A serious comedian

Ray Hanania brings the West closer to the Arab world through humour.

Stand-up comedian Ray Hanania surprises everyone when he says his favourite Arab comedian is Jerry Seinfeld. Given Hanania's ability to dish out funnies at the most unexpected moments, everyone laughs. However, Hanania insists - repeatedly - it's not a joke. "No, really. It's high time Jerry comes out of the closet with this one. I mean, he says it in his book but it needs to publicised. Jerry Seinfeld's mother is Syrian Arab," says Hanania.

Talking exclusively to Weekend Review ahead of his show at the American University in Dubai, Hanania, who describes himself as an Arab-American, says he doesn't speak in Arabic simply because the audience laughter would be directed at his language rather than his humour.

"My mom is from Bethlehem and dad from Jerusalem and they didn't want me to speak Arabic. When my dad moved to the US in 1926, he noticed that Americans loved the romantic Arab image but hated the reality," he says. Growing up in America, young Hanania was first exposed to the concept of ethnicity when he was asked at school what his nationality was. His father dissuaded him from revealing his Palestinian origins and urged the boy to tell his friends that his father was Syrian and his mother was Lebanese. "So I'd tell them my father was a serial and mother was a lesbian and that's how the humour was born. From real life," he says.

Hanania admits it is hard to be an Arab in America and isn't afraid to describe the stigmatism. However, as an American, he strongly believes that while talking to his fellow Americans about the Middle East and its issues, humour plays a critical role. "We're not speaking the same language at the moment. The impression out there is that Arabs are too serious a people and I also think we need to lighten up," says Hanania, whose target audience is the Americans.

"I've performed at tonnes of Jewish organisations, including the White House," he says with a deadpan expression. "That's a joke," he adds quickly. Just in case.

Having been exposed to both the peoples, Hanania finds himself in a privileged position of understanding and accepting two different cultures and ideologies. And that allows him to communicate better with each side.

His career in journalism started 30 years ago and he has serious columns to his credit, though Hanania says it is almost impossible to find a publication willing to publish an opinion piece on the Arab viewpoint.

So his comedy routine, which began as a simple mission to communicate through humour, has ended up becoming a full-time profession. Hanania doesn't consider himself a professional, but says he's booked at least four to six nights a month across the US. He can't stop singing praises of anyone who, he says, is brave enough to invite him.

Without any advertising and publicity - he can't get an agent, because he thinks they're afraid, as he does make quite a bit of money out of it - Hanania manages a show a week and says he is sought out through the internet. His comedy is part of what he calls a long-term political strategy.

"I think Americans are very intelligent, but after 9/11 that intelligence went out of the window. I got tired of answering questions and defending myself, so I started making jokes. I saw that it calmed down a lot of the anger. Humour is the most effective response to stupidity and ignorance," he says, describing the origins of his foray into comedy.

The American tradition of comedy and the society's instant love for anyone brave enough to be self-deprecating is what Hanania thinks works at engaging an audience. "When I make them smile, better, laugh, there's no way they can hate me. And that instantly opens doors of opportunity to talk and present another viewpoint," he says, adding that, "once they [Americans] hear our [Palestinian] side of the story they will love us for sure."

Huge obstacle

However, a huge obstacle that he has to overcome is the media. "They're very biased," he says. Despite syndicating a column out of 4,500 newspapers, Hanania says the vast majority wouldn't touch it. "And contrary to popular opinion, there is a great deal of sympathy for the Palestinian cause among Jews in America. Their views are suppressed and one doesn't hear it," he says, adding the solution to all the problems is humour.

The 52-year-old isn't afraid to be self-effacing about his life and admits to joking quite a lot about his family and three marriages. Hanania was invited by former president Bill Clinton to the White House eight times and says he advised the Americans on the need to communicate more to the Palestinians about the peace process. But his energy is not only directed at the White House, Hanania is equally critical of the Palestinians' lack of PR. "The Palestinian government just doesn't have it and the Arab world needs an adviser on communication and how to talk the same language as the Americans and that is to take comedy seriously."

We end our interview talking about last year's movie Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World. Hanania agrees the title is extremely catchy and seductive that could have been so much fun. However, he is quick to rubbish it. "I have great respect for Albert Brooks, but that was just a stupid movie. I mean the Muslim world is not India - no disrespect meant to the country - but they should have gone out to the Occupied Territories. There's so much going on there. Their lives are filled with fear, conflict and chaos, but in the evenings they don't stop living. The people there continue to eat, drink, dance, sing, live and laugh."