Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem
Arab American Comedy Festival, 209th Anniversary National Tour returns to New York roots Year-Long Comedy Extravaganza Comes to The Town Hall on November 19th with Diverse Headliners including Ramy Youssef and a Fireside Chat with Tony Shalhoub The New York Arab American Comedy Festival (NYAACF) is celebrating its 20th Anniversary with a year-long tour supported…
Comedian Ahmed Ahmed performs in Chicago June 9-11, 2023 at The Comedy Bar Egyptian-American actor, comedian, producer, and director Ahmed Ahmed is IN CHICAGO this weekend for three-day comedy performance tonight through Sunday (June 9 -11, 2023). There are five shows you can check out, one tonight Friday June 9 and two Saturday (June 10)…
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“Ramy” cable series melds Arab world reality with every day American life By Ray Hanania As a Palestinian writer in America, my lifelong ambition is to write a TV series that portrays Arabs to Americans as being “no different” than other Americans. If I were to script that show someday, I would call it “Everybody…
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US Rep. Lauren Boebert owes US Rep. Ilhan Omar an apology People who can’t debate real issues because they lack the intelligence to do so instead turn to racist hatred and name-calling to demonize others with whom they disagree. That’s the case with Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert who made a vicious personal attack against Minnesota…
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Comedian Ahmed Ahmed headlines AHRC fundraiser AHRC to host its Annual Spirit of Humanity Gala virtually on Friday, December 4, 2020. Arab American comedian Ahmed Ahmed will headline the Spirit of Humanity Gala fundraiser for the American Human Rights Council on December 4, 2020 The American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA) will be hosting its annual…
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“Ramy” is entertaining, but does little to dispel Arab stereotypes The Hulu comedy series “Ramy,” now in its second season, is entertaining, but it stops short of tackling the challenges most Arabs and Muslims face in America. The series still presents Arabs as all Muslim and in the context of a religious struggle rather than…
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Our Arab identity is being smothered by our religion Arab Christians are marginalized, ignored and pushed aside by everyone even though we can play a critical role in trying to bring the East and the West, the Christian and Muslim Worlds, together towards understanding. This issue surfaces all the time and most recently when the…
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Palestinian standup comedian Nasr Abu Ali Owaynat discusses his career By Ray Hanania Chicagoland Palestinian American comedian Nasr Abu Ali Owaynat will be performing comedy at the renown Chicagoland comedy club Riddles on Jan. 10, 2019. Abu Ali was born to a Palestinian American immigrant and an American mother from Kentucky. He started doing comedy…
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Overview of the Israeli Palestinian Comedy Tour The Israeli Palestinian Comedy Tour was co-founded by Palestinian Ray Hanania and Israeli Charley Warady. It included Jewish American comedian Aaron Freeman and Israeli comedian Yisrael Campbell. The group performed comedy shows before live audiences throughout Israel in 2007 including in West Jerusalem, East Jerusalem, Jaffa, Hebron, Tel…
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US sitcom showcases American Arab character A new comedy sitcom on CBS TV showcases an American Arab character played by well known standup comedian Maz Jobrani, and includes some major stars in the comedic entertainment circuit. The show Superior Donuts is getting some strong reviews in its first season By Ray Hanania A new comedy sitcom…
Don’t have to be a Trump supporter to cheer his media fight Trump is right. The news media is the enemy of America. The mainstream American news media has been the single greatest threat to the civil rights of Arabs and Muslims — YES Muslims — over the years. I know how confusing it must…
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Ruthless Thanksgiving this year with politics as side dish Thanksgiving celebrants will be under more pressure this year in dining rooms across America if Facebook is any indicator of how Americans feel. The politics of the recent presidential election campaign between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will have an impact, according to recent polls. Here’s…
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The first Cubs curse was by an Arab, but it was for a good reason. It was issued by Abdullah al-Tidhatch in 1908 after the Cubs refused to reinstate the league’s first Arab player, Fareed Habibi, according to sources, myths and old wive’s tales By Ray Hanania I worked at Chicago City Hall and I knew…
Comedian Nemr pushes the envelope on Arab cultural habits, traditions and even politics using laughter to make audiences see past the stereotypes and anger in the post-Sept. 11, 2001 world. This week, he performs in Greater Detroit and expands his already impressive professional comedy resume By Ray Hanania Not many American Arab comedians have made the cover of Rolling Stone…
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Ray Hanania presents an overview of the importance of humor and the significance of strategic communications Humor is a powerful form of communications and can be used to help bring tensions down in societies, change perceptions and separate those who really hate from those who appear to hate because they can’t control heir fears, apprehensions an…
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The Middle East is erupting into more and more violence, and hatred is increasing as racist candidates like Ben Carson and Mike Huackabee are promoting divisions and bigotry. But sometimes, humor is the only way to stay sane. And maybe it can help others By Ray Hanania I entered comedy back in 2001 right after…
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The latest edition of the popular and hilarious comic strip IkhrAss which lampoons the anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian, anti-Semitic, anti-Jewish and anti-Christian (and poorly written) hate website Ikhras, authored by “Thabet al-Arabi” and “Qassem Lufti.” Ikhras is clearly funded by the Syrian regime of dictator Bashar al-Assad. Permission granted to republish the comic strip in its entirety…
Aron Kader headlines Comedy show for peace in Los Angeles April 10 By Ray Hanania Prominent Palestinian standup comedian Aron Kader will headline an evening of Middle East comedy on Thursday April 10 at the Levantine Center in Los Angeles. The show will be hosted by Sammy “KO” Obeid and will also feature performances by…
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