Thursday, April 11, 2013

In Egypt, satire can't just be a laughing matter


Comics such as Bassem Youssef are attacked by thin-skinned Islamist leaders – but satire's job is to lampoon the powerful


guardian.co.uk,


"......Youssef's satire lassos the powerful, while the powerful lash out against the vulnerable. Several Muslim Brotherhood officials and some from the ultra-conservative Salafi movement are on record blaming women for sexual violence at a time when street sexual harassment and assaults are at epidemic levels. Islamists also face little if any legal blowback for astounding bigotry and incitement against Egypt's Christians. This at a time when Christians feel increasingly at risk: just this Sunday, two died in fighting outside the Coptic church's headquarters in Cairo, after Muslims attacked Christians mourning a sectarian attack the day before.


We always knew religious fundamentalists were humourless but who knew they were so thin-skinned. The revolution has taught us much."

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