Three different groups of Arabs in the Middle East and North America are using humor to dispel negative stereotypes about Arabs and Islam, reports the Los Angeles Times. And where they can't get rid of stereotypes, they laugh at them.

"Is it warm in here or is it that I'm the only one dressed for Poland in the 19th century?" Yisrael Campbell, dressed in traditional Orthodox Jewish clothes, jokes during one show at the Middle Eastern Comedy Festival. Campbell is the token Jew of the festival, described by the news site as "an Orthodox Jewish comedian from Philadelphia and a former Catholic whose ex-wife is Egyptian... now living in Jerusalem and will have his off-Broadway debut in November."

The Middle Eastern Comedy Festival was started by two American friends of Middle Eastern descent, Ronnie Khalil and Ryan Shrime, aiming to poke fun at "those cabdriver-terrorist stereotypes" and prove that Arab actors in Hollywood can do more than play the bad guy.

"Our whole point is to show that Middle Easterners can be marketable," Shrime told the LA Times. "What we do is just as enticing to the mainstream American media as it is to the specific pockets of culture within the United States."

The festival began last Tuesday in Los Angeles with several comedians of Middle Eastern heritage, cracking jokes on topics ranging from Islamic dietary laws to circumcision, and also some more politically charged content.

Another installment in the latest spate of Arab-related comedy is the "Arabs Gone Wild" stand-up comedy tour, headlined by one of the stars of the critically acclaimed "Axis of Evil" comedy show, according to 24/7 Press Release last week.

The tour has been largely sold out in the United States and the Middle East, and lampoons topics such as Muslim dating practices and Arab clichés.

Expanding on the Arab comedy market is a Jordanian website that publishes humorous content for the Middle East, reports the The National. The site, started by internet entrepreneurs Zeid Koudsi and Sabri Hakim, is one of six ventures to win an award from a contest seeking the "most promising internet startups in Europe and the Middle East," continues the news site.

"Everyone there was so happy about our concept, because they all understand the need for self-expression in our part of the world," Koudsi said. "Building a platform for Arab self-expression is something everyone really wanted to support."