ISIS, the so-called “so-called” Islamic State, is not funny. When people grope around for an example of what qualifies as unadulterated evil that would justify war, ISIS is always in the top 10. One of the drawbacks of spreading the truth about ISIS, or even propaganda about ISIS, is that it helps to build a very scary bogeyman. How does a society deal with an organization built on fear without playing into the fear that makes them strong? Humor.
While ISIS isn’t fodder for Saturday Night Live here, it is fodder for SNL’s Middle Eastern equivalents. To western eyes it’s a little strange… kind of like a grim, Islamic Monty Python, but it’s a fascinating phenomenon from a culture that too often is portrayed as 1-dimensional and humorless. This month’s Humorousness includes sketches from various sources as well as reporting that explains some of the trends and meanings of the satire (for those of us who aren’t quite familiar enough with Pakistani politics to get the jokes.)
Anti-ISIS Satire Lampoons Militant Group’s Hypocrisy- This audio report from NPR’s “All Things Considered” is a great place to start; it’s what caught our attention. Although it’s audio, it includes narration and explanation of the Al-Falastiniya clip below…
