Badar Tareen is a civil rights attorney by day and an award-winning stand-up comedian and filmmaker by night. Known for his sharp, energetic, and analytical comedy, Badar captivates audiences with his wit and engaging presence, drawing rich material from his day job, family, and background as a Pakistani Muslim who grew up in a small town in North Dakota. He has opened for comedians like Zarna Garg, Aparna Nancherla, Akaash Singh, Tony Woods, and Marcello Hernandez, and has been featured at over a dozen comedy festivals, performing at clubs across the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. In 2024, he was selected to headline his own show at the DC Capital Fringe Festival, which received the “Best of the Fest” designation and was featured in The Washington Post. This year, Forbes named Badar as one of the 12 Rising AAPI Stand-Up Comedians To Watch.

Instagram: @badartareen

Ali Sultan saw his first stand up comedian when he moved to America from Yemen at the age of 15. He grew the desire to go on stage but first he needed to learn English.

Ali became the first Yemeni- Ethiopian American to make a stand up television network debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Ali has been on Comedy Central’s Hart of The City with Kevin Hart. He filmed his Half Hour comedy special in Dubai for Comedy Central Arabia.

He represented Minnesota and won the Best in The Midwest competition at Gildas LaughFest. His album Happy to Be Here and Funny First can be heard on Spotify, Sirius Xm and has over 1 millions streams on Pandora. His last special from Drybar has over a million views on YouTube.

Instagram: @alisultancomedy

Rola Z is the creator of TRAUMEDY, DC’s only Dark Comedy show and has been dubbed ‘Traumedian’ by the Washingtonian, and “The Marvellous Mrs Muslim (ish) by herself. Her other flagship comedy show is Funny Arabs and she has taken it to the Kennedy Center and Montreal to reach a wide audience. She was an artist-in-residence at the Kennedy Center, has opened for Sammy Obeid and Zarna Garg and performed at Howard Theater, Gotham Comedy Club, and Miracle Theater.

Instagram: @somearabwoman

Born in Egypt, raised in Alabama, and armed with a sharp wit and even sharper legal mind, Yasmin Elhady has mastered the art of juggling identities without dropping the ball (or her kids). She’s the lawyer who’ll argue you under the table by day and have you ugly-laughing about it by night. Yasmin turned to comedy to roast life’s absurdities with fearless takes on faith, culture, and motherhood. She’s appeared on stages across the US and Europe—including The Kennedy Center—and been featured on NBC, NPR, Netflix Is a Joke Radio, and Hulu’s Muslim Matchmaker.

Instagram: @yasminelhahahady

Mahmoud Jaber is a Beirut-made, DC-based comedian whose haram takes on culture and family have gotten him in deep trouble with said family—and on stages like the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Theatre, and DC Improv. He got his start with Awk.word Comedy, the largest comedy collective in the Middle East, and was featured on Wallah Lankayyef, the regional late-night show hosted by Amal Taleb. His sketches have racked up millions of views online, and he’s opened for comedians like Sammy Obeid, Neema Naz, and Nemr Abou Nassar. Mahmoud is the creator of From Here(ish), a monthly showcase for comedians with layered identities, and a featured performer at the 2025 Ha Ha Harvest Comedy Festival.

Instagram: @mahmoudjabs