Arab standup comics, and even an Iraqi TV show, regularly mock ISIS mercilessly. It might get them killed, but it might be worth it.
Have you heard the joke by Iraqi Kurds about ISIS fighters milking male goats? The comedy comes from fact that you can’t milk a male goat but you can perform a sexual act on the goat using a similar motion. Enough said.
Well, many in the Middle East have heard that one and many others as Muslim and Arab comedians are on the front lines in fighting ISIS. However, these satirists’ weapon of choice isn’t airstrikes, but rather comedy, which they are employing to ridicule ISIS on TV shows and in YouTube videos. And nothing is off limits as they mock ISIS on everything from being hypocrites when it comes to Islam to being bumbling idiots to simply smelling like crap.
What’s truly remarkable is that some of these comedic performers are waging their comedy battle in countries were ISIS is fighting them, such as those involved in the new Iraqi TV show that began airing Saturday that lampoons ISIS. Unlike us, they don’t need to watch ISIS on TV; they can see ISIS from their front window.
No one doubts that these comedians will be killed if ISIS captures them. ISIS doesn’t want to be laughed at, they want to be feared. In fact, just a few months ago, ISIS threatened to cut the tongue out of anyone who referred to them as “Daesh,” which is the Arabic acronym for ISIS. Why? Because ISIS learned that many Arabs use that term as an insult, because Daesh in Arabic also can mean “a bigot who imposes his view on others.”
And keep in mind that even pre-ISIS, an Iraqi comedian was killed in 2006 forcomically mocking those in power. Hard to find a tougher room for a comedian to play than Iraq, and it’s even more dangerous today.
I’m sure a few questions come to my mind when hearing about this comedy against ISIS. Such as, “I didn’t know Arabs or Muslims are funny!?” Well, don’t blame yourself, because it’s not something our media covers. But as someone who has performed standup comedy across the Middle East with very funny local Arab comedians in countries ranging from Egypt to Jordan to even Saudi Arabia, humor is a staple of Arab culture. And for those in the New York City area who want to witness first-hand comics of Arab heritage telling jokes mocking ISIS, then check out the annual New York Arab American Comedy Festival this week. (Full disclosure: I co-produce the Festival so, yes, that was a shameless plug.)
Are these videos actually funny? Well, I watched as many as I could find that were translated into English. (My Arabic is limited to a vocabulary of my favorite foods, such as “I love chicken and rice.”) Some were funny, while some were more heavy handed slams of ISIS simply framed in comedic terms.
Have you heard the joke by Iraqi Kurds about ISIS fighters milking male goats? The comedy comes from fact that you can’t milk a male goat but you can perform a sexual act on the goat using a similar motion. Enough said.
Well, many in the Middle East have heard that one and many others as Muslim and Arab comedians are on the front lines in fighting ISIS. However, these satirists’ weapon of choice isn’t airstrikes, but rather comedy, which they are employing to ridicule ISIS on TV shows and in YouTube videos. And nothing is off limits as they mock ISIS on everything from being hypocrites when it comes to Islam to being bumbling idiots to simply smelling like crap.
What’s truly remarkable is that some of these comedic performers are waging their comedy battle in countries were ISIS is fighting them, such as those involved in the new Iraqi TV show that began airing Saturday that lampoons ISIS. Unlike us, they don’t need to watch ISIS on TV; they can see ISIS from their front window.
No one doubts that these comedians will be killed if ISIS captures them. ISIS doesn’t want to be laughed at, they want to be feared. In fact, just a few months ago, ISIS threatened to cut the tongue out of anyone who referred to them as “Daesh,” which is the Arabic acronym for ISIS. Why? Because ISIS learned that many Arabs use that term as an insult, because Daesh in Arabic also can mean “a bigot who imposes his view on others.”
And keep in mind that even pre-ISIS, an Iraqi comedian was killed in 2006 forcomically mocking those in power. Hard to find a tougher room for a comedian to play than Iraq, and it’s even more dangerous today.
I’m sure a few questions come to my mind when hearing about this comedy against ISIS. Such as, “I didn’t know Arabs or Muslims are funny!?” Well, don’t blame yourself, because it’s not something our media covers. But as someone who has performed standup comedy across the Middle East with very funny local Arab comedians in countries ranging from Egypt to Jordan to even Saudi Arabia, humor is a staple of Arab culture. And for those in the New York City area who want to witness first-hand comics of Arab heritage telling jokes mocking ISIS, then check out the annual New York Arab American Comedy Festival this week. (Full disclosure: I co-produce the Festival so, yes, that was a shameless plug.)
Are these videos actually funny? Well, I watched as many as I could find that were translated into English. (My Arabic is limited to a vocabulary of my favorite foods, such as “I love chicken and rice.”) Some were funny, while some were more heavy handed slams of ISIS simply framed in comedic terms.
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