Does Islam have a sense of Humour?

Here's a joke for you:

"2 guys are nibbling on dates, and as they eat they pile up the stones in front of them.
Then suddenly, Guy One puts his pile of stones on Guy Two's, and says:
- Man, have you eaten all that?
to which Guy Two replies:
- And you've been eating your dates WITH the stones?"

This joke is, believe it or not, a 1400 years old true story. Guy Two is Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) and Guy One is his younger cousin Ali Ibn Abi Talib - future Caliph and legendary leader of the early Age of Islam.

It's because I was raised on stories like this - oh, I've got a bunch :) - that I was insulted for a second when BBC News published an article titled "Does Islam have a sense of Humour?".

I mean, seriously?
And why is it 'Islam' and not 'Muslims'?

But then I realised that some people not only saw us as stone-faced jerks, but saw Islam as a religion that, well, teaches us to be such.

(I love the photo!! :-)

Azhar Usman, of the “Allah Made me Funny” stand-up comedy band (who performed in Cairo a couple of months ago!!), answers this better than I can. The whole Prophet caricatures controversy managed, almost instantly, to depict us as humourless blokes who teach their children that laughing is Haraam (forbidden).

His point is simple: Muslims love to laugh, even (especially!) at themselves: everything about the culture is fair game - but the religion itself is not. Neither ours, nor others’. (End of Mr. Usman's argument.)

Simple, no? I think it’s not too much to ask. Of course this simple idea runs into disagreement with the thought that everything is laughing material (yeah, go give a joke about AIDS patients or Pearl Harbor, then we’ll talk...) but essentially there’s nothing to be concerned about.

Only, it seems there is. And some of the most open-minded people I come across still ask me basic questions, very wearily, as if I were carrying a stone in the pocket of my work suit and was going to smash their faces with it if I didn’t like the question. “Can a non-Muslim use the word ‘Allah’?”, asked a friend last Friday, trying to manage me gently so I don’t get upset.

Besides me being glad he felt at ease enough to ask me a question about faith - but People, what is that about? Why do you assume that Muslims have no tolerance for questions, or, Jeez, for jokes?

(and yes, I use Jeez and it’s not blasphemous. I find its spelling funny).

We can laugh at essentially, pretty much everything. Especially at ourselves. And even at Jeff Dunham’s “Achmed the Dead Terrorist” which is super politically incorrect but soooooooooooooo hilarious!!! I love it!!

Anyways. Back to topic.

Come to think of it, ethnic Muslim stand-up comedy (and Arab, since most people can’t tell the difference anyway) not only plays an important role in telling their audience(s) that Muslims are regular people, that the average Mo has the same hopes, fears, fantasies and wet dreams as the average Jo; but also that ‘we’, not just as people but also as a culture (am ultra-oversimplifying and pretending we do have a unique culture... I don’t need to go into the difference between American and French and Nigerian and Egyptian and Indonesian and Indian Muslims, do I?) can actually be pretty damn funny, too. It’s quite a distinction that I never thought would be necessary - this “individuals” vs. “religion” distinction.

But the fact that the question has been asked means that it is indeed necessary.

Answering this question, and others like it will, I believe, determine whether Muslims are ‘tolerated’ or ‘accepted’ in their communities.

‘Tolerated’ is more of a ‘live and let live’ approach. It’s people looking at Muslims as odd but generally inoffensive blokes who live in parallel to their society - with ‘their’ neighbourhoods, ‘their’ clothes, 'their' food, ‘their’ language(s). ‘Okay, we now know that Muslims aren’t all terrorists so now I no longer feel (too) worried living next door to Fatima’ attitude.

‘Accepted’, however, would entail a more complex, developed relationship. It’ll be not looking funny at a shopkeeper with a beard or a lady with a headscarf.

It’ll be cracking jokes with your Muslim coworker about being a vegetarian in Eid-El-Adha (that’s when sheep is traditionally eaten).

It’ll be the two of us hitting the bar after work - where you’ll casually order a beer for yourself and a diet coke for me.

It’ll be the parents getting mad that their daughter brought home a Muslim boyfriend for Christmas (or better, for Sukkot) as the plot for a low-budget Hollywood comedy.

And yes, Muslims laugh too.

And people, God-oh-God, please don’t fall for the trap of political correctness. Laugh with me, laugh at me. I’ll probably frown in public if you laugh at me too hard - and will laugh my ass off in private.

Oops, I said ass. Haraam.

Oops, I did it again.

Oops, I just quoted Britney Spears. Which, for Muslims as well, is the ultimate sin..

(Okay, that wasn’t really funny. Bad example for Muslim humour, huh?)

So, do me a favour - if you're still having the same doubt as the BBC, well, go see a good Muslim comedian. Check “Allah made me Funny” (and the excellent “Axis of Evil Comedy show”, who are touring the Middle East these days). Search them on YouTube.

More importantly though -- talk to me. Behave around me like you would around anyone else. Like my friend Beatrice used to say about her kids - "they're not made of biscuit" - we don't bruise easily. And we've got the God jokes, too - think of all the jokes you've been missing... ;-D

And next time we're in a bar - diet coke is on you.