Podcasts Culture Point of Inquiry Bassem Youssef and Ahmed Ahmed: The Risk and Rewards of Satire

Bassem Youssef and Ahmed Ahmed: The Risk and Rewards of Satire

Published: April 13, 2015, 5:51 p.m.

While Bassem Youssef\u2019s satirical voice has made him widely known as the Egyptian Jon Stewart, merely five years ago Youssef was a heart surgeon broadcasting humorous political commentary on YouTube from his laundry room. His videos soon exploded in popularity, and by 2011 he had moved his satirical show to television. In 2012 Jon Stewart invited Youssef to join him on The Daily Show, and shortly thereafter in 2013\xa0Time Magazine\xa0named Bassem Youssef one of the \u201c100 most influential people in the world.\u201d Unfortunately, some would like to see his influence muted, and the political climate in Egypt has made it too dangerous for Youssef to continue producing his show.\n\xa0

\n\nOn\xa0Point of Inquiry\xa0this week, Youssef is joined by international comedian Ahmed Ahmed and host Josh Zepps, and the three of them discuss the the role of satire in provoking real political change. Ahmed, like Yousself, has had to learn the hard way that satirists walk a fine line between pushing boundaries while trying not to break them.\n

\n\n\xa0\nYoussef is currently working with a senior producer at\xa0The Daily Show\xa0to create a documentary about Youssef\u2019s journey of standing up to an entire regime with his fearless comedy, entitled\xa0Tickling Giants.