Classic Arab Folk Humor

Juha is an old Arab comic literary figure around whom countless popular anecdotes were written. He appears variously as preacher and beggar, porter and petty merchant, thief and honest man, judge and social critic, wise man and fool, jester and charlatan (through never as wealthy man or oppressor). While the subject matter is Arab or otherwise Islamic, the humor transcends national and cultural boundaries to achieve a univerality that is instantly recognizable and accessible today.