Muslims aren't exactly well know for their contributions to modern humor. There are plenty of Jewish comics, for example, but how many Muslims comics are there? More than we probably realize and a new online satire publication, Islamica News, is looking to present a different face of Muslims to the world.

Daniel Kramer writes for Houston Press:

Like many of these young Muslims, Mirza Baig grew up on a cultural divide. He was Islamic, but not an immigrant; American, but not secular. And he was starving for a pop culture outlet as hip, creative and witty as he aspired to be. That fusion came to be known as Islamica, a unique "identity-centric" hybrid drawing thousands of young members and millions of page-views. At a time when most media images uniformly cast Islam in somber, angry tones, the cheerful lunacy of Baig and his conspirators might be the lone voice of reason.

Some recent stories at Islamica News state:

As fast as they turned religious, liberal Muslims all over the world headed back to their routine mischievous lives as another Ramadan came to a close. The holy month Ramadan is one of spirituality and cleansing, and Muslims often use this time to abstain from ill habits and worldly indulgences. ... "It's a time where I can't blast Fifty Cent in my ride, fo shnizzles," says Notre Dame Freshman, Ibrahim Sulaiman.

"We were making cardboard cutouts for the school's holiday musical when all of a sudden, I hear Adnan telling everyone that Santa Claus isn't real," stated Ms. Johnson in reference to Adnan Sami, one of her seven-year old students. "I don't know what on earth possessed him to tell such horrid, horrid... truth." ... "How on earth can people live like that?! It's insane," exclaimed a visibly-upset Ms. Johnson.

The latest wave of political activism among Muslims in the United States has paved the way for a new platform for the 2004 election year. Inspired by George W. Bush's turning of face, and an overwhelming Muslim bloc vote in 2000, organizers launch 'Get Backstabbed 2004.' ... The ideology behind the new organization is for a dozen individuals to select a single candidate and support them through a monolithic voting platform for the nation's eight million Muslims.

I'll be honest, it's not quite as funny as The Onion... but it is funnier than other satire sites I've see on the net. I think it's worth checking out.

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