Members from Acclaimed Axis of Evil Comedy Tour
to Appear at Brown University, Friday, February 22
Maz Jobrani to Give the 2008 K. Brooke Anderson Memorial Lecture @12:00 p.m.
Comedy Performance for Brown Campus @9:30 p.m.

Their humor is edgy but reflective of their experiences as Americans with Middle Eastern roots. Yet, the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour's primary theme is that “laughter is universal,” and their message is garnering acclaim as they perform throughout the United States. Members from the tour will bring their own special brand of humor to
the Brown University campus on Friday, February 22. Maz Jobrani, the tour's leader, will present the 2008 K. Brooke Anderson Memorial Lecture at 12:00 p.m., which
will address "Beyond Television: Breaking the Stereotypes." At 9:30 p.m., he will
be joined by tour members Aron Kader and Dean Obeidallah to offer a special performance for the Brown campus. Both events take place at the Salomon Center
for Teaching, Room 101, The College Green.

The events are free and open to the public. The Salomon Center for teaching is handicap accessible.

Iranian-American Jobrani and Palestinian-Americans Kader and Obeidallah began their act two and a half years ago, naming themselves after President Bush's reference to the countries of Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. The Axis of Evil Comedy Central Special premiered in 2007 as the first all Middle Eastern show on American television, and in the same year their DVD was released. With each performance, these comedians challenge with humor, the stereotypes that prevail in the United States about Middle Easterners, especially since 9/11. With each laugh, they disarm fears and help their audiences recognize the points of commonality in cultural diversity.

Newsweek reported that “They are doing for Middle Easterners what Richard Pryor did for African-Americans—carrying their culture to the mainstream….Very funny and timely.”

Brown's Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life extended an invitation to Jobrani for the K. Brooke Anderson Memorial Lecture because of OCRL's long-time commitment to encourage and support interfaith dialogue. This lectureship each year brings leading intellectuals to the Brown campus to address issues of religion and society. The events on February 22 are also part of Brown's 2008 Islam Awareness Month.

The sponsors for this events are:
Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life
Brown Muslim Students Association
K. Brooke Anderson Memorial Lecture Fund
Office of Campus Life
The Late-Night Fund
The Watson Institute and the Islamic Funds Committee
Middle Eastern Studies
Dean of the College
Office of Campus Life
Office of Residential Life
Office of the President
Office of Institutional Diversity

For more information about these events, visit the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life, www.brown.edu/ocrl. For more information about Jobrani, Kader, Dean Obeidallah, and the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour and other performance dates, visit www.axisofevilcomedy.com.

Photo: Maz Jobrani of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour.