The Christian Science Monitor

Ramadan: a time for fasting, prayer, reflection – and laughs?

Divorce? Terrorism? Pollution?

After a long day of fasting, work, and prayer, many Jordanians are gathering each night this Ramadan for one thing: a good laugh.

In what is quickly becoming a Ramadan tradition, Jordanians are filling theaters, hotels, and their living rooms for comic relief and satirical social commentary to cap the night during the holy month.

But it often has quite the edge.

Local TV stations have produced no fewer than 12 Jordanian

Local laughsPopulist punch-lines

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Christian Science Monitor

The Christian Science Monitor5 min readWorld
‘Divest From Israel’: Easy Slogan, Challenging For Universities
“Disclose. Divest.”  The rallying cry, echoing on many large campuses in the United States in recent weeks, represents a powerful new voice in a two-decade international movement to protest Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories through econo
The Christian Science Monitor4 min readInternational Relations
Facing Russian Threat And An Uncertain America, Europe Rearms
Two words – stark, sober words – sum up a dramatic mood swing in Europe that could redefine, and ultimately loosen, the Continent’s decades-old alliance with the United States. War footing. That phrase, voiced most recently by British Prime Minister
The Christian Science Monitor2 min readAmerican Government
Why 'Two Montana Guys' Are Duking It Out In The Senate
About 45 minutes into our Monitor Breakfast on May 2 with Sen. Steve Daines, I finally asked him the question: “So how's your relationship with Jon Tester these days, given that you're trying to get him fired?” Senators Daines and Tester of Montana a

Related Books & Audiobooks