Many things are not funny, but most things can be poked fun at. Certainly the ongoing violence, destruction and daily killing in Iraq is not funny. But when we stop belonging to Homo ludens as a species, we lose yet another part of our humanity. There is a lot of prejudice against Arabs, Iranians, and Muslims in general. This is no more funny to most Arabs, Iranians, and Muslims than Black Sambo is to African Americans or Chief Wahoo to Native Americans. But there are times when laughing at yourself is a way of dealing with tragedy. In the real world Arabs are not a bunch of bearded, hook-nosed, camel-smelling harem masters, so making fun of the stereotype can at times be like streaking naked in front of a boring commencement speaker. Such raw moments are provided by Habib, an Iraqi, and Remy, a Virginian, in a YouTube rap video called A-R-A-B: the Rap.

For more information on the comedic team, check out their MySpace site. Here’s the scope on Habib:

Habib was born Habib Abdul-Habib in Baghdad, Iraq in 1980.

The young Habib got his start in show business in 1983 working as an oud polisher for Munir Bashir. A year later Habib began working as an opening act for various acts across the region.

Habib worked at many comedy clubs around the Middle East through the 1980’s. His one-night-only showcase at the Improv in Damascus in 1989 is widely regarded by both Arab comedy critics as one of the best performances ever. His legendary bit, “What’s the deal with Tabouleh?” cemented his status as one of the regions biggest celebrities and earned him a star on the Beirut Walk of Fame. The star was irreparably damaged by rockets in 2006.

However, not everybody was a Habib fan. His predeliction for silly songs and his penchant for corny jokes soon found him falling out of favor with the Iraqi mainstream. He became known as “Baghdad’s Second-Worst Comedian.” Then, in 1993, he was demoted to “Baghdad’s Worst Comedian” after Baghdad’s Worst Comedian did not vote for Saddam.

Habib currently resides in Baghdad with his wife and three camels (Billy, Petey and Abdul-Rahman). He tours the world singing bad songs and telling equally bad jokes.