Dispelling the Stereotype: Post-9/11 Arab American Stand Up Comedy

The years directly following the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, were not an easy time for Muslims and/or those of Middle Eastern descent living in America. According to civilrights.org, “Arab Americans, Muslims, and Sikhs were victimized in nearly five percent of the total number of hate crimes reported that year... a seventeen-fold increase over the prior year. On top of the fear and anger of the American people over the attacks of 9/11 and the uncertainty of America’s future, the Bush administration began to construct the image of a faceless, ambiguous terrorist that threatened America’s way of life – a faceless, ambiguous terrorist that happened to be Arabic and Muslim. This political rhetoric, however beneficial in reinforcing the agenda of the Bush administration, made it difficult for Muslims and Arab Americans living in the United States during that time. Through this paper, I plan to explore ways in which the Arab American community used comedy to reinterpret Bush administration rhetoric and challenge the popular conceptions regarding Muslim and Arab culture in the years following 9/11