Meet the Palestinian-American Comedian Who Says It's Okay to Play the 'Muslim Card'

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When it comes to 'We're Not Kidding' guests, Mehdi has sat down with multiple, multi-talented, multi-hyphenates — but none have been as multi as today's guest. Nina Kharoufeh is a Palestinian-American, a hijab-wearing Muslim, a standup comedian, an amateur boxer, and a children's book author. But if you ask Nina, she'd likely say her most important role is being an outspoken defender of Palestine. She joined Mehdi in DC to talk about her eclectic career journey and the backlash she's received for criticizing Israel since Oct. 7.

Nina is also the author of the children's book 'I'm a Princess Too' about a young Muslim girl who gets cast as a princess in the school play but then is bullied by her peers for wearing a hijab. On top of all of that, Nina is also an amateur boxer who has competed in fights at Madison Square Garden. "If you could challenge anyone in the world to a fight, who would it be?" Mehdi asks. "Amy Schumer," Nina says.

The two also discuss:

• Nina's time working at SiriusXM and (gulp!) FOX News.

• Why it's always OK to "play the Muslim card."

• DJ Khaled's silence on Israel's genocide in Gaza.

• Getting caught going to a pro-Palestine rally by her mom when she was 12.

• Whether George W. Bush was better than Donald Trump.

• How Mehdi turned up in the Epstein files (it's not bad, we promise!)…

This interview was published 7 days earlier on Zeteo.com. If you want early access to exclusive content and hard-hitting, independent journalism, subscribe on Substack here: https://zeteo.com/subscribe

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Credits:

Hosted by: Mehdi Hasan

Guest Host: Nina Kharoufeh

Executive Producer: Kiran Alvi

Senior Producer: Frank Cappello

Editor: Liam Mann

Music: Andy Clausen

Design: Alicia Tatone

Mix Engineer: Valentino Rivera

Title Animation: Ehsaan Mesghali

Special thanks: Randa Jumean

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