Monthly Lecture Series: Humour in Islam and Muslim Civilisation

Humour in Islam and Muslim Civilisation

Muslims today are stereotyped as humourless. Grim images of burning flags and besieged embassies are printed over and over again to represent Muslims.  As a result, an entire civilization and culture is regarded as merciless… and also devoid of humour. But is this the reality? Certainly it neglects the abundant evidence of humour in Islamic countries for many centuries. This presentation will explore Muslim humour across the ages. It will begin by looking at modern texts and websites; then proceed to an examination of anecdotal literature referred to as the nawadir genre; and conclude with an exploration of hadith.

Yasmin Amin is finalising a PhD at the University of Exeter on “Humour and Laughter in the Hadith”. She obtained a post-graduate diploma in Islamic Studies from the American University in Cairo in 2006 as well as an MA in Islamic Studies from the American University in Cairo in 2010; her dissertation was on the hadiths narrated by Um Salamah. Prior to that, she had a lengthy career in business administration. She is also a co-editor of the upcoming volume, Islamic Interpretive Tradition and Gender Justice.