Muslim comedians to come together for ‘socially distant’ show to mark Eid in lockdown

Forty Muslim comedians from across the world are to come together for a one-off online show to ‘bring joy’ to Muslims as they spend Eid away from friends and family.

The event, organised by the Concordia Forum, will see acts from the UK, USA, Canada, and South Africa performing three minute sketches during a two-hour live show to be streamed on Facebook on Sunday, 24 May.

The Concordia Forum, a global network of Muslim leaders, is putting on the event, ‘The Socially Distant Eid Comedy Night,’ to bring joy to Muslims who are celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr (the festival marking the end of Ramadan) alone or in isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Confirmed acts include: Imran Yusuf; Tez Ilyas; Aizzah Fatima; Aatif Nawaz; Yaaseen Barnes; Bilal Zafar; Ehshaan Akbar; Yasmin Elhady; Salma Hindy; Abdullah Afzal; Atheer Yaqoub; Nabz Pat; Suhayl Essa; Feraz Shere; and Ismail Moses.

Imran Yusuf will be providing more laughs.

Muddassar Ahmed, chair of the Concordia Forum, said: "This Ramadan has been particularly difficult for communities around the world.

"We’re proud to be pulling together some of the brightest Muslim comedic talent to entertain those celebrating the Eid festival at home, people looking to learn a little bit about Muslim culture, or really anyone in need of a good laugh.

Imran Yusuf, first Muslim to be nominated best newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, said: "To beat the lockdown, we can safely celebrate Eid via the marvel of the internet.

"This show is a way to easily bring together more people to meet in cyberspace and have a laugh with comics from all over the world, a truly international stage beamed straight to you wherever you are with a decent broadband connection."

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