Al-Monitor Shares the Story of Abu Omar and His Classic Cars

Based in Texas, Crest Investment Company chairman Jamal Daniel has spent 30 years managing investments in real estate, energy, manufacturing, the high-tech industry, and more. Born in Tartus, Syria, Jamal Daniel has maintained a connection with his roots by forming The Levant Foundation and Al-Monitor.

Recognized by the Huffington Post for offering “insightful commentary,” Al-Monitor is an American-based news website that shares current events and politics happening in the Middle East. Keeping a pulse on several states within that region, Al-Monitor journalists contribute fresh perspectives from countries such as Egypt and Turkey.

Al-Monitor writers cover special interest stories, as well. Despite the severe political unrest in the region, 70-year-old Syrian resident Abu Omar showed journalist Muhammad Alkhatib his classic car collection. Out of his 20 different models, Omar’s collection includes a 1951 Buick and a 1947 Cadillac. Each one of Omar’s cars comes with the story of how he came to own them throughout integral times in history.

The Levant Foundation Helps Different Religions Come Together

Jamal Daniel is currently the Chairman of the Crest Investment Company. Outside of his work, Jamal Daniel serves as Chairman of The Levant Foundation.

As part of its larger mission to inform people about the culture of the Levant area, The Levant Foundation is dedicated to educating people about the three major religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) that arose in the Middle East. One of the focuses of the foundation is to provide aid in the form of scholarships and fellowships for post-doctoral students. 

In 2011, the foundation provided financial support for the Swiss organization The Foundation for Interreligious and Intercultural Research and Dialogue (FDDI) to offer fellowships to post-graduate students who specialize in one of the three religions. The recipients of the fellowship formed a research group to study the commonalities among the different faiths with the goal of contributing to interreligious dialog and facilitating a deeper understanding between people.