Humor and Muslims: Muslim comics steal the show

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One of the ways many Jews coped with the anti-Semitism of the early 20th century was to go into comedy, which allowed them to defuse tensions, entertain people, and create a lasting artistic legacy. In the heated atmosphere of the post-9/11 world, more and more Muslims are following in their footsteps, taking the stage to forge laughter out of the American Muslim experience. In Toronto, Yuk Yuk comedy club owner Mark Breslin saw an opportunity to pair Muslim comic Bryan “Preacher” Moss with other local Muslim comics to create the Muslim Comedy Festival. “I got this tape from Preacher Moss, and it was really funny,” said Breslin. “But I didn’t want to bring him in on his own. I wanted him to be part of something larger.”

A similar situation happened in Los Angeles when Comedy Store owner Mitzi Shore (who launched Letterman and Leno) launched an “Arabian Knights” show shortly after 9/11, featuring some of LA’s Arab and Muslim comics, including Maz Jobrani and Ahmed Ahmed. “My goal as a comedian is to make people laugh. But if I can also make them think, then that’s an added bonus,” said Tissa Hami, an Iranian-born stand-up comic in Boston. “I want to show we’re not all terrorists, we’re not all fanatics.” One Muslim comic, Azhar Uzman, was even called “praiseworthy” by an Imam discussing the permissibility of stand-up comedy in the shari’a.

Moss is collecting many emerging stars in the Muslim comedy scene to launch “Allah Made Me Funny: The Official Muslim Comedy Tour,” which will be touring clubs like the Improv all over North America. Muslim comedy is becoming accepted in mainstream Muslim communties, even with the preponderance of self-deprecating humor that older generations might feel uncomfortable with. But not all Muslims get a laugh out of the new trend. Hami said her parents have seen her performance. “They think it’s not too late for me to go to medical school,” she quipped.

Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.