I’m a horny Muslim.
I’m not a terrorist.
But I’m a fucking terror in the bedroom!
That's why we're the 'Wogans'.
We're not your typical Lebanese Muslim family.
My wife is like one of the boys.
She's one of the first Muslim comedians wearing a scarf.
Look, there's something that you need to understand about Muslims
if there’s one thing that we take very seriously it’s sex.
Because let’s face it:
By the time it takes us to take
all of our clothes off
something better go down.
Yep.
And it's not me.
The Wogans live in the western Sydney suburb of Punchbowl.
With one of the highest populations of Muslims in Australia
Frida is considered controversial by most here.
G'day, Amo!
G'day, Habibi.
Where's the koosa?
I feel like I'm torn between
am I Aussie?
Am I Muslim?
Am I Lebanese?
How am I supposed to be, how am I supposed to act?
You know, you're getting judged from every angle.
From racist Aussies, from Lebanese: 'You don't fit the stereotype'.
From Muslims: you're not praying enough, you're not doing the right thing
There's a lot of pressure.
You can still be a bloody bogan and be a Muslim.
Yalla! Open the boot
Frida has invited me to dinner to meet the family.
So what's for dinner, Frids, what’d you buy?
Um I bought koosa.
Koosa is?
Koosa is...
Lebanese zucchinis.
Not the normal zucchinis but Lebbo zucchinis.
Yum!
Yeah. And you know what they say about Lebanese zucchinis, right?
They're a little bit on the stumpier side.
The Wogans fast every Ramadan.
They pray five times a day and they’re a devout Muslim family.
They say they’re as loyal to Allah and their Arab identity
as they are to Anzac biscuits.
Hi!
You put me next to a Lebbo, I'm definitely Aussie.
Because there's a thing that we have in Arabic which is called 'Wajbat'
which means, manners.
It's a certain behaviour, it's a certain way you have to behave
around other Arab women and in respect of elders and all of this sort of stuff.
I just ain't fucking got it.
I don't have it.
I see what you mean about these Lebanese zucchinis.
Yeah, they're quite stumpy aren't they?
I definitely see myself as totally Australian.
I happen to be Muslim.
It's just a religion.
You know? Get over it.
Right, this is harder than it looks.
Yeah it's hard.
Alright, how's that?
Do you approve?
No.
Leave it, I'll fix it.
The only thing I get afraid of now on stage
is if I bomb.
And I just mean, bombing onstage.
Not exploding.
Am I allowed to laugh at that?
I feel weird laughing at that.
See! That's what I mean.
Exactly what I mean.
Pauline Hanson:
I know why she hates Muslims.
And I reckon, that when she was younger
she was in love with a Muslim guy.
He's like, "Oh, Pauline."
"Your hair is so fiery, like the dunes of the Arab desert."
"Your piercing blue eyes
blue like the pools of the oasis."
And then she opens her mouth and sounds like
two camels having sex falling from the side of a pyramid.
And then the Muslim guy is like
"Oh fuck this, I'm outta here."
I think we've got the issue of Islamaphobia.
People being afraid of us.
They think we're oppressed, and we can't speak out, and we're forced to get married, and we're abused.
It took me ages for me to be able to go on stage and fight this battle
that I was having with my inner self
about being stereotyped.
Being a comedian, you really do have the license to say whatever you want.
I'm always going to upset someone.
Seinfeld said:
"If it didn't hurt someone's feelings, it wasn't funny anyway."
Mix it really good.
So what do you reckon of what your mum does?
To be honest I actually really like it.
My mum is funny.
I actually made her famous because half of those jokes are from me.
If a Muslim stand-up comedian wearing a scarf can do that
then other people can go out and other ladies can express them selves.
What a good daughter.
Yeah, my family is like a really odd family.
But everyone’s family is not just a perfect family.
My brothers?
They're cuckoo in the head.
Amar!
Yeah?
What do you want on your burger?
Um lettuce.
When you're married to a comedian you just gotta be careful what you say.
My husband's a hoarder.
Yeah, my house is like Noah's Ark.
You know, 'cause we've got two of everything.
So I told him
why don't you get yourself another wife to help you clean up this shit?
And he's allowed two more after that.
You're a religious man, it must be difficult for you to explain to
your to your fellow Muslim friends that your wife's a comedian.
Yeah, they all think that she goes out to pubs and clubs.
And I said to them look at the end of the day, she does her job, walks back out.
You can't think the old stubborn way of it's your way, I'm the right, I'm the man, or whatever.
You've got to give and take these days.
It doesn't matter which way the money comes in it's still coming into the family.
It's one family.
What about you, do you reckon mum is funny?
I dunno.
I don't know because I don't understand the jokes.
But it's not all shits and giggles for the Wogans.
There's one family that's yet to laugh along.
Frida's mother.
She hates it.
It's really difficult because I don't think she understands how far you can go with comedy.
And you're making people laugh, mate.
You get a hundred people that walk out of that place pissing themselves laughing.
Mate, you feel like amazing.
And she doesn't see it.
It's hard.
Like she can't see
the happiness.
You know what I mean? Oh my god, it makes me so emotional.
But like you can't, like when something happens for you, like something amazing
you can't even say it, because she'll never understand it.
She'll never get it.
And it's just...
sad, you know?
I want her to be happy for me.
I want her to understand that I'm achieving.
You know, it's not a low class job, it's not a shit job.
She probably wants me to be this good little Muslim girl
and I'm never ever going to fall into that stereotype.
People connect with you when it comes to emotions because we all have those emotions.
We all have that person we're trying to connect with and we can't.
When you touch that person by a joke on stage, you've connected.
You know, you can change someone's life.
Cheers kiddies!
Boing!
Cheers! Thanks so much for having me.
Oh you're welcome any time.