally from the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
. He attended New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
from 1997 to 2001, earning a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, and played on the men's soccer team all four years. He received his team's MVP award during his freshman and senior seasons, and served as team captain for three years. He also earned All Conference honors, the Arthur Ashe Award for Athletics, and was an Academic All-American. While a student, Fareed began a two-year internship at Goldman Sachs & Co.
After graduating, he went into business, establishing first a successful telecommunications firm with his father in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, and later founding a real estate investment firm, Fareed Capital.
In 2004, Fareed took a break from his professional career to join the first Palestinian national soccer team in its quest to qualify for the 2006 World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
. Although Palestine did not qualify for the World Cup, Fareed earned three "caps", honors awarded by FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
, for his work on the team. He also appeared prominently in the 2006 film Goal Dreams, a documentary directed by Maya Sanbar and Jeffrey Saunders that follows the Palestinian
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
national team on their quest to qualify for the World Cup. The film was aired on The Sundance Channel and became an official selection at numerous film festivals, including the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam, the Thessaloniki Film Festival, the International Humans Rights Film Festival, and was named to Amnesty International’s Top 10 Movies that Matter. He featured prominently in two other soccer documentaries, including the BBC’s Frontline Football: Palestine vs. Iraq as well as Nike's Soccer NYC.
Fareed has since worked on becoming an ambassador for Palestinian youth and on his career as a real estate developer. He served as an ambassador for FIFA’s Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football campaign, and began a speaking tour of North America and the UK, highlighting the importance of encouraging Palestinian athletics. Fareed is a member of several non-profit groups including Soccer For Peace, Seeds of Peace, and FC Unity and sponsors local soccer teams in Palestine. He is currently the Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Delos Living, a Dubai-based real estate development company.