Monday, September 24, 2012
Muslim Humor
We spent a lot of time on the recent riots in the Middle East. There seemed to be a feeling that Muslims were different and were inclined to riot. But are Mulims just victims of how our popular media portrays them? Other ethnic groups had similar problems and fought against the stereotype with humor. Here are two TED Talks about the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, by the founder and one of the comedians.
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Yes, comedy is a great way to alleviate tensions and to increase understanding. These examples are excellent. Another way of increasing understanding is through poetry. The following poem is certainly not comedic, but I think it does, with a few words, increase understanding. It appeared in the Washington Post, 4-20-06, Page Two, entitled "Meen Erhabe," and is by Arab Israeli rapper Ramer Nafar and his crew DAM:
ReplyDeleteMEEN ERHABE
"Who is the terrorist?"
You're a Democracy?
Actually it's more like the Nazis!
Your countless raping of the Arabs' soul
Finally impregnated it
Gave birth to your child His name
Suidice bomber
And then you call him the terrorist?
Ehud Barak is quoted as saying that, if he were a Palestinian, he would be a terrorist.
Please do not construe the above to mean that I approve of terrorism; I abhor all forms of killing.