Why Bassem Youssef Can Make Egyptians Uncomfortable
The Egyptian comedian challenges and provokes a conservative culture, and President Mohammed Morsi, with his sharp wit and racy language.
As the satirical comedy show Al Bernameg returned to the CBC-TV network May 17 after a three-week hiatus, many Egyptians were shifting uncomfortably in their chairs. While host Bassem Youssef, known as the Jon Stewart of Egypt, has received much praise for being a witty, sarcastic provocateur of Egyptian political events, for some Egyptians he has crossed the line of propriety and respectful sarcasm.
Laila El Hossainy, 47, a Cairo housewife, said, “This program (Al-Bernameg) is so nice. He (Youssef) expresses the reality and some of the truth. Sometimes we feel that he is strange because he uses taboo words. In general, I do not like the ‘too much’ of his style. I don’t think he should be sent to prison, but he should be sent warning letters when he steps over the line.”
While many agree with Youssef’s humorous criticism of President Mohammed Morsi’s government, his plays on words often result in double entendres that transgress Egyptian social norms. In Arabic, the changing of one letter or vowel marking can result in a completely different word with a different meaning. For example, Youssef has played on the socially taboo word, “tikhsi” (تخصي), or castration, by using “tiqsi” (تقصي), or exclusion, while still insinuating castration.
For Shereen Abdel Menem, 48, a researcher at the National Center for Population, “Bassem’s performance reaches and exceeds the limits and boundaries that our families raised us on. I am too bashful and embarrassed to watch the program with my kids, and am too bashful to even it watch it by myself. I think that he should be punished and be put on a trial because he is a bad example for the media.”
