Culture Complex: Stand-Up Diplomacy

How many Middle Eastern--American comics does it take to change a perception?

DAVID ZAUGH/ COMEDY CENTRAL

Portrait of three comics from the Comedy Central television show Axis of Evil (left to right) Maz Jobrani, Ahmed Ahmed and Aron Kader.

Air travel is technology's greatest gift to the comedian. Those little bags of peanuts they give you--what's the deal with them? Hey, just last week I took a trip to L.A.--and my luggage took a trip to Hong Kong! Ba-boom-boom!

Oh, and how about when security pulls you for special screening because of your olive skin and your last name? Don't you hate when that happens?

It's fitting that each segment of Comedy Central's The Axis of Evil Comedy Special (March 10), the first TV stand-up show with all Middle Eastern--American comics, begins with each comedian walking onstage through a metal...

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