Religion and comedy have always been slightly awkward partners.
Whilst there have been many preachers and writers in different faiths (including Christianity and Islam) who have used humour to great effect, this has often been done to highlight the hypocrisy or shortcomings in the rich and powerful who might object to direct criticism. But making jokes about religion can be very controversial, people can easily get offended or upset. This then leads to difficult questions about censorship, free speech and the place of humour to ask difficult questions.
So running a stand up comedy project with Christian and Muslim young people might seem a risky venture, and perhaps it is. But we also know that, as with most things, they can be used for good or bad. Comedy can build up or knock down, it can entertain or offend. This weeks comedy workshops and performance has been a place to explore those tensions and to help young people gain confidence in their ability to be funny and to share that gift with others.
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