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January 16, 2026

A Christian and a Muslim Walk Into a Bar

When a joke could get you killed, should you say it anyway? A group of Syrian comedians test the limits of their newfound freedom, a year after the fall of the brutal Assad regime.

Photo of a comedian on stage with a mic and people at a table laughing

Aubin Eymard

Note: The internet version of this episode contains un-beeped curse words. BEEPED VERSION.

Prologue

Prologue

Under the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad, comedian Sharief Homsi knew which jokes were too dangerous to say on stage. Now that Syria is under the control of a new government, Sharief and the other comedians of “Styria” set out on a national tour to see how far their comedy can go in this new Syria. (6 minutes)

Act One

Too Soon?

The comedians test out risky material and get big laughs on early tour dates. It’s going smoothly until they find out that their show scheduled in the conservative city of Hama is in danger of being cancelled. (13 minutes)

By Ayman Oghanna; Produced by Dana Chivvis
Act Two

The Drama in Hama

The comedians go to battle with local officials. (18 minutes)