Amer Zahr

Amer Zahr (born 1977) is a Palestinian-American author, comedian and political activist.

Amer Zahr in Dearborn in 2017
Amer Zahr in Dearborn in 2017 performing at the Arab American National Museum

Early life

Zahr was born in Jordan to refugee parents of Palestinian heritage originally from Nazareth, and then moved to the United States when he was three years old.[1][2][3] His father is Christian and his mother is Muslim, and he was raised with both traditions in the Philadelphia area.[4]

Career

In 2013, Zahr founded the "1001 Laughs Dearborn Comedy Festival," which continues annually.[5] He wrote "Being a Palestinian Makes Me Smile" and made the documentary We’re Not White, which was released in August 2017.[6][7][8][9]

In 2016, Zahr served as a national surrogate for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.[10][11]

Personal life

Zahr lives, and is based in, Dearborn, Michigan.[12] He is an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.[13] Despite his frequent antisemitic comments,[14] Zahr also holds Israeli citizenship through his mother, who was born in Acre, Israel.[15][16]

References
  1. "US-Palestinian comedian brings laughter to Ramallah". 9 September 2016.
  2. "Arabs and African Americans: A Complicated Relationship Between Solidarity and Bigotry - New America Media". 4 January 2023.
  3. "Arab American event in Flint offers insight through comedy, food and art". 27 April 2015.
  4. "Arab-Muslim comedy finding voice after 9/11".
  5. "48 Hours: Best things to do in Metro Detroit".
  6. "Inside the house of Omar Mateen, a hateful mass murderer who loved his toddler".
  7. "Middle Easterners assert their own unique identity". 16 March 2014.
  8. ""We're Not White" - a film by Amer Zahr". YouTube. 16 August 2017.
  9. "Film sends note to Census Bureau: Arab Americans are not "white"". Michigan Radio. 29 August 2017.
  10. "In New Jersey, Arab Americans Rally for Bernie Sanders". Observer. 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  11. Nagl, Kurt. "Dearborn: Arab Americans gear up to vote, defying Trump". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  12. Jilani2016-03-09T21:32:41+00:00, Zaid JilaniZaid (9 March 2016). "Bernie Sanders Won America's Largest Arab Community by Being Open to Them".
  13. "AMER ZAHR at University of Detroit Mercy". www.udmercy.edu. Archived from the original on 2020-04-04. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  14. "@AmerZahr". UWI. 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  15. "Israel-Bashing 'Palestinian' Comedian Outs Himself as Israeli Citizen | United with Israel". UWI. 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  16. "@emilykschrader". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
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