Virtually Islamic Blog

Gary R. Bunt

Bassem Youssef

BBC World Service, Outlook, Bassem Youssef: Egypt’s revolutionary comedian

"Bassem Youssef was a heart surgeon in Cairo during the Arab Spring when he started poking fun at the politicians in power. His style of subversive comedy was ground-breaking, and Bassem soon became one of the best known comedians in the Middle East. For a while he was described as 'Egypt's Jon Stewart'. Bassem's television show was wildly popular but his fan base didn't extend to the Egyptian authorities. His show was cancelled and soon he had to flee his home." Internet issues feature in this story, especially his use of YouTube early in his comedic career. And remember this classic (with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show?):

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