UC Santa Barbara

“Community, Authority and Ethics through Halal Comedy: A Comic Imagery/Imaginary of American Islam” examines the ways in which four American Muslim comedians – Yasmin Elhady, Musa Sulaiman, Omar Regan and Preacher Moss – articulate a form of religious discourse and practice through humor, as it pertains to the ethical formation of the self as well as collective responsibilities and futures. Approaching one understudied iteration of American Muslim comedy – halal comedy, this study shows how a religious ethos shapes a comedic performance that, in turn, seeks to persuade others to engage with the ethics of the Islamic tradition in the pursuit of eudaimonia, in its senses of human flourishing and a life favored by the divine. The comedians take the stage to intervene in their traditions and communities, and participate in larger conversations around questions of racial justice, representation and marriage. As such, this study illustrates the ways in which contemporary American Muslim ethicist comedy participates in the proliferation of religious authority. It argues that American Muslim comedians are “non-clerical” authoritative figures in sustaining a religious vision and practice of, for and within the community. Establishing the transformative humor of American Muslim comedians via their ethical intervention in their traditions and communities, this research demonstrates that comedy represents a route for socioreligious activism; and invites us to further examine sites of cultural productions as loci of religious authority.