Comedy isn’t just comedy. It can break down American stereotypes about Muslims and Arabs, said comedians Dean Obeidallah and Aron Kader in a Sept. 22 speech at the Capital Auditorium on Tenley Campus.
“I always wanted to do something in politics,” Obeidallah said. “And I always could make people laugh … so comedy seemed [like] a marriage of the two.”
Kader and Obeidallah have been featured in a number of comedy tours and shows in the United States and the Middle East. Comedy Central’s “Axis of Evil” tour, their own “Arabs Gone Wild” tour and Comedycentral.com’s critically acclaimed series, “The Watch List,” which Obeidallah co-created, are just a few.
They and other Arab and Muslim comics are also the creators and stars of “The Muslims Are Coming,” a free stand up comedy tour aimed at educating and fighting intolerance between Americans and Arab and Muslim communities in the United States.
“The goal of that tour is really to make a difference,” Obeidallah said. “Press conferences and press releases aren’t doing it.”
Project Nur, a student advocacy group aimed at tolerance and civic action “in and beyond the Muslim-American student community,” sponsored the event. It is run by the American Islamic Congress and has clubs at 23 universities, including AU.
Obeidallah mentioned people should use the media to their advantage, and Kader recommended that more Arabs and Muslims pursue careers in journalism and the media.
“There’s not enough journalism that’s going on, on the American side, from an Arab perspective,” Kader said.
Obeidallah and Kader both mentioned that students have to deconstruct barriers whether they are Muslim or Arab or not.
“If they’re asking a ridiculous question, take that opportunity as a teaching moment and don’t be offended,” Obeidallah said.
In the end, Obeidallah reiterated the importance of trying to leave an impression on people.
“I hope we’re having an impact,” Obeidallah said. “I don’t know the answer if we’re really changing minds, … [but] I’d rather live under the delusion that I’m having an impact by trying than sit at home and not do anything and know I’m definitely not.”
