Muslim comedians hit back against Trumpism

New York (CNN)Four days before showtime, "The Big Brown Comedy Hour" had sold out. "That never happens," organizer Dean Obeidallah told the crowd at Comic Strip Live, a venerable club in Manhattan. "We're pretty sure Homeland Security bought a block of tickets."

Like many of the night's quips, rants, impressions and wisecracks, it was both a joke -- and serious. It was comedy as an "act of resistance," said Obeidallah, a way of empowering Muslims and racial minorities to talk back to the incoming powers that be. Namely, Donald Trump.

For years, "The Big Brown Comedy Hour" has been a regular feature at Comic Strip Live. But this Sunday night was different. The inauguration was days away, and some of the comedians, many of whom were Muslim and of Middle Eastern or South Asian descent, expressed deep uneasiness about Trump's impending presidency. The evening's event was dubbed "The Last Show Before Trump Deports Us."

"People need to laugh," Obeidallah said, "if only to keep from crying."

This is not an amusing time to be a Muslim in America. Hate crimes against Muslims spiked during the last two years, with attacks on Muslims and mosques rising to a high not seen since the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

Meanwhile, Trump has regularly stoked suspicion about Islam, pushing fake stories about Muslims in New Jersey celebrating on 9/11, re-telling tall tales about an American general killing Muslims with bullets dipped in pig's blood, saying "Islam hates us," and proposing a temporary ban on Muslim immigration to the United States and a registry to monitor Muslims already here.

Trump has said such measures are necessary to defend the United States against terrorist attacks. He has denied that he is anti-Muslim, saying he has "many friends who are Muslim."