REPORTER: Bronwyn Adcock
In post-September 11 America, the last thing you'd want to do is get on stage as a Muslim and make jokes about hostage-taking. But that's precisely what Tissa Hami is about to do.
TISSA HAMI (ON STAGE): I should tell you a little bit about myself. I am originally from Iran. Thanks. We have a few Axis of Evil fans in the audience.
Iranian-American Tissa Hami is a rarity - a female Muslim stand-up comic who's not afraid to confront stereotypes.
TISSA HAMI (ON STAGE): Before I go on, let's get a few things out of the way. Alright, no, I do not ride camels, I do not live in a cave, but if you piss me off I will take you hostage.
Tissa is Muslim, but she only wears a headscarf when she performs - it's all part of her comedy with a message.
REPORTER: So what message are you trying to say about the veil and about dressing in hijab?
TISSA HAMI That just because you're a Muslim woman doesn't mean that you're voiceless, it doesn't mean your oppressed, it doesn't mean that you can't speak for yourself. I wanted to give people something they didn't expect, I wanted to go up and fight back and speak out and be funny.
TISSA HAMI (ON STAGE): I was actually talking to a reporter recently and he asked me, "Now, as a Muslim woman, is there anything you wouldn't talk about on stage? [pause] My dick.
Tissa is relatively new to the world of stand-up comedy. Her background is in investment banking. A few years ago, she decided she wanted to try and change the way people in America think about Middle Easterners.
TISSA HAMI There was not one positive image, there hasn't been, there really hasn't been. But if I can add my voice to the mix and provide an alternative to the hijacker, to the suicide bomber, just provide a different image, then that's what I want to do.
Tissa's first gig ever was one year after the terrorist attacks on America. It was a nerve-racking experience.
TISSA HAMI I didn't know If America was ready. 9/11 is very present in everyone's mind, but sort of a year after, the emotional level was much more charged and I just didn't know if America was ready to see a veiled woman cracking jokes about airport security, about these things that we are all scared about, and I was worried for myself and about my safety, quite honestly, but I was determined to do it, and I thought it would be really funny.
The manager of the club where Tissa performed that first gig is Rick Jenkins.
RICK JENKINS, COMEDY CLUB OWNER: We do shows here once every six weeks or so called 'Sacrificing Virgins'. We put 10 comedians who have never been on stage before and they're terrific shows, and usually there's one or two people who show a little bit of promise, but Tissa showed so much promise at that show we asked her to come back the following Saturday, which it is rare for anyone to be asked to come right back, but to be asked to come right back on one of the marquee nights is very unusual.
TISSA HAMI: I remember the airport security jokes, really got them. Because at the time people knew that Muslims were having a hard time getting through airport security, so I had one joke where I said, "I got on the plane and the flight attendant came on and she said, "'Ladies and gentlemen, here are new safety procedures. Please take a moment to look around and locate the Muslim nearest you. Keeping in mind that the nearest Muslim may be located behind you." And that really got them.
According to Rick Jenkins, the success of Tissa Hami lies behind the fact that she lets her audience really understand her world.
RICK JENKINS: Good comedy - let's see the world through someone else's eyes. Much of stand-up comedy tends to be very xenophobic, very cheerleading, much like "We hate those people, don't we?" very 'us and them' sort of thing. I think the better comedy enlarges your horizons rather than narrows your views.
TISSA HAMI (ON STAGE): You see I've noticed that people are always fascinated, they're simply fascinated by my name. They're like, "Tissa, Tissa, Tissa, that's such an unusual name. Does it mean anything in your language? Yeah, it's an ancient Persian word meaning, "Ohhhhh, we're so disappointed it's not a boy!" Now my little sister - she was born here in America - and her first name is Melody. That's Persian for "Lucky bitch got an American name."
Tissa's family are what she calls typically Iranian. They are amongst her biggest supporters. I truly am proud of her, proud of what she's doing. She has gone to some schools and talked to young children, many of whom were from the Middle East, Just to tell them that they are OK, they are not terrorists, and they will be fine people. The Hami family came to America in 1978.
ZHALEH HAMI, TISSAS MOTHER: A year later, there was a revolution in Iran and Americans were taken hostage. It made growing up in America difficult for Tissa - all good grist for the humour mill.
TISSA HAMI (ON STAGE): I grew up here in the United States and I've got to say that it totally sucked growing up Iranian in this country. Like I remember in the late '70s, the last place you wanted to be from was Iran. Everybody thought you were a hostage-taking terrorist. So my parents and I, we found a way around it. Like, instead of telling people we were Iranian, we would tell them we were Persian. Because that way they just thought we just made nice rugs...and cats.
Tissa is without doubt a rising star on the US comedy circuit, though not everyone is welcoming her act. Earlier this year, Tissa was offered the chance to appear with Azhar Usman, a well-established Muslim comedian, but at the last minute she was blocked from appearing.
TISSA HAMI: And there was a 5-college consortium of Muslim student groups that were sponsoring the show, and he was on and I was supposed to be on, and the night before the show he called me and said, "They don't want you on the show anymore. They went to your website, they read some of your jokes, they didn't think it would be appropriate for a traditional Muslim audience and they cancelled." And for me, I was so angry, I was so upset, because one of the things I really like about stand-up comedy is the freedom it gives you to say what's on your mind and to say anything you want as long as it's funny.
While some fellow Muslims might find her comedy too controversial, mainstream Boston is embracing it. Her latest gig is a sell-out.
TISSA HAMI (ON STAGE): I was talking to a reporter recently and he asked me, "Now, why aren't there more female Muslim women stand-up comics? Well, I didn't want the competition, so I stoned them."
In post-September 11 America, the last thing you'd want to do is get on stage as a Muslim and make jokes about hostage-taking. But that's precisely what Tissa Hami is about to do.
TISSA HAMI (ON STAGE): I should tell you a little bit about myself. I am originally from Iran. Thanks. We have a few Axis of Evil fans in the audience.
Iranian-American Tissa Hami is a rarity - a female Muslim stand-up comic who's not afraid to confront stereotypes.
TISSA HAMI (ON STAGE): Before I go on, let's get a few things out of the way. Alright, no, I do not ride camels, I do not live in a cave, but if you piss me off I will take you hostage.
Tissa is Muslim, but she only wears a headscarf when she performs - it's all part of her comedy with a message.
REPORTER: So what message are you trying to say about the veil and about dressing in hijab?
TISSA HAMI That just because you're a Muslim woman doesn't mean that you're voiceless, it doesn't mean your oppressed, it doesn't mean that you can't speak for yourself. I wanted to give people something they didn't expect, I wanted to go up and fight back and speak out and be funny.
TISSA HAMI (ON STAGE): I was actually talking to a reporter recently and he asked me, "Now, as a Muslim woman, is there anything you wouldn't talk about on stage? [pause] My dick.
Tissa is relatively new to the world of stand-up comedy. Her background is in investment banking. A few years ago, she decided she wanted to try and change the way people in America think about Middle Easterners.
TISSA HAMI There was not one positive image, there hasn't been, there really hasn't been. But if I can add my voice to the mix and provide an alternative to the hijacker, to the suicide bomber, just provide a different image, then that's what I want to do.
Tissa's first gig ever was one year after the terrorist attacks on America. It was a nerve-racking experience.
TISSA HAMI I didn't know If America was ready. 9/11 is very present in everyone's mind, but sort of a year after, the emotional level was much more charged and I just didn't know if America was ready to see a veiled woman cracking jokes about airport security, about these things that we are all scared about, and I was worried for myself and about my safety, quite honestly, but I was determined to do it, and I thought it would be really funny.
The manager of the club where Tissa performed that first gig is Rick Jenkins.
RICK JENKINS, COMEDY CLUB OWNER: We do shows here once every six weeks or so called 'Sacrificing Virgins'. We put 10 comedians who have never been on stage before and they're terrific shows, and usually there's one or two people who show a little bit of promise, but Tissa showed so much promise at that show we asked her to come back the following Saturday, which it is rare for anyone to be asked to come right back, but to be asked to come right back on one of the marquee nights is very unusual.
TISSA HAMI: I remember the airport security jokes, really got them. Because at the time people knew that Muslims were having a hard time getting through airport security, so I had one joke where I said, "I got on the plane and the flight attendant came on and she said, "'Ladies and gentlemen, here are new safety procedures. Please take a moment to look around and locate the Muslim nearest you. Keeping in mind that the nearest Muslim may be located behind you." And that really got them.
According to Rick Jenkins, the success of Tissa Hami lies behind the fact that she lets her audience really understand her world.
RICK JENKINS: Good comedy - let's see the world through someone else's eyes. Much of stand-up comedy tends to be very xenophobic, very cheerleading, much like "We hate those people, don't we?" very 'us and them' sort of thing. I think the better comedy enlarges your horizons rather than narrows your views.
TISSA HAMI (ON STAGE): You see I've noticed that people are always fascinated, they're simply fascinated by my name. They're like, "Tissa, Tissa, Tissa, that's such an unusual name. Does it mean anything in your language? Yeah, it's an ancient Persian word meaning, "Ohhhhh, we're so disappointed it's not a boy!" Now my little sister - she was born here in America - and her first name is Melody. That's Persian for "Lucky bitch got an American name."
Tissa's family are what she calls typically Iranian. They are amongst her biggest supporters. I truly am proud of her, proud of what she's doing. She has gone to some schools and talked to young children, many of whom were from the Middle East, Just to tell them that they are OK, they are not terrorists, and they will be fine people. The Hami family came to America in 1978.
ZHALEH HAMI, TISSAS MOTHER: A year later, there was a revolution in Iran and Americans were taken hostage. It made growing up in America difficult for Tissa - all good grist for the humour mill.
TISSA HAMI (ON STAGE): I grew up here in the United States and I've got to say that it totally sucked growing up Iranian in this country. Like I remember in the late '70s, the last place you wanted to be from was Iran. Everybody thought you were a hostage-taking terrorist. So my parents and I, we found a way around it. Like, instead of telling people we were Iranian, we would tell them we were Persian. Because that way they just thought we just made nice rugs...and cats.
Tissa is without doubt a rising star on the US comedy circuit, though not everyone is welcoming her act. Earlier this year, Tissa was offered the chance to appear with Azhar Usman, a well-established Muslim comedian, but at the last minute she was blocked from appearing.
TISSA HAMI: And there was a 5-college consortium of Muslim student groups that were sponsoring the show, and he was on and I was supposed to be on, and the night before the show he called me and said, "They don't want you on the show anymore. They went to your website, they read some of your jokes, they didn't think it would be appropriate for a traditional Muslim audience and they cancelled." And for me, I was so angry, I was so upset, because one of the things I really like about stand-up comedy is the freedom it gives you to say what's on your mind and to say anything you want as long as it's funny.
While some fellow Muslims might find her comedy too controversial, mainstream Boston is embracing it. Her latest gig is a sell-out.
TISSA HAMI (ON STAGE): I was talking to a reporter recently and he asked me, "Now, why aren't there more female Muslim women stand-up comics? Well, I didn't want the competition, so I stoned them."