American Observer » Laughter Breaks Stereotypes of Islam, Encourages Dialogue

Laughter Breaks Stereotypes of Islam, Encourages Dialogue

By RADINA GIGOVA
Observer staff
Oct. 11, 2007

A country singer, a comedian, a writer and a women’s rights activist came together at a live virtual discussion from the campuses of two universities to clarify misunderstandings about their religion - Islam.

The Muslim-Americans tried to face old issues with a new perspective, and the tool they picked was laughter.

“Laughing while Muslim, Comedy and Straight Talk on the American Muslim Experience” aired last week at American University in Washington and University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Violence, stereotyping and the discrimination of women were among the topics introduced with a short video clip from the stand-up comedy show “Allah Made Me Funny.”

Photo by Radina Gigova
Panelists participate in a virtual discuss about Islam

One of the founders of the show, lawyer-comedian Azhar Usman, often uses his personal experiences in the show, he said.

“The best comedy is the one that makes you laugh and also think,” said Usman. He said comedy is a good way to break the association that people make between Muslims and terror.

“While people are laughing, they don’t hate one another,” said Eboo Patel, a human rights activist and author of the book Acts of Faith. Patel said that laughter could be a common ground between people from different religions and it also helps them open their hearts. Patel said the lack of information is the reason why people have the wrong idea about Muslims.

“You are not letting a terrorist teach you about personal finance, about business, so don’t let a terrorist teach you about religion,” Patel said.

Photo by Radina Gigova
Students prepare for the live show

Kareen Salama, who is a Muslim cowboy, said that not only the message, but the form of communication matters as well. He said that people are repelled by sermons, but are more likely to hear a message as a song.

Dr. Jamillah Karim, Assistant Professor of Religion at Spelman College in Atlanta, said that another misunderstanding about Islam is the role of the hijab, the scarf with which Muslim women cover their head.

“Many women put [on] the hijab because they want to be known as Muslim. They are making a cultural or a political statement,” Karim said.

She also said women often say that they want to be judged not for the way they look, but for their abilities and characters. She said the Muslim dress makes that possible.

Hiba Arshad, who is studying International Education at George Washington University, said she was encouraged by the conference.

“I know college is a screening fest. It gives me hope that at least if you are frustrated you can have a dialogue,” Arshad said.

Laughter Breaks Stereotypes of Islam, Encourages Dialogue

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