[2] His family, Palestinians who had owned an orange grove in Yaffa, had been relocated there due to the conflicts associated with the creation of the state of Israel.
Frangieh eventually moved to Syria to attend university, earning a B.A.
While in Syria, he earned fame as a boxing champion and professional soccer player.
Frangieh attended graduate school in the United States, and received a Ph.D. in Arabic literature from Georgetown University in 1987.
After receiving his doctorate, Frangieh taught Arabic at Georgetown for several years before accepting a position at Yale University.