To Kill a Laugh

I was truly saddened to read, this morning, of the killing of Walid Hassan - a comedian on Al-Sharqiyah tv. From IHT:

Haasan, 47, a Shiite star of"Caricature," a weekend show on Al-Sharqiyah TV known for its dark humor about the country's many problems, was shot to death while driving through Baghdad on Monday. As with many other killings in Baghdad, the identity of the Iraqis who shot Hassan, a father of five children, was not known, police said.

"He was an actor who made fun of the miserable situation in our country, not a politician. But some people don't like that, so he was assassinated to silence him," one grieving fan, Namiq Hassan, 42, an Oil Ministry employee, said in Baghdad on Monday.

Hassan was one of five actors in"Caricature," a 45-minute comedy satire, that did not hesitate to make fun of U.S. forces, Shiite militias, Sunni-Arab insurgent groups, and the chaotic Iraqi governments that have tried to rule this country since Saddam Hussain was overthrown in the 2003 invasion.

You can see clips from his show at the Al-Sharqiyah website. I recommend the"Between Mother and Father" and the"Hindi Film".

He is being remembered as a Martyr for the Arts.