Articles: Finding harmony through humor

In light of this summer's erupting violence between Israel and the Arabic-extremist group Hezbollah, students of Middle Eastern origin are using an entirely different weapon to eradicate tensions on campus: laughter.

The Organization of Arab Students and the Jewish Student Union co-sponsored "Standup for Peace" last night, a comedy act that featured an Arab and Jewish comedian cracking jokes about a range of topics from their childhood to tensions in the Middle East and the Bush administration. While leaders of both groups agree that Arabs and Jews on this campus have typically maintained a peaceful relationship, they said they hoped events like last night's would bolster the existing harmony.

"We are both trying to establish a common goal and educate other people regarding our cultures and organizations," said current OAS Vice President Nadrah El-Fayoumy, a junior accounting major. "Other organizations just work within themselves, and by us working together with another organization, we are showing [that with] teamwork and cooperation and by having more assets and allies we can accomplish a goal easier and faster."

JSU President Noah Allen, a senior criminology and criminal justice major, said his brother, a university alumnus, had experienced tension between the Arab and Jewish groups after Sept. 11; through collaborative effort, that's no longer the case.

"It was very, very heated between the Jews and Arabs from my understanding of it," Allen said. "Now we have cohesion, and my understanding from other campuses across the country is we have one of the most cohesive relationships out of many other universities."

Allen and other student leaders attribute some of that cohesion to events like last night's show, which bring students together in a relaxed environment.

"Events like this are a little more light-hearted," former Vice President of OAS Sarah Abdelrahim, a senior physical sciences and Spanish and Portuguese languages and literature double major said. "There is so much tension at the surface and I think we need to remove that tension in order to tackle those issues."

The issues weren't completely absent from last night's show, however, as Arab comedian Dean Obeidallah and Jewish comedian Scott Blakeman integrated conflict-related facts and statistics into a question-and-answer session at the end of the act.

Bringing this component to the show is necessary Baha'i Chair for World Peace and government and politics professor John Grayzel said, because while using comedy to diffuse tensions isn't a new tactic, it can worsen the problem if not executed correctly.

"It's a powerful means for diffusing tensions within groups as well as at times a dangerous means for mocking other groups and raising tensions," Grayzel said. "The intent behind those using it is fundamental."

Blakeman and Obeidallah said their show comes with the best of intentions, and if it weren't for the overwhelmingly positive response, they wouldn't continue performing it.

"A lot of times you have people who are really entrenched in either side, and they can't see the other side," said Obeidallah, who added the show helps shed light on opposing viewpoints. "You can't have everyone agreeing on everything. But you can find some common ground, and I think you'd be amazed how much they have in common."

Obeidallah and Blakeman began their show in 2002 with several other comedians to benefit "Seeds for Peace," a camp in Maine that brings together Jewish and Arab youth.

Despite the show's increasing popularity, a few comedians left the act, and now only Obeidallah and Blakeman remain.

"It was never intended to be a touring show," Obeidallah said. "It's a comedy show first, but it's not just a comedy show, and that's what really made Scott and I continue doing it."

The duo booked performances at temples, comedy clubs and theaters nationwide, but both comedians agree, there is no stage quite like a college campus.

"You probably have less people with set ideas, hardened ideas that have gotten that way over long periods of time," Blakeman said of college audiences. "I think college students are more open- minded to begin with."

Blakeman added that the show's message carries even more influence due to this receptivity and the fact that college students are in their educational prime.

"It sounds corny, but [college students] can really make a difference and really change the status quo," Blakeman said. "Hopefully we can inspire them to reach out to the politicians and say, 'Hey this isn't working, you really need to be pushing for peace.'"

To pursue their goal of understanding, OAS and JSU are co-hosting other events such as "Combatants for Peace," in which an Israeli airforce pilot and Palestinian fighter speak about peace.

"Even if something is positive, there are always steps you can take to improve it, and that's what we are doing right now," El-Fayoumy said.