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Iraqi comedian gets political

By mocking outdated customs or mimicking politicians in Iraq, Ahmad Wahid is entering uncharted territories with his stand-up comedy.
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Ahmad Wahid, one of Iraq’s first stand-up comedians, struck a chord over social media when he suggested, tongue in cheek, that a friendly security officer or a sheikh was much better than karate for protection. Mocking the security situation in Iraq in a video he posted on Facebook May 14, Wahid said, “Karate lessons will not do you any good in Iraq. There are several ways of self-defense. First, befriend a decent security officer who would vouch you out if you ever get arrested. You should also keep in touch with the sheikh of your tribe, so he can protect you in case of tribal conflicts. Get yourself a decent weapon to protect yourself should someone try to attack you.”

Within four hours, the video was viewed over 27,000 times, shared 136 times and it received over 200 comments. As of the time of writing, the video has 266,000 views, 851 shares and more than 1,000 comments.

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