mahussain3
Son of Aa'ishah(R.A)
Allah Made Him Funny
Cairo, August 03: And Azhar Usman has no qualms sharing his secret. "We, as Muslims, take ourselves way too seriously," Usman, an American-Muslim of Indian origin, told before making his debut in Egypt.
At his stand-up comedy show, "Allah Made Me Funny," Usman introduces himself as someone "fat and hairy," and a Muslim which is also physically obvious from the long, bushy black beard he sports.
He regularly points out and makes fun of all of these factors, and self-deprecation is what makes him funny, and different.Tickets to his show at Al-Sawi Cultural Wheel in the capital Cairo were sold out and Usman had to repeat his performance to a second audience.
He made fun of ethnicities, imitating the accents of a variety of Muslims, including American, Chinese, Indian and Latino."I didn?t like how he focused on stereotypes," said audience member Mohamad Ads.
"He stressed on nationalities, making fun of different nationalities. But the other part was powerful."Usman has left his profession as a lawyer to pursue a career as a comedian.He has been performing stand-up comedy since 2001 in many major cities across the US and overseas.
Usman, along with fellow Muslim comedians Preacher Moss and Azeem, founded the hugely successful "Allah Made Me Funny the Official Muslim Comedy Tour."The show is an attempt to counter the negative stereotypes and attitudes about Muslims and Arabs by poking fun at the communities and the prejudices they face.
Political Art
Formerly lecturer, community activist and lawyer, Usman believes some of his work still carries on into his role as a stand-up artist."I think a lot of times stand up comedy can be political art."And sure enough, Usman did have a word or two to say about politics.He condemned terrorism and "terroristic counter-terrorism" during his Cairo show.
He also satirized the comment of a British marine detained for 13 days in Iran on charges of illegally entering its territorial waters."When you are caught in a hostile nation, in their waters and stay for a few weeks and are sent home with souvenirs and sweets, you don't call that "psychological pressure," you call that a vacation!"
Smiling and laughing, fifteen British navy personnel flew home on Thursday, April 5, carrying gifts ranging from traditional handicrafts to Iranian pistachio nuts in quite a dramatic ending of a two-week standoff.One home, they complained of ill-treatment and psychological pressure by Iranian authorities.Yet, not everyone like Usman's politicized humor.
An American student from Princeton did not appreciate the British navy anecdote but was impressed by Usman's criticism of the Muslim reaction to the Danish cartoon crisis."The cartoons are like Salman Rushdie 2.0," Usman told."Ironically, the best way to respond to the cartoons is the way Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) would have responded."
He cited story of the Prophet and the Jewish woman who used to throw garbage at him daily."He never complained, never said anything about it. He just used to take it. One day, she didn't throw garbage at him, he got concerned. He inquired, found out she was ill, and went to visit her. This is karam."
Usman is frequently called upon to lecture on the tradition of comedy in Islam."There is a very wonderful, long tradition in the religion stemming to the Prophet Muhammad himself. We have entire books of his jokes."
Cairo, August 03: And Azhar Usman has no qualms sharing his secret. "We, as Muslims, take ourselves way too seriously," Usman, an American-Muslim of Indian origin, told before making his debut in Egypt.
At his stand-up comedy show, "Allah Made Me Funny," Usman introduces himself as someone "fat and hairy," and a Muslim which is also physically obvious from the long, bushy black beard he sports.
He regularly points out and makes fun of all of these factors, and self-deprecation is what makes him funny, and different.Tickets to his show at Al-Sawi Cultural Wheel in the capital Cairo were sold out and Usman had to repeat his performance to a second audience.
He made fun of ethnicities, imitating the accents of a variety of Muslims, including American, Chinese, Indian and Latino."I didn?t like how he focused on stereotypes," said audience member Mohamad Ads.
"He stressed on nationalities, making fun of different nationalities. But the other part was powerful."Usman has left his profession as a lawyer to pursue a career as a comedian.He has been performing stand-up comedy since 2001 in many major cities across the US and overseas.
Usman, along with fellow Muslim comedians Preacher Moss and Azeem, founded the hugely successful "Allah Made Me Funny the Official Muslim Comedy Tour."The show is an attempt to counter the negative stereotypes and attitudes about Muslims and Arabs by poking fun at the communities and the prejudices they face.
Political Art
Formerly lecturer, community activist and lawyer, Usman believes some of his work still carries on into his role as a stand-up artist."I think a lot of times stand up comedy can be political art."And sure enough, Usman did have a word or two to say about politics.He condemned terrorism and "terroristic counter-terrorism" during his Cairo show.
He also satirized the comment of a British marine detained for 13 days in Iran on charges of illegally entering its territorial waters."When you are caught in a hostile nation, in their waters and stay for a few weeks and are sent home with souvenirs and sweets, you don't call that "psychological pressure," you call that a vacation!"
Smiling and laughing, fifteen British navy personnel flew home on Thursday, April 5, carrying gifts ranging from traditional handicrafts to Iranian pistachio nuts in quite a dramatic ending of a two-week standoff.One home, they complained of ill-treatment and psychological pressure by Iranian authorities.Yet, not everyone like Usman's politicized humor.
An American student from Princeton did not appreciate the British navy anecdote but was impressed by Usman's criticism of the Muslim reaction to the Danish cartoon crisis."The cartoons are like Salman Rushdie 2.0," Usman told."Ironically, the best way to respond to the cartoons is the way Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) would have responded."
He cited story of the Prophet and the Jewish woman who used to throw garbage at him daily."He never complained, never said anything about it. He just used to take it. One day, she didn't throw garbage at him, he got concerned. He inquired, found out she was ill, and went to visit her. This is karam."
Usman is frequently called upon to lecture on the tradition of comedy in Islam."There is a very wonderful, long tradition in the religion stemming to the Prophet Muhammad himself. We have entire books of his jokes."
