When someone told Maz Jobrani's mother to go back to her country, the Iranian-American comedian turned the racist incident into material for his stand-up routine.
Race, religion, politics and Middle Eastern stereotypes are common themes used by the internationally recognised comedian, who performed his new Brown and Friendly show at the Dubai Community and Theatre Arts Centre (DUCTAC) last week.
Material for comedy
"I read a lot of news and see a lot of things that upset me such as discrimination against a Middle Easterner or a Muslim, or anyone for that matter, and then I try to bring that to the stage as a news piece. I try to make fun of the perpetrators of that discrimination," Jobrani, 37, says.
Jobrani has made numerous television appearances on programmes such as The Jay Leno Show and Malcolm in the Middle. He is also a member of the critically-acclaimed Axis of Evil Comedy Tour that features top Middle Eastern comedians. The group was a hit in the United States and received its own Comedy Central special in 2007. More recently, however, the members have been focusing on their solo careers.
Jobrani's latest show is a mix of jokes on personal subjects, such as his wife and newborn baby, and on recent political events such as the US and Iran elections. In the past, his topics have included the Iraq war and the war in Afghanistan. "I was opposed to any conflicts that were killing people in the Middle East, so comedy was how I expressed myself."
Heralding change
Although he is credited with creating positive social change, Jobrani says he doesn't have an agenda and his goal as a comedian is simply to be funny. However, he does admit that his work can have an effect on people's views. "When we were doing the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, I went on a website chat room and there were some conservative Americans saying, ‘I never knew these people laughed.'
"If you're able to show those who have a racist view of the Middle East that Middle Easterners do laugh, then I guess you are effecting some social change," he says.
- Sanam Islam is a Dubai-based freelancer
