Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem
Mo Amer’s “Mo” on Netflix is more than just a great comedy series By Ray Hanania The Netflix series “Mo,” starring Arab American comedian Mo Amer is not only one of the best comedy series streaming on cable, but it is a deep dive into the tragic reality of what Palestinians face not just in…
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Arab-American influencers Furrha Family share secrets of their success Salem Furrha and his eight children @theFurrhaFamily on TikTok and Instagram represent a large movement of American Arabs who have turned to social media as a means of breaking up the boredom of coronavirus restrictions and sharing their lives showcasing a popular and positive image of Arab…
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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…
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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I don’t know if humor can change anyone’s minds about standing up to extremism and bringing peace to the Middle East, or if it can really bring different rival religious, ethnic or national groups together. But I do know that after performing my first standup comedy show this week, the Jewish, Christian and Muslim audience…
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Ray Hanania performs comedy at B’nai Yehuda Beth Shalom Synagogue in Homewood, Illinois in 2008. Standup comedian and journalist Ray Hanania performs standup comedy for a suburban Chicago synagogue, B’nai Yehuda Beth Shalom in 2008. end