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Ahmad Al-Basheer (Arabic: أحمد البشير‎) (born 21 October 1984) is an Iraqi comedian, journalist and director. He is most prominently known for creating the weekly political satire program Albasheer Show. Inspired by comedians such as Jon Stewart, he began broadcasting the show in 2014 and became one of the most famous comedians in Iraq , with millions of Iraqis regularly watching his show. The the politically independent show changed broadcasters numerous times. His program is now broadcast on the Arabic Deutsche Welle channel from Amman in Jordan and on Youtube. His show focuses on Iraqi politics and played an integral role in the 2019-2020 Iraqi protests. Al-Basheer has personally experienced many gruesome realities of the chaos in Iraq as he has lost several family members and friends to various terrorist attacks and kidnappings and was himself kidnapped and tortured. Al-Basheer, similarly to 700,00 other Iraqis, fled Iraq to seek refuge in Jordan where he now lives.

Responses to the Al-Basheer Show
Al-Basheer created his show as a form of resistance against the terror and political corruption in Iraq. The purpose of the show was to encourage dialogue over violence The show generated responses from a variety of actors.

Responses from viewers

The humor used by Al-Basheer in the show, such as dark sarcasm, local stereotypes, absurdites, and awkward sexual innuendos, coupled with the relatability of Al-Basheer's personal suffering, is what made the show popular amongst Iraqis. Al-Basheer's outspoken political satire empowered many Iraqis to not feel scared and to continue to protest.

Responses from violent groups

The show mocks several violent groups, such as ISIS, who controlled the Iraqi city of Mosul from 2014 to 1017. ISIS sent several death threats to Al-Basheer and banned the show in Mosul but Iraqis continued to watch. In Ramadi, another Iraqi city, the show was considered an apostate program, meaning that anyone found watching it would be flogged.

Responses from Iraqi government

The Iraqi authorities also did not approve of the content presented by Al-Basheer as a politically motivated court case was launched against him for producing the show. In 2017, the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission sent a letter threatening to stop airing the show in Iraq and pursue legal action against Al-Basheer if the violations of the show did not stop. However, the letter did not specify what these violations consisted of. The show experienced many interruptions due to such frequent changes in broadcasters, court cases, and death threats. However, many of the Iraqi politicians who were made fun of in the Al-Basheer Show have changed their behaviour as a response to the show.