Amir El-Khoury

**Amir El-Khoury** is a minor character from *Human Resources*. He is the father of Nadja and Natalie El-Khoury, the husband of Nabilah El-Khoury, and the son of Yara El-Khoury. He is voiced by Ahmed El-Mawas.

## Biography

In Training Day, Amir is first introduced while visiting his mother, Yara, in the nursing home. He reintroduces himself to her briefly, knowing that she forgets him often, before looking for her favorite blanket to warm her up. He complains to the nursing staff that they're keeping her room too cold and demand they retrieve it from wherever they moved it. When Yara starts to panic due to her confusion, Amir calms her down by speaking soothingly to her and giving her rose tea. We learn from Yara that he visits her every day and always takes care of her.

In Rutgers is for Lovers, he celebrates Nadja's acceptance into his alma mater, UC Berkeley, by ripping open his button-down, revealing a Berkeley shirt he's been wearing under his clothes for two months straight "just in case". When Nadja tells him and Nabilah that she is not sure on her decision yet, he and his wife encourage her to pick her dream school over her high school crush. He reminds her that she needs to make decisions for herself and her own future and not for others, no matter how great they are. He is finally content when Nadja concedes to trying a long-distance relationship with her girlfriend and going to Berkeley.

In It's Almost Over, Amir tries convincing his mother, who is now living with them after breaking her hip in the nursing home, to eat something other than candy for dinner. He and Nabilah argue over the best course of action for her care, as his wife doesn't believe they can provide adequate care for her at home. The argument ends when Yara strips off her shirt in the middle of dinner because she was hot. Later in the episode, he is seen taking care of his mother by following Pete's advice on how to take care of an elderly parent. When he tries to feed her, she slaps the food into his lap, causing him to feel helpless. When he returns to her room after cleaning himself up, he discovers that she's no longer there and goes into a panic. Keith from Grief appears and introduces himself while Amir is panicking, but Amir chooses to ignore him, causing Keith to grow in size and chase him and Pete while they are driving away. Natalie calls him while he is driving, telling him where she and Yara are so he can come get them. After he and Nabilah settle Yara into bed, he punishes Natalie by taking away her TV privileges. With his adrenaline now gone, he comes to terms with the fact that his mother will die soon, finally embracing Keith's help. He prays over his mother on her death bed and mourns with his whole family before she passes.

## Relationships

### Family

Yara El-Khoury - As Yara's youngest child, Amir loved his mother very much. When he was younger, his mother never told him and his siblings how proud she was of them, believing that doing so would make them lazy. When he was an adult, he visited her every day and spent lots of money to make sure she always had her favorite tea imported from Lebanon. Initially, he was in denial about her failing health, but he came to terms with it and mourned her deeply with the support of his family.

Nabilah El-Khoury - Amir and Nabilah met in high school, where they started a relationship. They didn't intend to fall in love or have a serious relationship at the time, but they eventually did and got married, later having two daughters together. Despite their disagreements over some matters, the two always supported each other, especially in their sad moments.

Nadja El-Khoury - Amir is very supportive of his daughter's dreams and often pushes her to do her best and focus more on herself rather than sacrificing the things she wants for the sake of others. He was her biggest supporter for her admission in UC Berkeley and always had her best interests in mind.

Natalie El-Khoury - Amir presumably has a close relationship with his youngest daughter, as he never got upset with her over small things like getting detention for leaving grapes on her principal's car. He only lashed out at her over serious things, such as when Natalie took Yara out of the house without telling him out of fear that something could have happened to worsen her already declining health.

### Friends

Pete Doheny - Pete is Amir's Logic Rock who always helps him make decisions. Pete usually neglects Amir's emotional needs in favor of solid facts, such as when he discourages him from being sad since he needs to find his mother first.

Keith from Grief - Initially, Amir doesn't get along with Keith, denying that his mother is dying and refusing to grieve. Eventually, he learns to accept his mother's death and grieve properly through Keith's help.

## Trivia

* Amir prayed the Shahada while Yara was on her death bed, confirming that he was Muslim.