Women, humor, and free speech in the Muslim world

Last week, a number of Saudi women formally protested the Kingdom's ban against women driving by getting behind the wheel, driving, and filming the whole thing. While the women were serious and articulate about their position, one Saudi comedian, Hisham Fageeh, satirized the events through his video "No woman, no drive," a parody of the famous Bob Marley song. With close to 9 million hits on YouTube in the last week, many around the globe also found his performance entertaining.

As I have reflected on this turn of events, I've had a number of thoughts. First, Fageeh shows us a side of the Muslim world that we don't always get in the West--a humorous side. Having lived among Arabs and Muslims for many years, I know that Arabs have a great sense of humor and tell some great jokes. Like Fageeh, who is clearly mocking his own society, many Arabs use humor to poke fun at and in a way cope with the frustrations and injustices in their societies. Historically though, they have not had a platform to broadcast their humor. So both the protesting women and Fageeh are using the same vehicle--social media and specifically YouTube--to tell the world about their worlds. Social media has given them an audience, a sense of empowerment, and an opportunity for free speech.

While many women may not appreciate Fageeh's humor (because this is a serious issue for them), his 9 million hits on YouTube have only raised their issue even more. Hopefully, Westerners will get the irony and humor and realize that there is much diversity (that includes humor) in the Muslim world.