The ‘Super Muslim Comedy Tour’ in the UK succeeded in helping the Pakistani flood victims as well as entertaining the audience.
In this charity event, Muslim comedians from around the world performed live in 10 cities including Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow.
The event started on October 21 this year in London and this is the seventh year of the event.
British stand-up comedian Prince Abdi, who played the role of Abdullah Afzal in the BBC’s award-winning comedy program Citizen Khan, was also among those who took to the stage during the event.
The line-up includes Yemeni-born British comedian Fathia Saleh and Palestinian-born American comedian Athir Yaqoub, two female artists performing for the first time in a touring show.
The event is organized by Penny Appeal, an award-winning international humanitarian organization with projects operating in over 45 countries across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
As with all the entertaining ‘Halal’ content presented at the event, each actor presented a unique comedy style inspired by their ethnic background.
According to Arab News, the show opened with a performance by British-Pakistani comedian Jeff Mirza, who defied the common perception of British ‘dry humour’ with his gestures, facial expressions and voice.
Jeff Mirza, the first British Muslim comedian to perform in Saudi Arabia, had everyone in attendance going wild when he mocked ‘staring’ Muslim men.
“A smile is said to be a form of charity,” Jeff Mirza told Arab News.
He explained that ‘a comedy tour is like killing two birds with one stone as it makes people laugh as well as raising money for charity.’
Saleh shared his experience of growing up in a Somali-Yemen family.
24-year-old Saleh, who started stand-up comedy in 2019, has appeared in several shows in London, including ‘Asians vs. Arabs’, ‘Arabs Are Not Funny’ and the BBC Asian Network comedy show.
His punchlines on Saturday earned him a standing ovation from the audience as he offered a humorous analysis of the family cultures found in Arab and Muslim communities.
Saleh told Arab News: ‘Everybody needs some place of entertainment so that they can relax and enjoy entertainment in a halal way. So hopefully it can be a similar place for the Muslim audience.’
Azim Muhammad, from America, spoke about his conversion to Islam and his experience as a Muslim man in America.
Azeem Muhammad also told Arab News that ‘Halal comedy plays an important role in making future generations not only scholars and academics but also focusing on their spiritual essence and their creative and cultural values.’
Similarly, Athir Yaqoub, who performed in London on Sunday, shared his stories of growing up as a Palestinian Muslim in Alabama and moving to New York.
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Yaqoob said that he was happy to see the representation of women in the audience especially.
British-Moroccan actress Laila Rawas, who came to watch the show, shared her experience with Arab News and said, ‘I loved every moment of the show. How great to see so many talented Muslim comedians in one place. The evening was full of laughter, fun and fundraising.’
More than 5,000 tickets have been sold for this year’s show, with proceeds going to help victims of the recent floods in Pakistan.
Organizers said the event raises more than £500,000 each year.
British actor and comedian Abdullah Afzal recounts his first-hand experience of witnessing the devastation of floods during a visit to Pakistan.
He said: ‘It was terrifying. People are really suffering, so this evening is important for rebuilding Pakistan.’
The Super Muslim Comedy Tour continued until October 30 with the final stop in Bradford.
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2024-09-20 18:07:09
