I’m not sure how I missed this, but it’s definitely worth a read:

Iraq’s Version of ‘The Daily Show’ Strikes a Chord -

BAGHDAD, Oct. 23 — Nearly every night here for the past month, Iraqis weary of the tumult around them have been turning on the television to watch a wacky-looking man with a giant Afro wig and star-shaped glasses deliver the grim news of the day.

Comedian Saaed Khalifa stars in the fake news show ‘Hurry Up, He’s Dead,’ an Iraqi version of ‘The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.’

Despite the show’s zaniness, the humor is dark. Satire targets include the U.S. military, the Iraq government, sectarian violence and the daily struggles of Iraqis.

“The purpose of the show is to fix Iraq,” star Saaed Khalifa said of the satirical ‘Hurry Up, He’s Dead.’ “We want to fix the civil services. We want to fix the government officials. We want to fix the relationships between people. We want to fix the government and stop the corruption.”

Read the rest of the article.

I admire everyone who’s involved in this. I know that satire isn’t very well received in the Middle East, and shows like this, especially when they’re political, would both increase some awareness as well as lighten the situation is up. I hope to see more of this in the region, despite how risky it is.