In the episode “Saudi Arabia” on Hasan Minhaj’s Netflix original series, Patriot Act, he addresses concerns in regards to the issue of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, more commonly known as MSB, and his involvement with the murder of a Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. Throughout Minhaj’s speech, he makes light of the political and cultural issue surrounding Saudi Arabia by using satire in between sequences, such as incorporating jokes pertaining to mainstream media or using mockery of public figures and brands. Through these sequences, Minhaj engages with common tropes about Islam and responds to them using various techniques.
Minhaj uses the segment on the Muslim lota to engage with a common Islamic trope that states the “Muslim mind” is irrational. In this sequence, Minhaj smoothly transitions from a home video footage of Al-Waleed bin Talal and mockingly identifies two teapots in the kitchen for looking like golden lotas. He then explains to the audience what a Muslim lota is, using explanations like “manual transmissions of bidets” to humour and enlighten the audience. Minhaj specifically engages with the trope after his explanation of the lota, citing that he is aware many people think it is gross to wipe your butt directly with your hand using water – hence the “Muslim mind” being irrational. However, he responds directly to this trope by countering the popular opinion when stating that he believes using toilet papers to wipe your butt is more disgusting than using lotas. He reasons this by proposing a specific scenario where you have stepped on dog poop while wearing your Air Jordans; it would simply be “nasty” to clean it up with toilet paper. He concludes the segment and counters the apparent common Islamic trope by saying we should treat our butts with the same respect we treat our Air Jordans, and proceeds to joke about how the audience had little clue that they would receive “booty health tips” when they came in for the show. The intent of this response was very effective, in my opinion, because Minhaj uses the technique of logical reasoning behind lotas and gives a specific example on how using toilet papers can be regarded as a gross method of wiping the butt – all the meanwhile adding humour to add to value.
Another sequence in this episode where a common Islamic trope is engaged is the issue regarding Yemen. Minhaj uses proficient skills in efforts of research and delivery in speech to present a short background on the crisis that is going on in Yemen today. This atrocity accounts the trope that Islam is inherently violent, as evidence shows that over the past three years, the Saudi coalition launched more than 18,000 airstrikes on Yemen which led to “catastrophic devastation.” This is followed by news footage of people in Yemen suffering from death, buildings destructed, and a report claiming that 13 million people in Yemen are at risk of famine. Minhaj uses all of these statistics and real life footages as research techniques to unveil and suit the trope that Islam is inherently violent. He concludes by adding satire with a comparison between the war in Yemen “being the biggest crisis in the Middle East and being the biggest subway masturbator in New York – it’s a title no one wants, but the competition is fierce.” All of these elements combined makes the response to this trope much more effective, as opposed to simply stating that there is a significant crisis in Yemen.
Citations:
Act, Patriot. “Saudi Arabia | Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj | Netflix.” YouTube, YouTube, 28 Oct. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUhbZdvtzcw.