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Tissa Hami Biography from Tissa Hami's Website
Tissa Hami is one of the world's few female Muslim stand-up comics. Her unique act and fresh perspective on life as an Iranian-American woman leave audiences in shock and awe. From Islamic fundamentalists to white liberals to good old-fashioned racists, no one is safe from her sharp wit. Tissa hopes her comedy will help break down stereotypes about Muslim women and foster understanding between Iranians and Americans.
Tissa grew up in a traditional Iranian family in a predominantly white suburb of Boston. She holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in international affairs from Ivy League universities. Her parents are thrilled that she is using her expensive education to pursue a career in comedy.
People who disapprove of her act will be taken hostage.
Tissa performed for 10,000 people at First Night Boston 2005. She has been featured in the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, Washington Post, and Chicago Tribune, as well as on BBC radio and Australian and European television. In the US, Tissa has appeared on ABC's The View, the Hallmark Channel, and NPR. Her radio interview on Commonwealth Journal was awarded first place in the Public Affairs category for 2004 by the Associated Press of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Tissa is one of five comedians featured in the documentary, Stand Up: Muslim American Comics Come of Age. The film, which won a prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award, aired on PBS in May 2008 and on BBC World News in September 2008.
"Sassy, sexual, sarcastic... she spins laughter out of anger, turning Islamic stereotypes inside out." - Boston Globe Sunday Magazine
"She tackles hot-button issues." - Newsweek International
"Feist[y]." - Washington Post
"Hami joins a long tradition of ethnic performers whose material stems from a provocative, irreverent look at stereotypes and discrimination.... Her zingers are fresh." - Boston Globe
"A wickedly good sense of humor." - Muslim Wake Up! Magazine
"It's not too late for her to go to medical school." - Tissa's mom
Tissa Hami is not your average standup comedian. For one thing, the 30-year-old Iranian-American performs her routine dressed in traditional Islamic hijab. For another, she talks about such things as stoning, harems, and hostage-taking.
"It was scary growing up Iranian in this country," she tells audiences at the Cambridge, Massachusetts clubs where she has been performing since November 2002. "But when other kids teased me, I threatened to take them hostage."
With her unconventional approach to standup, Hami has caused quite a stir in the local comedy scene. Stash (he goes by only one name), who has booked Hami repeatedly for his comedy show at the All Asia Cafe in Cambridge, Massachusetts calls her "one of the best comics in the whole Cambridge scene."
The key to Hami's appeal, says Stash, is "tension and release. She puts on the clothing, a great big black scarf over her head -- the whole outfit, the whole nine yards. No one knows what to expect."
A female Muslim stand-up comic? What is she going to talk about? This sets up the tension. Then Hami opens her mouth and breaks the tension with her funny stories and witty punch lines. Says Stash: "Here is this comic up there dressed as a woman from the Middle East, which has seemed inaccessible to us, now suddenly revealing an American-style comedy, which is a set up and a twist in itself."
Born in the province of Mazandaran in northern Iran, Hami came to the United States in 1978, when she was five-years old. The daughter of traditional Iranian professionals (her father has a PhD in computer science and her mother is a dentist), Hami grew up in a predominantly White suburb of Boston. Her parents had high expectations, urging her to become a doctor, get married, and have children. However, Hami says, "That was never my dream for myself."
Though she did take pre-med courses as an undergraduate at Brown University, she majored in international relations, her "true interest." Still, after graduating in 1995, she continued to do the "proper" thing, working for a few years on Wall Street.
Eventually she realized that Wall Street was not for her and went back to school, completing a dual master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University and Sciences Po in Paris, where she lived for a year. She returned to the United States in September 2001, expecting to find a good job quickly. Then came the terrorist attacks.
"In the aftermath of 9/11," says Hami, "I found myself growing increasingly tired of the one-dimensional image that Americans had of Muslim women as oppressed, mute women who were at the mercy of their men. Meanwhile, I couldn't find a job, and my friends, who for years had been telling me that I should become a stand-up comic, were pushing for me to finally do it." At the same time, Hami noticed that Muslim-American comedians were beginning to get some attention -- and all of them were men. An idea was born.
In her act, Hami tries to draw attention to the challenges facing Muslim women. "I see myself not only as a comedian, but also as an activist who tries to make people think as well as laugh," she says. "Through my comedy, I hope to help break down stereotypes about Muslim women and to increase understanding between Iranians and Americans."
"Her whole act without even seeming to try breaks down snobbery and fear and that even darker thing, bigotry," says Stash.
"For me, the key in stand-up comedy is in the first two words," says Hami. "When I get up on stage, I feel that I am standing up for Muslim women. I perform in hijab to make a statement, to show that a Muslim woman can use her voice to speak up and to speak out, and even make people laugh in the process."
Onstage Hami pokes fun at the traditional Iranian preference for the medical profession. In a recent performance at the annual dinner of the Iranian-American Medical Association of Boston, she told the assembled doctors her idea for a book about the dating trials and tribulations of a young Iranian-American woman who vows that she will not celebrate her next birthday unless she has landed a handsome Iranian doctor boyfriend to celebrate it with. The title: "Not Without My Doctor."
Sara Ghassemi, a dental student, saw Hami's performance at the medical dinner and thought it was "absolutely hilarious." As an Iranian-American herself, Ghassemi found it easy to relate to Hami's material. However, she says, "I don't think it's just an Iranian-American thing, but any foreigner who has grown up here would relate. It's like I had waited all my life to hear a stand-up comic talk about these issues, and make fun of them."
Hami uses her routine to clear up many of the misconceptions that Americans have about Islam, saying, "I wouldn't call myself particularly devout - and I would even say that I'm somewhat irreverent - but this is the culture and religion of my family and my country."
One of her jokes deals with the fact that in mosques, women always pray in the back, behind the men. Americans see this as a sign of the oppression of Muslim women, Hami says, but really, "We just like the view." She pauses. "We're praying for a piece of that."
Irreverent indeed. And how fortunate for those of us who enjoy smart, thought-provoking comedy that Tissa Hami isn't afraid to speak up and be heard.
When you feel like the only kid in town without a menorah or tree
Here’s a list of people who are Muslim just like you and me
Mohammad Ali prays toward Mecca
So does Aladdin, and my sister’s best friend Becca
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gives praise to Allah
So does much of Africa but not Nelson Mandela
When you’re down on your knees, tired of praying on the floor
Remember you were once joined by Tupac Shakur
Who needs the Dreidel Song or Winter Wonderland?
When you can sing along with the American Taliban (he converted)
Put your turban on, it’s time for Ramadan
Jerry Lewis has a telethon, it’s time to celebrate Ramadan
Martha Stewart, not a Muslim
If she wore a burka, it would really really puzzle’em...
Tissa Hami is one of the world's few female Muslim stand-up comics. Her unique act and fresh perspective on life as an Iranian-American woman leave audiences in shock and awe. From Islamic fundamentalists to white liberals to good old-fashioned racists, no one is safe from her sharp wit.
Tissa hopes her comedy will help break down stereotypes about Muslim women and foster understanding between Iranians and Americans. Tissa grew up in a traditional Iranian family in a predominantly white suburb of Boston. She holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in international affairs from Ivy League universities.
Her parents are thrilled that she is using her expensive education to pursue a career in comedy. People who disapprove of her act will be taken hostage.
Tissa Hami is one of the world's few female Muslim stand-up comics. Her unique act and fresh perspective on life as an Iranian-American woman leave audiences in shock and awe. From Islamic fundamentalists to white liberals to good old-fashioned racists, no one is safe from her sharp wit. Tissa hopes her comedy will help break down stereotypes about Muslim women and foster understanding between Iranians and Americans.
Tissa grew up in a traditional Iranian family in a predominantly white suburb of Boston. She holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in international affairs from Ivy League universities. Her parents are thrilled that she is using her expensive education to pursue a career in comedy.
People who disapprove of her act will be taken hostage.
Tissa performed for 10,000 people at First Night Boston 2005. She has been featured in the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, Washington Post, and Chicago Tribune, as well as on BBC radioand Australian and European television. In the US, Tissa has appeared on ABC's The View, the Hallmark Channel, and NPR. Her radio interview on Commonwealth Journalwas awarded first place in the Public Affairs category for 2004 by the Associated Press of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Tissa is one of five comedians featured in the documentary, Stand Up: Muslim American Comics Come of Age. The film, which won a prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award, aired on PBSin May 2008 and on BBC World Newsin September 2008.
Q: How do you work to dispel different stereotypes about Muslim women in your comedy?
Maysoon Zayid:The most obvious thing I do is I don’t wear a burqa and I’m definitely not oppressed. Plus I’m quite obviously an independent thinker which means as soon as I walk on stage I dispel a lot of those stereotypes. That and I make sure to tell people that Sally Field, in Not without my daughter does not speak for me, because it is so ridiculous.
Tissa Hami: By getting onstage and speaking up and speaking out and being funny. There is this perception that Muslim women are silent and subservient.
Q: Is it your intent to “play ambassador” and represent Muslim women through your comedy? Do you seek to represent only your specific ethnic/nationality group or sect of Islam? Why or why not?
Maysoon Zayid: It is truly a dream of mine to do just that. I would love to have the opportunity to travel more widely and be a good will ambassador. I would love to be able to focus on the positive aspects of my faith, such as charity. I mean Maysoon’s Kids is such a huge part of my life, and the genesis of that charity was the concept of Zakat combined with inspiration from Oprah’s Christmas kindness program. That alone illustrates that I live with one foot in each world. That all being said, I’m an anarchist at heart; so I’d much rather be a goodwill ambassador for humanity at large, regardless of religion, ethnicity, or height. (I’ll probably just end up on General Hospital)
Tissa Hami: I am a comedian. My intent is to be funny. I’m not out to represent anybody. The only person I represent is myself. If people can relate to what I say onstage – no matter their race, creed, or nationality – then that’s great. If not, then that’s okay too.
I’ve been surprised by the wide range of people who are able to relate to my jokes. When I first started out, I was afraid I might only appeal to other Iranian-Americans of my generation. What I’ve found is that many people relate to the ‘fish out of water’ story, so to speak. I had a white Christian woman from Texas tell me that she related to my joke about having people tell me to “go home”, because when she first moved from Texas to the North, people would hear her accent and tell her to go back to where she came from. I had another woman who was the only Catholic in an all-Protestant town tell me that she related to my stories about being an outsider. So again, if people can relate to what I say, that’s great.
Q: I know that you draw on 9/11 as a large source of inspiration for the drive to do your comedy projects. Are there specific people from whom you draw similar inspiration?
Maysoon Zayid: I don’t draw on 911 for any of my inspiration. I live in Cliffside Park. I saw the towers every single day of my life, and it’s one of the few things I choose not to be yuk yuk about. I draw inspiration from my dear Daddy, who I love more than lunch meat, my kids in Palestine, who treat hair gel the way a crack whore treats crack. The insanity of the occupation. Dave Mathews. Adam Sandler. Dean Obeidallah. And as cheesy as it sounds, Mariah Carey, but we’ll talk about that later. Oh. and Suhair Hammad, because the risks that she takes on stage, are always earned and she has such an incredible respect for her audience. So I’ve drawn a lot of inspiration form her work.
Tissa Hami: Yes, from my two favorite comedians – George W. Bush and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Q: When you give interviews or speak to non-Muslim audiences about your experiences as Muslim women, do you feel you’re expected to live up to ideas they may have about Muslim women? Do you feel these outlets take your voice seriously even though you might not look like what most non-Muslims think of when they think of a Muslim woman?
Maysoon Zayid: I like to screw with people’s perceptions. I don’t represent all Muslim women. But neither does the crazy woman who keeps calling me a slut on YouTube. I’m not trying to represent all Muslim women. I’m trying to give voice to the silent majority. Unfortunately, I’m a bit loony.
Tissa Hami: In general, non-Muslim audiences take me for who I am. It’s the Muslims who have loads of expectations and who are the biggest critics. What I like to tell any critic is, look at what I do. It’s just me and a microphone. If you have something to say that’s different from what I have to say, then by all means, grab a microphone and get onstage and make your voice heard.
Q: Maysoon, because you visit Palestine so often, I’m assuming you have very traumatic and horrific experiences with all sorts of security stations. Is this fodder for your routine as well? Do you use your comedy to work through this?
Maysoon Zayid: Listen. If it were not for comedy, every plate [and champagne flute] in my house would be shattered in a million pieces. Comedy is free therapy. And if it’s done well the audience and the comic take turns being the doctor as well as the patient. Laughter heals. Zogby did a poll. Believe me.
Q: Your image may not coincide with a lot of people’s ideas of what a Muslim woman is. Do you think that helps or hurts the messages you’re sending?
Maysoon Zayid: Both. You know not wearing hijab has seriously seriously hurt my career. Mass media wants to see a woman in a veil. But I think it helps me, because it makes it easier for my audience to relate to me. I’m not the scary ‘other’ they keep seeing on Fox News.
Wow, I answered the same question fifteen different ways. It’s kinda like being interrogated by security.
Q: You’re often portrayed as the “underdog” because of your Palestinian heritage and living with cerebral palsy. Do you feel like the underdog, or does that label bother the hell out of you?
Maysoon Zayid: Sigh…I’m 30. Single, and I live with my mother and my cat in New Jersey. So yeah I’m the underdog. But I’m like the Giants in the last 2 minutes of the Superbowl type of underdog. I got a PBS special, an Adam Sandler movie and 732 disabled orphaned refugees who depend on me. So I’m blessed and don’t mind being called an underdog as long as I keep winning Masha’allah. Thanks for the great questions. If you’d like more info on me or my charity check out www.maysoon.com. Salam.
Q: Tissa, In the PBS special, you talk about removing your headscarf during performances to illustrate that you’re just the same woman with or without it. If you decided to wear it the entire show or not wear it at all, how do you think this would affect your comedy?
Tissa Hami: I have done both – many times (and mainly when I have shorter sets, since I don’t have enough time to perform with the hijab and then remove it). The bulk of the jokes have nothing to do with how I’m dressed, so they work with or without the hijab.
Q: By using the headscarf in your routine, what messages are you trying to convey?
Tissa Hami: That not all veiled Muslim women are silent or oppressed or subservient or terrorists. That a veiled woman isn’t someone to revile or fear. I was in Iran last month for my aunt’s funeral, and when I was there, I dressed in hijab every day because that’s the law. It didn’t change who I am. I was still the same person with the same ideas, opinions, and thoughts. And that’s what I’m trying to show – that whether I’m veiled or not, I am the exact same person.
Q: In an article you wrote for iranian.com in which you chronicle your double life as a stand-up comic and an administrative assistant, you state that you’ve received accolades you didn’t deserve and opportunities you didn’t earn. Is this just Iranian ta’arofing (over-politeness)? When you obviously work so hard at your job(s), why do you feel you aren’t deserving of the praise presented to you?
Tissa Hami: What I meant is, if lots and lots of female Muslim stand-up comics had come before me, then no one would even notice me. It’s only because I’m one of the first that people pay so much attention. Trust me, in 20 years, no one will be making a documentary about female Muslim stand-up comic #150.
Tissa Hami is one of the world's few female Muslim stand-up comics. Her unique act and fresh perspective on life as an Iranian-American woman leave audiences in shock and awe. Tissa hopes her comedy will help break down stereotypes about Muslim women and foster understanding between Iranians and Americans.
Tissa grew up in a traditional Iranian family in a predominantly white suburb of Boston. She holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in international affairs from Ivy League universities. Her parents are thrilled that she is using her expensive education to pursue a career in comedy.
Tissa performed for 10,000 people at First Night Boston 2005. She has been featured in the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, Washington Post, and Chicago Tribune, as well as on BBC radio and Australian and European television. In the US, Tissa has appeared on ABC's The View, the Hallmark Channel, and NPR. Her radio interview on Commonwealth Journal was awarded first place in the Public Affairs category for 2004 by the Associated Press of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Tissa is one of five comedians featured in the documentary, Stand Up: Muslim American Comics Come of Age. The film, which won a prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award, aired on PBS in May 2008 and on BBC World News in September 2008.
Coming soon.
Thursday, March 5th at 5:30pm
Austin Peay State University
Clarksville, TN
Saturday, March 7th at 8:30pm
Coexist Comedy Tour
Harbin Hot Springs
Middletown, CA
Sunday, March 15th at 1pm
University of California at Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
Wednesday, March 18th at 7:30pm
University of Delaware
Newark, DE
Friday, March 27th at 7:30pm
Michigan Technological University
Rozsa Center for the Arts
Houghton, MI
Saturday, March 28th at 7:30pm
Michigan Technological University
Rozsa Center for the Arts
Houghton, MI
Thursday, April 9th at 7pm
Pomona College
Claremont, CA
Thursday, April 16th at 7:30pm
Dolores Park Cafe
501 Dolores Street, San Francisco, CA
Tuesday, April 21st at 7:30pm
Rockhurst University
Kansas City, MO
Tuesday, July 21st at 7pm
Laugh Factory
Hollywood, CA
Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 11am
Drury University
Springfield, MO
Keywords: anti muslim jokes