London, Asharq Al-Awsat- Many laughed last month when US comedian Conan O’Brien joked that his popularity contributed to the re-election of Finland ’s president Tarja Halonen. The reason? The amazing resemblance between them!

The media picked up the late night talk show host’s comments and the Finish president herself invited O’Brien to travel to Helsinki last month. This, however, was a different sort of invite that the one uttered by a great Arab leader, played by Adel Imam, in the play “al Zaim” in front of his ministers, as he ordered them to dispose of his double. “No one bear a resemblance to me!”

O’Brien traveled to the Finish capital to be honored, as the public would not forget the fortuitous similarity.

Two other faces making the rounds in the media with striking similarities are Khaled Meshaal, head of the Hamas politburo and George Clooney, who recently received an Oscar for his performance in the oil industry thriller Syriana. In the film, Clooney plays the part of a Jaded CIA agent who specializes in the Middle East. He grows his beard and speaks Arabic and Persian. The facial hair is not the only striking feature these two men share; their eyes and eyebrows are also alike.

However, Meshaal is not the only Palestinian figure to look like a celebrity… Yaser Abd Rabbo, member of the PLO executive committee could easily be mistaken for the renowned Lebanese artist Ahmad Kaabour. “Many people have alerted me to this, the artist behind the song “Unadikom” told Asharq al Awsat., adding that he awaited a face-to-face meeting to see whether the two men shared more than looks.

Another American Celebrity with an Arab Doppelganger is Desperate Housewives actress Teri Hatcher and Rania Dagher, the Lebanese news anchor on Arab Network MBC based in Dubai share several similarities, including the long brown hair and the imposing black eyes, even if Teri appears older.