Discussing
A Muslim Comedian's Search for Belonging in America

In a new Nextflix standup special, an American-Indian Muslim comedian recounts his struggle to finding belonging.

"Christians create tribes and cliques too. Some are obvious, but some are subtler and are enforced with a smile."


Ouch. So true. I think we could all learn a lesson from the way Minhaj's father seems to model a "turn the other cheek" humility, despite the fact that he's the victim of a gross social injustice. If we as Christians would choose to be less "offendable" I suspect we would find we have far more in common than we generally think.

For a "Muslim comedian" who is "search[ing] for belonging in Americs" (title of this article), Hasan seems to have done pretty good. As he himself has said, where but in America could he, a first generation Indian Muslim, get to stand on stage as the focal point at the DC Whitehouse Correspondent's dinner and make jokes about the President of the United States, who himself felt little enough so little belonging that he was absent at the dinner, despite it being named after his own residence.

Certainly, Irish Catholics had a much harder time finding "belonging" in America than Hasan is having. And Hasan has his own Netfix gig too????

We need to get over this fad of worshipping, of idolizing, victimhood status.