With Their New Show ‘Sabah il-Khara,’ One Philadelphia Comedian Is Not Taking Anti-Arab Racism Sitting Down

Heather Tenzer

In the coming weeks, Kuwaiti-American comedian Alyssa Al-Dookhi (they/them) of South Philadelphia is slated to release “Sabah il-Khara,” an irreverent internet morning talk show created for the queer SWANA community. The show’s title is a play on words: Sabah il-kheir is Arabic meaning ‘Good morning.’ Sabah il-Khara, however, means ‘Shit morning.’ 

During Al-Dookhi’s youth, their family moved around between Oman, Kuwait and Washington DC. “I grew up in Kuwait, in the early 2000s. And the only gay people I knew were in the internet,” says Al-Dookhi. 

A 35-year-old bisexual educator and activist, Al-Dookhi is a former “theater kid” who started out working at restaurants to pay the bills. Then, in 2014, they began doing stand-up comedy in Philadelphia. “I just really fell in love with being back on stage,” they say. But Al-Dookhi’s love for the stage is no surprise. Their paternal grandfather was a pearl diver and their great uncle Awadh Al-Dookhi was a famous folk singer. They explain, “I come from a very artistic family. We love singing, music, and art.” 

For Al-Dookhi, support from other SWANA artists has been central to their career. A few years ago, Al-Dookhi was invited by YallaPunk — the Philadelphia-based SWANA punk music festival — to perform comedy. They tell Al-Bustan, “It was the first place where I felt like I could be Arab. I could be American. I could be Muslim. I could be queer. I could be an artist. And I didn't have to compromise any part of my personality to show up fully in that space.”

“‘…I deserve to take up a space that accepts all of the parts of me.’”

“That's when the activist in me kicked in,” they add. “Like, I deserve to take up a space that accepts all of the parts of me. I was absolutely hooked after that.” That festival led Al-Dookhi—now a YallaPunk artist fellow—to book many subsequent comedy shows. 

Comedy has been one way for Al-Dookhi to explore their upbringing as an Arab whose mother is white from Philadelphia and whose father is Black from Kuwait. Although Al-Dookhi was born in the United States, they lived in Kuwait for many years before moving to Kalamazoo, Michigan for college. 

“I went from the desert to the tundra,” they say. “I don't know what the heck I was thinking. But so many Arabs love to move to Michigan.”

Growing up queer in the early 2000s was not always easy. While living in Kuwait, Al-Dookhi relied on the internet to connect with other LGBTQ+ people. “Even if I knew somebody in my friend group was queer, we didn't talk about it,” they tell Al-Bustan. “And we didn't gather, you know, but now, me and all my little gay friends hang out. We have a group chat. We go to the same bar.” Still, Al-Dookhi says they wrestle with anxieties about being “queer enough”. 

“But then,” Al-Dookhi continues, “I remember the times when I was the only queer person I knew. I thought maybe she was or there was a rumor he was but we didn't spend time together because you become a target. So, the internet was the safest place to do that behind this screen of anonymity and safety.”

That value of digital spaces for queer communities is part of what inspired Al-Dookhi’s forthcoming show. Produced in collaboration with YallaPunk and with support from the Independence Public Media Foundation and the Leeway Foundation, Sabah il-Khara will feature guests from LGBTQ+ SWANA communities . 

“‘The internet has always been there for me to create community across continents.’”

“It’s a digital space for people who kind of felt like me, right?” Al-Dookhi tells Al-Bustan. “ I decided to create a talk show about all of the things that affect people at our particular intersection of life. If you're queer, if you're SWANA, what does it mean to create our own community and create our own space?” 

With their show, Al-Dookhi aims to reach a global SWANA audience, telling Al-Bustan, “The internet has always been there for me to create community across continents.” The show consists of eight 30-minute YouTube episodes. It is inspired, in part, by Al-Dookhi’s friendship with a former Yemeni neighbor in South Philly. “We were having each other over for tea,” Al-Dookhi says. “That's what I want to bring to the show: ‘Have a cup of tea. Sit down and chat.’” 

Beyond their work on “Sabah il-Khara,” Al-Dookhi currently works as head writer for Abortion Access Front. Through online videos and social media posts, the AAF uses comedy to call out “people who are taking away our rights to our bodily autonomy.” a nonprofit founded by Lizz Winstead (The Daily Show co-creator). Al-Dookhi notes, “ “It’s a digital space to be unabashedly pro-abortion. And I think it's so important, especially now…. It's important for me to fight for my religious freedom so my sisters, brothers and cousins can get their abortions.” 

As a comedian, Al-Dookhi is often asked when they’re going to move to Los Angeles or New York City — the show business cities. But Al-Dookhi doesn’t have any plans to leave Philadelphia, telling Al-Bustan, “I like that people talk to each other [here]. I know my neighbors. I like that. We are aggressively kind. We will tell you what we are thinking. And it is for your own good.”

“When I lived in Michigan, everyone was like, ‘You're so intense!’” Al-Dookhi continues. “And then I moved to Philadelphia and I found out the problem was I was just a Philadelphian living in the Midwest.”

Check out Al-Dookhi live and in person at Philadelphia’s Cannonball Festival in September or on social media @thedookness and @sabahilkhara.

Heather Tenzer is a Philadelphia based writer, journalist and filmmaker. She is the director of the forthcoming documentary The Rabbis’ Intifada, about a community of Orthodox Jews speaking out in support of Palestinian liberation. Tenzer has been supported by grants and fellowships from Yaddo Artist Residency, the Jerome Foundation, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Queens Council on the Arts.