A Palestinian-American, an Indian-American and an African-American—aside from being American men, they have three other elements in common: they are all minorities, they are all Muslim and they are all funny.
The community is encouraged to attend the showing of “Allah Made Me Funny” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19 in the Lovejoy Library’s Abbott Auditorium on the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville campus. During the film, the comics will skewer everything from family to food to American politics, and their fellow Muslims.
“In a way, these men represent the full spectrum of Muslim-American identifies,” said Dr. Steve Tamari, associate professor of historical studies. “They shine a light on American society that most Americans don’t think about.”
Tamari talked about the manner in which these men are going about changing public perceptions. Christian and Jewish comedians have long used their humor as stand-up comedians in American society to dispel misconceptions, poke fun and have fun.
“These three men are making use of a medium that is totally American,” he said. “Since the whole purpose of progress is to break up stereotypes and misinformation, I don’t think there is a better channel for doing that than through humor and laughter.”
This series is made possible by a generous grant of books, films and other resources from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association program “Bridging Cultures: The Muslim Journeys Bookshelf”; Lovejoy Library; and the SIUE Muslim Students Association. For information contact Lydia Jackson at 618-650-2604 or ljackso@siue or Tamari at 618-650-3967 or stamari@siue.edu.