If there was an Oppression Olympics, I would win the gold medal. I'm Palestinian, Muslim, I'm female, I'm disabled, and I live in New Jersey. Maysoon Zayid More Quotes by Maysoon Zayid More Quotes From Maysoon Zayid I've got to tell you, I've got 99 problems, and palsy is just one. Maysoon Zayid just-one problem And if I can can, you can can. Maysoon Zayid i-can ifs People with disabilities are the largest minority in the world, and we are the most underrepresented in entertainment. Maysoon Zayid minorities people world I'm Palestinian, I'm disabled, I'm female and I live in New Jersey. Maysoon Zayid jersey palestinian female Disability is as visual as race. If a wheelchair user can't play Beyonce, then Beyonce can't play a wheelchair user. Maysoon Zayid visual disability race play I was the girl who did everybody's homework, but I was also, like, student council president and yearbook editor and, like, all-around overachiever. Like, I'm disabled, but I can do anything. Maysoon Zayid student homework i-can girl With George Bush, I had absolutely no fear that I would ever be silenced. With Donald Trump, I think I could get dragged offstage and have people actually cheer it. I never thought that would happen in America. Maysoon Zayid thought think fear people The people that I grew up with had no problem with my faith. They did, however, seem very concerned that I would starve to death during Ramadan. I would explain to them that I have enough fat to live off of for three whole months, so fasting from sunrise to sunset is a piece of cake. Maysoon Zayid sunset faith death people If you're disabled, and you're trying to achieve your dreams, accept the fact right now that you have to work 500 times more than the average bear next to you. Stop bucking for sympathy, put on your titanium legs, and run. Maysoon Zayid dreams you your-dreams work I have to tell you, it's very boring, but before I did yoga, I was a stand-up comedian who can't stand up. And now I can stand on my head. Maysoon Zayid stand-up you boring i-can Not wearing hijab has seriously, seriously hurt my career. Mass media wants to see a woman in a veil. But I think it helps me because it makes it easier for my audience to relate to me. I'm not the scary 'other' they keep seeing on 'Fox News.' Maysoon Zayid woman think me hurt I think religion is very personal. I definitely identify as Muslim. I consider myself practicing, but I don't think people who observe me from the outside would think of me as devout, and that doesn't bother me because one of the beauties of Islam is the fact that it is personal: you read the Koran, and what you believe is what you believe. Maysoon Zayid myself me you religion We have been sold a Muslim boogeyman. We are buying into it, and we are terrified, and that terror is causing people to lash out at comedians like myself or women wearing hijabs, or anyone who seems to defend equality for Muslims worldwide. Maysoon Zayid myself equality women people I was able to walk at 5. I had to be able to walk in order to be mainstreamed into public school. And my father worked day and night to teach me how to walk. And I think what's so amazing about this is the fact that he was told that I would never walk. And he decided that he was going to try. Maysoon Zayid walk day me father My friend and I founded the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival to counter the negative images of Arabs in media. And we always made sure that the comedy came first. So we weren't a bunch of Arabs trying to be funny. We were a bunch of comedians who just happened to be of Arab heritage. Maysoon Zayid friend comedy funny negative I spent my summers in a war zone because my parents were afraid that if we didn't go back to Palestine every single summer, we'd grow up to be Madonna. Maysoon Zayid grow parents back war My parents couldn't afford physical therapy, so they sent me to dancing school. I learned how to dance in heels, which means I can walk in heels. And I'm from Jersey, and we are really concerned with being chic, so if my friends wore heels, so did I. Maysoon Zayid walk parents me dance The most obvious thing I do is I don't wear a burqa, and I'm definitely not oppressed. Plus, I'm quite obviously an independent thinker, which means as soon as I walk on stage, I dispel a lot of those stereotypes. Maysoon Zayid stereotypes wear walk stage I'm not trying to represent all Muslim women. I'm trying to give voice to the silent majority. Unfortunately, I'm a bit loony. Maysoon Zayid silent women voice trying Comedy is free therapy. And if it's done well, the audience and the comic take turns being the doctor as well as the patient. Maysoon Zayid doctor free comedy done
