Delightful link! And really underlines how little culturally I know about Islam, even though I've worked with Muslims for years and have many Muslim acquaintances. I really need a glossary/guided tour for the little things.

And he makes an extremely important point. The whole "laugh at yourself" thing has been very important in the US as part of the way we all somehow get along. Just think about the Jewish comics who have made figures like the Jewish mother a cultural icon shared by one and all. And black comics rule the airwaves. Each ethnic and racial group feels more like they're in control of their own lives and identities when they can make fun of themselves, rather than be a figure of scorn/fun by the "mainstream" community. And iin the process, they make their group seem much more familiar, much less alien, to the "mainstream." Everybody knows about going to school with the nuns, whether they have a clue about Catholic theology.

I'm sure some social scientists have written tomes on the topic of political humor as a definer of identity and separateness and as an integrative mechanism. We only have a sane system when groups that make up the American landscape manage to do both -- it's not the melting pot as much as a stew, where there's an overall flavor and texture, but where you can still pick out and taste the carrots, potatoes, etc. I don't know how we've reached the point where it gets politicized as an either/or sort of thing in the "multiculturalism" and diversity debates.

The Bahraini's much more entertaining illustrating the point! I'll have to make sure I check him out frequently.