Steve Jobs’ Biological Father Was Syrian from Muslim Family

December 29, 2025

Tech icon Steve Jobs was born to Syrian immigrant Abdulfattah Jandali, whose Muslim background was obscured by adoption following family opposition to his parents’ interfaith relationship.

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Key Takeaways

Jobs was placed for adoption due to family opposition to interfaith relationship
Steve Jobs’ biological father was Syrian immigrant Abdulfattah Jandali
Jandali came from a Muslim family background

Steve Jobs, the legendary co-founder of Apple Inc., was born to a Syrian father from a Muslim family background. Jobs’ biological parents were Abdulfattah Jandali, a Syrian immigrant and political science academic, and Joanne Schieble, an American Catholic from Wisconsin.

The couple faced strong opposition from Schieble’s father regarding their interfaith relationship, leading them to place their child for adoption shortly after his birth in 1955.

The infant was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs, a working-class couple from San Francisco who raised him as their own.

Abdulfattah Jandali

Abdulfattah Jandali, born in 1931 in Homs, Syria, came from a family with Muslim heritage though his personal religious practice remains undocumented. He later earned a PhD in political science and taught at various universities in the United States.

Jobs maintained limited contact with his biological father throughout his life, though he later developed relationships with his biological sister, novelist Mona Simpson.