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Thursday August 18, 2011

Breaking Through Barriers With Comedy

Posted by Omar Baddar at 2:15 pm

Breaking Through Barriers with Comedy

Arab American comedian Dean Obeidallah was among several American Muslim comedians who traveled to the deep south on a comedy tour entitled “The Muslims are Coming” where they performed free shows in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee. The purpose behind the tour, and the “free admission” part, was an attempt to go beyond their typical audience and reach communities that are not too familiar with Islam and American Muslims.

Each show ended with a Q&A session in which the audience asked the comedians questions about Muslims. Attendance was stellar (many auditoriums were packed) and CNN provided an excellent segment on the series:

Dean is currently raising funds for a 2nd tour in the Midwest, as well as a documentary about the tours by the same name. Commenting on the success of the tour, Dean said: “I'm now more confident than ever that we can truly counter anti-Muslim sentiment by engaging in more grassroots efforts.”

Tagged as Media, Arab Americans, Issues, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Islamophobia

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