From introducing the Muslim EDL (“MEDL”) to “Shakira law,” the acclaimed comedy double- act Aisha Amanduri and Hasan Al-Habib are back this year with their show 2 Muslim 2 Furious– and this time, subtitled hilariously Sharia? I Hardly Know Her.
The quick-paced duo blasted through their jokes impressively fast, taking a pause when utilising their crowdwork skills to meet the “brothers and sisters” sitting in the audience. They also hosted the recurring audience favourite segment of “How To Be A Muslim Heir,” and this time, they brought even more game shows into the mix, including: “Hat or Hijab?”, “Where’s Aisha Amongst her Far-Right Friends?”, and an Islamic dating show.
After attending their show last year (2 Muslim 2 Furious 2: Go Halal or Go Home), it was unfortunate to see how the puns they made continued to be aimed toward white, western audiences, and somehow, this time it was much more severe in their desperation to appease said audience. Like before, the couple utilised basic stereotypes of Muslims around the world, which didn’t feel particularly “brand-new” as advertised. Nor were the puns particularly unique either, in the sense that my friends and I are able to create jokes that are not far from dissimilar to the comedic pair’s, within the comfort of our own private conversations.
I also did not take an easy liking toward their reliance on the slideshow full of hundreds of images (and let me mention, most of these were made using very obvious AI) throughout the majority of the show. One of the many reasons that I had adored their show last year was from Aisha and Hasan’s inclusion of a few funnily-edited photoshopped pictures shown on physical boards, which showed as a small assist to the predominantly spoken-comedy show. This time round, it was disappointing to see that the slideshow, formed with AI-edited pictures, became the main part of the show. Each AI picture then became the punchline for each joke, and it was as if the duo were almost spoon-feeding audiences on when to laugh as they pointed out what is meant to be the pun in the image.
Nonetheless, it is admirable how 2 Muslim 2 Furious 3 brings stereotypes forced upon Muslims, Asians, and Middle-Eastern people, and turns them into an hour full of fun and laughter. It is also worth knowing that the Kazakh-Iraqi satirical duo have raised over £8,000 for Medical Aid for Palestinians solely through the back-to-back sell-out runs of this show, with 10% of all proceeds from the show being donated to the Palestinian charity.
While the duo’s comedy stand-up may not have captivated me due to the show being directed toward a white, western audience, the room was still filled with rambunctious laughter throughout their performance. This laughter, as you can guess, coming from the predominantly white, western folks making up said audience.
2 Muslim 2 Furious 3: Sharia? I Hardly Know Her! is running until 30 August at The Ballroom at Laughing Horse @ The Counting House.
Buy tickets here.
Photo Credit To Fateema Patel
