Sabri Mustafa El Farra; Leader of Los Angeles Area Arab Community

Sabri Mustafa El Farra, 66, a leader of the local Arab community and founding member and chairman of the Islamic Center of Southern California. Born in Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, El Farra left his birthplace to attend secondary school in Egypt and then Trinity University in San Antonio. After completing medical school at UCLA, El Farra practiced medicine in the Los Angeles area and served for more than 20 years as medical director for CBS television, including KCBS. A founding member of the Interfaith Council of Southern California, he led several dialogues on Middle East issues in Southern California and Washington, D.C. He also served as a board member for the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee and the National Assn. of Arab Americans. After a dialogue on the Middle East held in Los Angeles some years ago, El Farra noted that the tone of such discussions had changed. “We used to come here and get angry at one another,” El Farra said. “Now we are coming here to share views about how to bring lives together in the Middle East.” On Saturday of a heart attack at his home in Los Angeles.