Sam Khalifa

Sam Khalifa (born December 5, 1963 in Fontana, California, USA), is a former Major League Baseball player. The seventh overall pick in the 1982 June draft. He played 164 games across three seasons in the majors, most as a shortstop and all as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. His primary historical importance arises from his status as the first person of Egyptian descent to play major league baseball, making him the "Egyptian Jackie Robinson.". He ended his career with a .219 batting average, a .294 on base percentage, and a .285 slugging percentage.

Khalifa's father, Rashad Khalifa, was murdered on January 31, 1990. Though no one was ever convicted of the murder, Islamic extremists opposed to his teachings have been connected to it.

Khalifa is no longer involved with professional baseball. He currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona. Khalifa is currently the only Muslim of Arab descent to have played in the Major Leagues.

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