Comedians on the Doha Debates

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Comedians at Doha Debates
thepeninsulaqatar.com

DOHA: The latest edition of the Doha Debates today will feature four comedians—two of them Muslim—who will wade into the age-old rivalries between the sexes, arguing the motion that women are superior to men. Debates’ chairman Tim Sebastian says that at the end of their sixth series, the debates need some fun. The debate will be staged today at 7.30pm at Qatar Foundation Headquarters.

“I hope the comics will poke fun at all the posturing and game-playing that goes on between men and women all over the world – and help us laugh at ourselves and our attitudes. That’s always a sign of maturity in any society—and I think our audience in the Gulf is more than ready for it. Let’s be clear—this isn’t some dreary, solemn discussion about academic results or career achievements – this is about the lighter side of life – how we relate to each other, and who’s really the boss!”

Speaking for the motion will be Maysoon Zayid, an actress and professional stand-up comedian who has performed widely in the US, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. She spends three months a year in the Palestinian territories where she runs a scholarship and wellness programme for disabled, refugee children. Zayid will be joined by Azhar Usman—co-founder of the Allah made me Funny—Official Muslim comedy tour. Last year he was named among the 500 most influential Muslims on the planet by Georgetown University’s Centre for Muslim-Christian understanding.

Those opposing the motion are Carrie Quinlan, a British actress, writer and comedian and Robin Ince, also from Britain, who has written for many of the BBC’s comedy shows and whose first feature film has been officially selected by the Berlin Film Festival.

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I've never heard of this Carrie Quinlan at all - and considering I've got almost OCD over comedians and their work, that can only mean one of two things... she's rubbish, or I'm not as aware as I thought I was! It'll probably be the second option though... It turns out she's an atheist, as is Ince, so I wonder how much influence that will have on their opinions?