Muslim Comedy Show Aims for Laughs, Understanding
The goal of a Muslim-American comedy show coming to Tennessee this month is to get people of all faiths and backgrounds to come together for a laugh, but it’s also about changing perceptions.
“There is this teeny percentage of people in the Muslim community that are threats to America. They are not the majority, but so often we are defined by the worst of us, and that isn’t right,” said New York-based comedian Dean Obeidallah, co-producer of the show, The Muslims are Coming!
“It’s easy to demonize a person you’ve never met. And then you meet them, and generally it breaks down the stereotyping.”
Obeidallah, who co-starred in the Comedy Central special Axis of Evil, and his crew will wrap up the Southern leg of their comedy tour Aug. 13 and 14 in Murfreesboro and Nashville — the only stops in Tennessee.
The shows come amid controversy surrounding a proposed new Islamic Center of Murfreesboro.
They also come after a Gallup poll released this week found that most Muslim-Americans are optimistic about their lives in the United States and are loyal to a country that has given them a wealth of economic opportunities, even though some Americans continue to treat them with hostility.
Saleh Sbenaty, a spokesman for the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro and faculty adviser of the Muslim Student Association at Middle Tennessee State University, said he hopes that the entire community will come to the show and that cultural lines can be crossed.
“We’ve been trying for quite a while to show that Islam has another face,” Sbenaty said. “People need to see that.”
Abdelghani Barre, president of the Islamic Center of Nashville, agreed.
“Us Muslims, regardless of the talents we have, whether it’s sports or comedy, whatever, need to use those avenues to reach mainstream Americans,” he said. “So many questions have been raised about Islam and Muslims, particularly about our loyalty and faith, and I think we have an opportunity here to dispel some myths about Islam.”
According to Sbenaty, the comedy group contacted him about a month ago to set up the Murfreesboro show. Obeidallah, who began planning the tour last year, said he heard about the mosque controversy on the news.
Nashville’s status as home to one of the largest chapters of ACT! for America, which opposes radical Islam, also played a role in the selection process, he said.
Ron Leonard, ACT! chapter leader in Hermitage, said he’s not against the show or peaceful Muslims.
“If they can come into this country legally and swear an oath to serve this country, I’m all for them,” he said.
Negin Farsad, also a New York-based comedian and co-producer alongside Obeidallah, said she wants the audience to notice that there are two female comedians in the show.
“There’s this perception that Arab and Persian women can’t open their mouths and don’t drive,” she said. “There’s a lot of misinformation about women coming from Muslim countries.”
In addition to Obeidallah and Farsad, the show features comedians Omar Elba of the recent Showtime special Legally Brown and Maysoon Zayid of the PBS special Muslim Comedians Come of Age.
In Murfreesboro, a Jewish and a Christian comedian will join the cast as special guests. In Nashville, an independent music group will join in. At the end of each show, there will be a 20-minute question-and-answer session for audience members.
“We know we’re not going to change the world with one tour, but we’re making the effort,” Obeidallah said. “Even if you don’t agree with what we’re saying, it’s a good step.”
Nicole Young
The Tennessean