The Syrian refugee comedians of Istanbul breaking stereotypes

« We’re walking down the side road, and I needed a charger for my iPhone. I had 15 lira. So I picked it up and here is my arrangement of bargaining – I’m Syrian pretending to be Turkish so I get the rate decrease. The guy promoting me is Syrian pretending to be Turkish to get the rate bigger.

I met an American woman. We went on a date. I took her to a Syrian restaurant, on myth of that is the fully space I’m in a position to come up with the cash for.

I’m adore, What would you love to take into accout?

And she or he’s adore, I originate now not know, what will take into accout to peaceable I even take into accout?

And I’m adore, Effectively there might be shawarma. 

She looks at me and says, No, I’m a vegan.

I’m adore, What does that mean?

She’s adore, We originate now not consume meat or rooster.

I’m adore, Oh a vegetarian.

She’s adore, No, a vegan. We originate now not consume eggs, milk, rooster, yoghurt, or honey.

And I’m adore, Oh a Syrian refugee. »

– Jokes by Omar Mohammad

« Romantic comedies are my authorized originate of motion photographs. My authorized scene in every romantic comedy film is the airport scene – , the build she leaves him and he goes and will get in a airplane engaging away and follows her.

That’s so romantic. I seen that scene and I believed, ‘What if that guy was as soon as Syrian?’ You are now not going any place buddy! Esteem 30 p.c of the film would maybe be in the visa office, engaging? Running from space to space, getting stamps. On the extinguish, you get the closing imprint: Rejected. »

– Othman Nahhas

« Set two Arab guys in a single room and take into accout them discuss for 5 minutes about their of us, and this is in a position to maybe well well turn up staunch into a competition over who passe to get kicked extra powerful by their of us. »

– Osamah Shhadat

A different of Syrian sweets are served at a comedy tournament in Istanbul, the build several refugees try their hand at stand-up [Kristina Jovanovski/Al Jazeera]

Istanbul, Turkey – Standing in entrance of an viewers of bigger than 100 folk, 21-year-passe Syrian comic Omar Mohammad jokes about his mom’s harsh discipline, trips to the cinema with company, and desperately attempting to get a girl to adore him when he first moved to Istanbul.

« I might maybe like folk to know Syrians some distance from the news, » he says.

On this Wednesday evening, Mohammad has organised an tournament – Halalarious Stand-Up Comedy – the build folk from across the sphere luxuriate in the stage to originate a combination of improv and stand-up.

He has been performing stand-up for two years in the bustling city of Istanbul, finding humour in sombre issues together with the refugee path, the hazards of going out to sea, and integrating into Turkish culture. 

« If it wasn’t for my refugee background, if it wasn’t to your total experiences that befell to me … I might maybe take into accout never had fabric to get on stage. »

After the comedy demonstrate, he recounts the myth of how he arrived in Turkey from Syria.

He left alongside with his household in 2012, first fascinating to Iraq. His father grew to change into ill, so it was as soon as down to Mohammad to reinforce the household, working 14-hour days as a janitor at a furniture company.

Mohammad said he cried every day.

At closing, his household went to Turkey and straight headed in opposition to the flit, hoping to get to Greece. 

On the 2nd try, his household was as soon as robbed at gunpoint.

It was as soon as then – on his knees, fearing for the lives of his mom and youthful siblings – that he promised himself never to be sad again if they made it out alive.

I discuss being a refugee. I funny myth about it so much and a kind of Syrian folk get wrathful at me on myth of I’m joking about Syrian refugees … nonetheless I’m continually staunch showing the a quantity of point of explore of a Syrian refugee.

Omar Mohammad, Syrian refugee and comic

They did, and Mohammad told his household he would own a lifestyles for himself in Istanbul moderately than attempting to cross to Europe again.

He got an condo nonetheless didn’t converse the language and was as soon as alive to to make company.

He was as soon as impressed to take into accout a look at stand-up comedy after searching at performers on Youtube.

Omar Mohammad and his household had been robbed at gunpoint as they tried to attain Europe [Kristina Jovanovski/Al Jazeera]

In August 2016, he did his first efficiency at an originate-mic evening.

« I discuss being a refugee. I funny myth about it so much and a kind of Syrian folk get wrathful at me on myth of I’m joking about Syrian refugees … [but] I’m continually staunch showing the a quantity of point of explore of a Syrian refugee, » Mohammad says. 

« Those that had been, as an instance, disagreeing with me or didn’t adore it, slowly began to adore it on myth of they had been also laughing. »

He then began encouraging a quantity of Syrians to raise section. Even handed one of them was as soon as Syrian-French Rama Rata, who was as soon as studying in Turkey at the time.

Whenever you are doing comedy, folk originate now not ogle you love you are in Syria or one other space. Whenever you are on stage, you originate a particular individual that is now not fully you … I think presumably this is in a position to maybe well well switch folk’s minds.

Rama Rata, French student and comic

She first tried stand-up in Istanbul at an tournament to raise funds for faculty presents for Syrian younger folk in Turkey. 

Rata said after the warfare broke out, folk in France assumed she was as soon as a refugee, despite the indisputable truth that she was as soon as born and raised in the country.

Performing allowed her to ruin out being stereotyped.

« Whenever you are doing comedy, folk originate now not ogle you love you are in Syria or one other space. Whenever you are on stage, you originate a particular individual that is now not fully you … I think presumably this is in a position to maybe well well switch folk’s minds. »

Mohammad says he organises his own Arab-themed nights in the hope of unveiling Syrians beyond the headlines.

Farah Hallaba, a 22-year-passe university student who attended the Halalarious demonstrate, said such events amplify her thought of the refugee abilities on a extra inside most level.

« Making enjoyable of their very own tragic realities, it be certainly breaking the stereotypes … You are extra tempted to hear the myth this fashion than on the news, » she says.

A gaze in February by the Istanbul Bilgi College and German Marshall Fund chanced on that 67 p.c of respondents thought Syrians had been raising crime charges in Turkey, and 66 p.c believed Turkish values and traditions had been in threat thanks to Syrians.

Changing perceptions

Othman Nahhas hopes to change a pair of of those perceptions. 

As a liberal atheist, he says his jokes about household, relationships and God give him an different to fight the typical labels of Syrians in a non-combative arrangement.

« Whenever you confront folk with it, they get cagey, nonetheless will take into accout to you make jokes about it … it will get them bearing in mind, ‘Oh, they’re staunch folk. Everybody has their very own beliefs.' »

He left Syria in 2013 at the age of 17 to handbook advantageous of conscription.

He reached Belgium, the build he attended university, nonetheless, as his father was as soon as unable to search out work in Turkey, Othman moved to Istanbul to reinforce his household.

He had first performed stand-up in Belgium, realising it was as soon as a technique of channelling his restless energy.

« After I make enjoyable [of], as an instance, about how Syrians can’t stir any place, how we can’t stir, a) I’m teaching the those that it is possible you’ll maybe well need gotten extra rights … b) I’m venting and c) I’m making folk chortle, so it be a grab-grab-grab kind of challenge. »

I got drawn to comedy to let folk know how we had been living.

Osamah Shhadat, Syrian refugee and comic

Also at the Halalarious tournament, 21-year-passe Osamah Shhadat says he was as soon as impressed by the arrogance and success of Lebanese-American comic Nemr Abou Nassar.

Nonetheless Shhadat’s nerves get the preferrred of him in the initiating of his build.

He forgets a pair of of his traces below the shining lights.

The group cheers him on.

He regains composure and begins joking about Syrian fathers beating their younger folk as a originate of discipline. Laughs ensue and his efficiency ends with enthusiastic applause. 

Shhadat arrived in Istanbul as a refugee in December 2015. He now works at a sweets shop, the build he says some tourists pull some distance from him on myth of they are terrified of interacting with a Syrian.

He hopes comedy permits folk to attain his culture better.

« I got [in comedy] to let folk know how we had been living, » he says.