Iranian comedienne - Negin Farsad

Negin Farsad is a critically acclaimed director, writer, actor and producer who helped bring MC Frontalot to the world's attention. She's also a stand-up comedienne and . Her successful comedy tour 'Bootleg Islam' was:

... a comedy about a California-raised Iranian-American girl gallivanting around the streets of Tehran, Iran. She travels to this Middle-Eastern hotbed for a cousin’s wedding and discovers how ridiculous oppression can be, how delicious the third world has become and how hard it is to keep a chador on.

Her website www.neginfarsad.com is full of info about all her projects, upcoming events, links so you can follow her on Twitter, etc.

On visiting Iran

Talking about her film Nerdcore Rising

On Ahmadinejad's visit to Colombia University

Here's Negin Farsad interviewing lots of people who can't even pronounce Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's name without having to think about it for 2 minutes. Whether or not Ahmadinejad should have been invited to speak at a prestigious American university the people who want to protest against it could have at least had a clue who he was, his politics, etc. You can't just answer the call from a political action committee, go out there, get interview and sound like a dolt.

Appearing in "Don't call me that!"

Negin Farsad has her own channel on YouTube (currently only 2 videos on there), which includes this short documentary about a bakery helping immigrant women in New York.

Iranian comedienne - Elham Jazab

Born in Shiraz, Tehran, but now living in America Elham Jazab is a bug-eyed, big-haired Iranian standup comedienne. Her comedy revolves around the American culture and her experiences in it. She used to be an actress, but now she's working on her stand-up.

Eyebrows, husbands and students

Hairy Persians

And we're talking about people, not cats!

Hairy Persians @ Yahoo! Video

At the movies with Elham Jazab

At the Movies @ Yahoo! Video

Hijab and casting, being mistaken for a Mexican

Iranian comedienne - Shappi Khorsandi

Daughter of the famous, exiled Iranian satirist Hadi Khorsandi, Shappi Khorsandi is a popular and frequent guest on the BBC. She regularly appears on Newsnight, radio panel games and standup shows. There is an indepth profile on the Times website.

Discussing political correctness

Live at the Apollo

On parenthood and pregnancy

(Note - it's Shappi not Shappy, Chappy or Shapi the Iranian comedienne.)

Iranian comedienne - Tissa Hami

Take one look at Tissa Hami and you think Iranian!. And you're right. But she's a fiercely funny Iranian American standup comedienne...

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 Tissa’s sharp wit. (source)

After the 9/11 attacks on America, Hami felt the need to get active in promoting another view of Muslims in America to the one constantly being shown in the media. Since starting as a standup comic she's worked around the US and taken part in the Randomly Selected and Coexists? comedy tours and featured on a PBS documentary.

A Muslim comedienne and wearing a hijab automatically makes me think of Shazia Mirza from the UK. Their comedy is very different though. Tissa Hami fits in closely with the American standups around the Axis of Evil comedy tour, whereas Sharia Mirza's comedy is more awkward and crude. Shazia Mirza no longer wears a hijab, and for Hami it's part of her act (similar to Omid Djalili starting in mock Persian broken English). Hami has come to be seen as something of a novelty, like Matisyahu (the Hassidic reggae star), in a setting where you'd least expect to find a Muslim woman. In this Australian documentary she talks about what motivates her.

With Dean Obiedallah

Tissa Hami on Mid-West Travel

Standup : American Muslim Comedians Come of Age

Find out more about Tissa Hami on her website: http://www.tissahami.com/

Iranian comedienne - Sheila Vossough

Onstage Sheila Vossough looks like your average college age American woman wearing a baggy shirt and jeans giving off a Roseanne Barr kind of vibe. But she's a great Iranian American comedienne as the videos below show...

During her stand-up routine, Vossough had a warning for Iranian women wanting to come to America: "Women of Iran, please stop trying to get the hell out. Where do you think you're going? If any of these stories about your nightlives are true, stay. I swear to God, when you set foot in the States, all this attention from men stops. Men here are not as horny as you're used to." (source)

The internet doesn't seem to know much about Sheila Vossough at the moment, even though she's apprently had her own TV show and been a moderately successful stage actress.

Iranian comedienne - Mona Mahani

Mona Mahani is a Persian American comedienne, actress and poet from Texas. She deals with growing up Persian, dealing with the generation gap, the old family back in Iran and dealing with a traditional father.