Just last year, Hollywood got a taste of Lebanese pride when international human rights lawyer and Lebanese-American Amal Alamuddin got engaged to hunk George Clooney in April.

The couple tied the knot six months later and with Clooney’s reputation in Hollywood, Amal is one of the most popular celebrity misuses today

Now, another Lebanese-American has made a name for herself in the film industry. Not the Hollywood kind but the adult film kind, cites NBC News.

Barely three months after breaking into the adult film industry in October 2014, Beirut-born Mia Khalifa has risen to the top and became the No. 1-ranked porn star in Pornhub, an adult movie website, as of December 28, 2014.

As of the first week of January 2015, 21-year-old Mia Khalifa is the most searched porn star on Pornhub with 1.5 million views, a five-fold increase from the last week of December 2014.

Statistics from the adult movie website indicate that almost 25% of those searches originated from Lebanon, where Mia had her roots, and also from nearby Arab countries including Jordan and Syria.

Putting Islam in a bad light

Before becoming the latest sensation in the adult film industry, Mia Khailifa had been working as a crew in a fast food restaurant in Miami, Florida.

One day, a customer approached and asked her if she would like to be in the porn industry. It is likely that she was dangled a good sum in the process, most likely than what she was getting in the restaurant. That paved the way for her new career and eventual rise to stardom.

As a woman with Arab roots, Mia Khalifa’s entry and eventual rise to fame in the adult film business has put Muslim women and Islam in a bad light, particularly in one of her porn videos where she was seen wearing the traditional ‘hijab’ and describing it as problematic and gross.

Because of the controversial scene in the video, Mia Khalifa has since received death threats especially from her home country and fellow Arabs, who took offense for what she did. Mia explained that the scene was just satirical and should not be taken seriously and in no way, meant to put the Muslims in the negative light.

Still drawing support

Although Mia’s Arab parents have since stopped speaking to her for her decision to go into the porn business, Mia still draws support from a lot of her fans in the adult film industry.

She also draws support from some fellow Arabs in the Middle East although it is not clear whether they are really supporting her with her views or are just appreciating her performance as a porn star.

Lebanon is said to be the most Westernized Arab nation in the Middle East, which means that the modern day Lebanese are already liberalized and can think outside the box, values-wise.

But in the case of Mia Khalifa, it is obvious that the country still cannot decide whether she is a newfound pride or shame.