Sayid Hassan Jarrah (Arabic: سعيد حسّان جراح) (born 1968) is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost, played by Naveen Andrews. His character is likely inspired from the real life author/activist Edward Said (although the spelling is different, both names are pronounced the same), as Sayid's words (particularly when referring to "the Others") strongly echo Edward Said's groundbreaking work Orientalism. Furthermore, Edward Said's work centered largely around Western misconceptions of Arabs, and Sayid's character on Lost is frequently defined by his ethnicity, and the assumptions other characters make about it.