Nina Kharoufeh | More Than a Hijabi Comedian | Arab Is Me Podcast

Most people know Nina Kharoufeh as the hilarious hijabi comedian with millions of views, appearances on TLC's Muslim Matchmaker, the Food Network, and stages around the world. But in this episode of the Arab Is Me Podcast, we go far beyond the viral clips.

Nina opens up about what it's really like navigating life as a Palestinian-American, Muslim, comedian, author, amateur boxer, and public figure who often feels misunderstood. Together, we discuss the pressure of representing an entire community, the double standards placed on hijabi women, speaking out for Palestine, cancel culture, identity, stereotypes, and why so many people get her wrong.

We also dive into the current state of Arab comedy, what audiences still don't understand about Muslim entertainers, performing in Palestine, social media, and the personal experiences that shaped Nina into the person she is today.

Of course, it wouldn't be Arab Is Me without plenty of laughs along the way—from Malfoof vs. Warak Enab debates to awkward Arab weddings, family WhatsApp groups, dating, and rapid-fire questions that put Nina on the spot.

Whether you've followed Nina for years or you're meeting her for the first time, this conversation reveals a side of her that rarely gets the spotlight.

In this episode:

• Nina's journey through comedy and entertainment
• Growing up Palestinian and Muslim in America
• The double standards of being a hijabi comedian
• Speaking out for Palestine and handling public criticism
• Why lazy Arab comedy holds our community back
• Life behind social media and common misconceptions
• Arab culture, family traditions, and identity
• A hilarious rapid-fire Arab "This or That" finale

Follow Nina Kharoufeh:
Instagram: @ninakharoufeh

Follow Arab Is Me:
Instagram, TikTok, Facebook & X: @arabismepodcast

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who loves authentic conversations about Arab identity, culture, and the stories that connect us.

Arab Is Me is a podcast hosted by Said Durrah exploring the many ways people experience, express, and define what it means to be Arab. Through conversations with artists, entrepreneurs, athletes, activists, comedians, and community leaders, each episode celebrates the stories, cultures, and perspectives that make our community so unique.

🎙️ New episodes released regularly.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_07 0:00

I I don't like the fact that because I wear a hijab, people just assume that I need to be the spokesperson for Islam and it's like, oh no, no, I cannot speak for a billion people. The Quran speaks for a billion people. I am just a dumb bitch. Like, don't look at me for any type of leadership, please.

SPEAKER_00 0:21

I am not your ambassador.

SPEAKER_06 0:23

I am not your leader. I promise. You are now listening to the Arab is Me podcast.

SPEAKER_02 0:32

Ahlan was alan. We are here on the Arab is Me podcast. I am your host, Said Dura. As you can see, we have a very, very, very special guest, and I am going to introduce her only in a way that is going to annoy her because she is gonna know exactly why I'm doing this. Her name is Nina Harufe. Mashallah. What's going on, Nina? How are you?

SPEAKER_07 1:03

Hi, I miss you. I was so happy a few weeks ago. I went to Washington, DC for a podcast, and I went to eat food and smoke hookah before I drove home and I randomly bumped into side and it was the happiest moment of 2026. And I screeched so loud, everyone looked.

SPEAKER_02 1:22

Yeah, yeah. I literally looked at the city.

SPEAKER_07 1:23

That was a screech of excitement.

SPEAKER_02 1:25

Yeah, I heard this like ah and I looked and I was like, oh my god, somebody burned themselves with Fam or something, charcoal.

SPEAKER_07 1:33

It was yeah, everyone looked at it. I was like, sorry, false alarm, just saw a friend.

SPEAKER_02 1:37

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I'm I'm so happy uh to have seen you then, but also to have you on now. Um for those that don't know Nina Harufa, uh the bio goes three pages long. Uh, because this lady, I don't know if you've uh I actually when when they say you can wear many hats, like is there you wear many hijabs?

SPEAKER_07 2:00

Is that I do wear many hijabs?

SPEAKER_02 2:02

Okay, so you wear many hijabs. Number one, stand-up comedian, mashallah. Number two, amateur boxer. Number three, you had some time to be an author on the side. Uh, you wrote a children's book called I'm a Princess Two. Um, you were on The Food Network, you've been on TRT, you've been on Al Jazeera. Oh, that's the book right there. I'm gonna have to get copies of that book. I'm gonna have to get it for I'm gonna have to get it for my niece. You were also on um a matchmaking show on TLC that me and my wife uh binge watch for a little while. You have opened for some amazing talents who I had on your post recently who were blessed to have performed with you. Uh thank you.

SPEAKER_06 2:45

I agree. They're at the lesson.

SPEAKER_02 2:47

Godfrey, Bassam, Yusuf, and the weren't you like with with Kat Williams? Didn't you do a show with Cat Williams or something? Or were you just there?

SPEAKER_07 2:55

Uh we hung out, but I didn't I didn't perform either way.

SPEAKER_02 2:59

Like I'll date myself here. Your role at the cat's a good cat's a buddy, yeah, yeah, yeah. So you performed all over the world. Uh actually, I performed with you in Falstein, uh, which was like um a trip. Uh all of us getting into taxi cabs and uh absolutely driving the it was so much fun, crazy. Uh yeah, so I I really appreciate you being here. When we when we start this podcast, I always start with an opportunity for me to heavily judge you. So we're going to start real quick by asking you, and this podcast, we we consider like in Tijaya Halas, you're Azuma. This is you're coming to my house, but with you being in my house, you get to decide what's on the dinner table. So we're eating al sufra. You tell me what is what what is your Arab menu that that needs to go on the dinner table so I can judge if that's actually a good menu or not.

SPEAKER_07 3:56

Okay, my favorite.

SPEAKER_02 3:58

What are we eating? What are we eating?

SPEAKER_07 3:59

I love Mel Fouf.

SPEAKER_02 4:01

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_07 4:03

Everyone thinks I'm gross.

SPEAKER_02 4:04

Underrated Melfuth, but so underrated. Are you very underrated? It's the it's the stepchild for what up.

SPEAKER_07 4:12

I'll take Mel Foof over Wadaq.

SPEAKER_02 4:15

Ooh. Yeah. This is controversial. The first controversial thing.

SPEAKER_07 4:20

I love Bamia.

SPEAKER_02 4:23

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_07 4:25

I'm such a Khatyara.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 4:27

It's good. Um I love Mptafaya.

SPEAKER_02 4:34

Do you know what you're doing? You're putting that on the table? Oh my goodness. Okay.

SPEAKER_07 4:38

Um, it's just very salty though.

SPEAKER_02 4:41

Yeah, yeah, I can see that. Okay.

SPEAKER_07 4:43

Like, I'll eat chishes like candy.

SPEAKER_02 4:46

And see, by the way, you're already people who want to know where Nina is originally from, her bloodline, she's already explaining it. She's already dropped names. I guarantee half the people don't even know what some of these are.

SPEAKER_06 4:59

Why don't they know?

SPEAKER_02 5:01

I'm telling you, they don't know. They they don't know. Even Malfouf, by the way, they're like, okay, uh, you know, like it's still Malfouf doesn't get the love that Wara does. I I really don't know. I think like Wara is Jordan and Malfouf is Pippin.

SPEAKER_07 5:17

Um I love I love Arabi like I'm like anything that's like super falahi, I love.

SPEAKER_02 5:28

But can I ask you? I love McLuba. Of course. Can I ask you though about Malfouf?

SPEAKER_07 5:34

What did you say?

SPEAKER_02 5:35

I have a question about Malfouf real quick.

SPEAKER_07 5:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 5:38

Um does Malfouf have to be like served hot for you, or can you eat it cold like from a Tupperware container?

SPEAKER_07 5:48

I'm as a former fatty, yeah, I can eat melfou cold or hot. It does not matter. I mean, I prefer it hot. Like I'll I'll I could eat at room temperature, but if the rice is so cold it's hard, I'll get grossed out.

SPEAKER_01 6:04

Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_07 6:05

Because I don't like hard rice. But um, are we gonna talk about mlukia?

SPEAKER_02 6:13

Um I'm look, I'm not a big Mulkhiya guy. I'm I'm not. Uh my mom says that when I was young, I used to literally, I was a little baby, and I used to go, huh yeah, hoy yeah. I I don't really, I I guess I had a pet name for Mulakhiya because I ate it so often, but like but it's good. But that's a lot of things we already have on the table right now, and I'm kind of worried.

SPEAKER_07 6:39

But I only eat the rice, I don't eat the bread, and it's not because of like health reasons or anything. This the I don't the I don't like the texture of soggy bread, but also we call it fatiya, we don't call it men saf.

SPEAKER_02 6:53

Who's we? Explain your bloodlines, by the way.

SPEAKER_07 6:55

People have to know we as in hood Palestinians people have to know your bloodline, like we're in Philadelphia. So we don't say mensaf, we say fatiah, fatia, okay which is super ghetto. But I don't hear but I don't hear any any chaff from you when you speak because I try to I try to adapt to my surroundings and I and I code switch with my Ana B.

SPEAKER_02 7:23

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_07 7:24

All right, but I'll say Husa.

SPEAKER_02 7:26

Like Husa, wow. Oh wow, okay, yeah. See, this is why we do the Arabism podcast so everybody can learn. The comments are already gonna be like, what did she say? So I'm I'm I'm glad people can rewind it back and listen to it. Uh wait, now I'm hungry. Yeah, yeah, for sure. And I always say at the start of the show, like, uh, you know, don't worry everybody, you're right on time. We haven't even eaten yet, and then people expect us to like eat. Um, I think when I get to the point where we grow the podcast, it's going to have to happen at a dinner table. Um, yeah. But uh, inshallah, that'll that'll come soon, and then we'll bring you back for that, and we'll we'll bring um all the malfoof and spread all over the table, it'll be great. Yeah, um, but this actually starts us off with obviously you're from Dere de Buan, you're followsunia, but when I have anybody on, I usually go on YouTube, type in their name, look up podcasts and things like this. I haven't found a single interview of yours where they don't go like straight to like, so tell us about being a hijabi. Like, they don't they don't go deep into like the Arab part of you that's like you know, asking you like how much has being an Arab been an influence on you. I don't really hear that.

SPEAKER_07 8:53

Yeah, I think I think the like not like like the whites, they see me as a Muslim and not as an Arab. They only see me as a Muslim, so that's why they only ask me about being my hijab. You know, they kind of don't understand that like I'm Muslim, but I'm also an Arab. So they don't really get to the Arab part, they only get to like the Muslim part, the Islamophobia. If I got bullied in high school, and then they get really disappointed when I tell them that I was the school bully.

SPEAKER_02 9:23

Is that just white people though? Everybody, really. Really? Okay, all right. That's what I was about to say. I was gonna ask you like when people see you walking, walking towards them on the street, or or you walk into a meeting, or you're meeting somebody for the first time, are they seeing you as hijabi girl, Muslim hijabi girl, Arab hijabi girl, just Arab? Like, I don't know. I feel like you you you almost have several kind of characters, and the one that they choose is just like Muslim girl.

SPEAKER_07 9:59

Yeah, definitely. For example, like people, that's so funny that you mentioned it because I was just thinking about that today, because I did a podcast at 2 30 in Manhattan, and she chose to focus on matchmaking. So we talked about dating and relationships the entire hour. She didn't she didn't ask me one religious question, one ethnical, like one question about my ethnicity, which is fine. I don't care, like it's her show. She can talk about whatever she wants, but she chose to focus on the fact that I talk about dating a lot, you know. So it is funny that you mentioned what what people decide to choose and run with when they speak to you.

SPEAKER_02 10:36

I I get irritated by a lot of the interviews that you've had.

SPEAKER_07 10:40

Okay, uh discuss, please.

SPEAKER_02 10:43

So here's why I get irritated.

SPEAKER_07 10:45

Everyone owes an apology if you've interviewed me in the past.

SPEAKER_02 10:48

No, not everybody, not everybody. I get irritated by a lot of them, and and and I'm sure you can respect this. Like when I get on the podcast, like I I try my best to keep it 100 all the time. And one of the things that I notice is that you get a lot of very kind of loaded or leaning questions. Like, um, so like when your parents saw you doing comedy, you know, like what was their thoughts? Like, it's already kind of loaded in the like there's undertones there of like, like if you curse or something, like they'll put it in the form of a question when they're really thinking, like, wow, how is this lady cursing?

SPEAKER_07 11:29

Or hey, how can they really they're really like spreading like uh stereotypes within their questions, right? You know, they're they're you're you're I was like you're you're being very stereotypical within your and you're disguising it as you're just being curious, right? What you're really doing is being passive aggressive, right? Microaggressions, you know, but I maybe you could call me naive. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt, and I just maybe they just are not even aware they're doing it. So I kind of just smile and answer the question. You know, I don't even though I should be like, you know, that question was phrased horribly. Um but you know, I try to be nice and and you know I just answer the question because I'm uh I I I sometimes I think that they don't really even know they're doing it, right? But maybe I should be educate, maybe I should educate them that they're doing it and and call them out on bullshit.

SPEAKER_02 12:28

But no, but the thing is is like if I came to you and I say like, hey Nina, um, you know, you wear hijab and you curse a lot on stage, how's that? You know, like it's them basically saying that like they have they're seeing uh uh an issue with it or they um they're having trouble kind of grasping this concept that like you know the hijab is something that you wear for you, your relationship with God, those are things, those are about you, but then they phrase a lot of questions around like how should I how can I be seeing you say this or hear you say? I don't know, it's kind of a weird, um, it's a weird thing, and I also know that like very judgmental, yeah. But it's like like you said earlier, it's kind of like a micro aggression, like I also a question that you would never ask anybody else.

SPEAKER_07 13:26

Yeah, and and also they wouldn't even ask a man, for example, you're a sweet pumpkin angel, and I don't think I've ever heard you curse. But let's say you did have you've never heard me curse.

SPEAKER_02 13:37

Okay, all right.

SPEAKER_07 13:38

Let's say let's say you did have a bit where you you were dropping F bombs and and and this and that, and you did the an interview the next day, they wouldn't ask you, so you curse as a Muslim man. You know what I'm saying? Like I they wouldn't ask anyone else the the questions they would ask me, and it's a little frustrating.

SPEAKER_02 13:55

Yeah, yeah, that's that's why I I sometimes I I I get irritated because I feel like um I feel like you have there's two Nina's, right? I feel like there's the surface Nina, and then there's like like as an example, and and for those who don't know, when when when you do the Arab is me podcast, I have a little questionnaire you fill out. One of the answers you said people are too damn sensitive, and then two answers later you said I'm just a sensitive baby that cries all the time. And I was like, you just said like in your own answers, two answers apart.

SPEAKER_07 14:35

There was context, you're but you're missing the context.

SPEAKER_02 14:38

Okay, what's the context?

SPEAKER_07 14:39

Sorry, and I'm I first of all, I don't even remember filling out this questionnaire. So what I do, I definitely did I definitely would say that I'm a crybaby because I say that all the time, so I definitely feel that out myself. Um I when I I was saying when what I was saying about people who are too sensitive was when it comes to comedy and cancel culture, right? That's what I was trying to say. Like, for example, because the roast had just come out and people were going off, and I'm like, guys, it's a roast, you're supposed to hit below the belt and you're supposed to make fun of people, like you know, although I do understand the backlash with the George Floyd stuff and all that, and and and you know, like all the racism and and whatnot, but at the end of the day, it is meant just to be funny, and people were taking it way too harsh. So that's what I was trying to say when it comes to people are too sensitive. But I am also sensitive in my real life. Like, for example, like if somebody yells at me, I will start crying, yeah, and then I'll swing because I also have anger issues, you know? So it's like yeah, I was talking, I was talking about people's sensitivity when it comes to like the culture, and and and everyone's trying to get canceled, and you he he said this, and we should not hire, and it's like just calm down, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:50

No, I'm I'm with you, I'm with you. I'm just saying that like you know, back to the to the to the to the thought that I had, like, there's there's these two different Nina's, and the Nina that is more or less kind of like the deep thinker and the super analytical, you know, side, and like you're very like I haven't seen too many people get into like like you're like super wattany about like Falestine, like you know, you you've got a history there of of of a lot of like not only just work you've done, but like where you've where you've put your your body on the line for Falestine, uh, you know, and things like that. But people don't get to that because they're just wanting like so tell me also about you know, like they're just like your outfits are so cute, and I'm like, oh my god, thank you, girl. Which by the way, uh now that I'll be a hypocrite here, I was telling somebody this recently. Didn't you tell me one time that you like personally design and make a bunch of your outfits?

SPEAKER_07 16:50

Yes. Uh the dress I wore to my brother's wedding, I I sketched it and I gave it to a lady and I bought the material and I was like, make this for me.

SPEAKER_02 16:58

Wow.

SPEAKER_07 16:59

Okay because I couldn't find anything on the rack that I liked.

SPEAKER_02 17:02

So is that a side business that I should be looking at?

SPEAKER_07 17:05

No, God, no, it's just for myself because I'm picky.

SPEAKER_02 17:09

Well, either way, I that that's why I'm saying that like I I sometimes wish that people would kind of get to that level because um, you know, all jokes aside, I feel like there are some people that when I see them and they talk about Palestine and stuff, I often ask myself, like, I wonder what portion of their Arabness was like inherited, like was they were born into, and like what part of it do they feel like they grew into and they and they had to learn and they had to learn to love and respect, you know. So, you know, for somebody like yourself, what what do you think are examples of things that like weren't just put on a platter for you in terms of like your love of Falustine, like the things that you had to grow and learn to love and learn to love about your culture?

SPEAKER_07 18:01

Uh, I think the things I had to learn to love were the things that I would get in trouble for. For example, like my whole life I grew up, my parents. Well, this is also religion. This is also religious, but also it isn't our culture. Even Catholics have like the whole like no boys and it's a and men and women are separate, you know. Things I used to get in trouble for. I had to learn to grow to love and understand why they were coming from that place and the importance of it, and the importance of trying to tell your your kids to get married younger so you could establish a life. And and you know, now that I'm older and I see that people my age are lost because they don't have stability at home, and someone else's like, oh, that's why you guys wanted us to get married young and start a family. Gotcha. You know, so there's certain there's a few parts of our culture that I had to like adapt to, and also it didn't it took me a long time to mature and realize why those things were prioritized, you know.

SPEAKER_02 19:02

So are so if if you could adjust the culture or or retain from the culture, like what are what are the things about the the Arab culture? Like if you can take one thing and and just and hug it all day long that you love, and what are things that like you wish you can just toss out and everyone forget?

SPEAKER_07 19:21

I mean the things I would hug are like thulbs and our our obsession for gold and our music and our food and our dancing and just all that stuff, or like our our our depth and our our playing drums and and argila and all the all this all the fun stuff. I just feel like oh this is so nice, yeah. And then there and then there's the double standards that I was like, we need to get rid of this. For example, like I was saying, because there the double standards that we have in our culture are also Americans have that too. For example, if we were both to do a show and I were to curse, and so would you, they would only ask me why I chose to curse, and it would just be he's just doing a bit. Whereas like I'm held to a different standard, and it's so much pressure, and I don't like it. Yeah, also I don't like the fact that because I wear a hijab, people just assume that I need to be the spokesperson for Islam, and it's like, oh no, no, I cannot speak for a billion people. The Quran speaks for a billion people, I am just a dumb bitch.

SPEAKER_06 20:32

Like, don't look at me for any type of leadership, please. I am not your ambassador, I am not your leader, I promise.

SPEAKER_02 20:42

So, can I ask you a question then related to hijab? Because these are I feel like I've had conversations about this a lot, and I'm not one of those guys, by the way, that tries to make some like bold statement about hijab and then puts a butt at the end of it, like I've never worn hijab, so I wouldn't know, but here's my opinion on it, you know. But I have a question related to that, which is do you feel people who wear hijab almost deserve their own category um in terms of their achievements? Like, if you suddenly tomorrow host the Grammys, would you want to be the first Palestinian female to host the Grammys? Would you want to be the first Palestinian to host the Grammys? Or would you be comfortable with people saying the very first hijabi to host the Grammys? Like, do you feel like hijab?

SPEAKER_06 21:40

That's such a hard question.

SPEAKER_02 21:42

I know. I but I think about this all the time because sometimes I've seen uh women who are just like, you know, I'm the first hijabi to do this, and I'm like, and I don't know how I feel about it because I'm like representation wise, that's amazing, but like, is that is that a thing? And and and I don't wear hijabs, so I don't think I can actually weigh in fully on this. But what are your thoughts?

SPEAKER_07 22:06

I have conflicting feelings because I think my whole my whole shtick in comedy is like we're trying to show people that we're just regular people who are Muslim. You know what I'm saying? Like I love sushi, I love iced coffee, I go to Pilates, like you know what? Like we're just regular people. I get in a bad mood, you know. People always look at us like we're like a different breed of human and we're like we're just women, you know? Yeah, so it kind of takes away from that by by labeling us the first hijabi as if we're like some abnormal thing. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? Not that everyone's different as abnormal, but like, you know what I'm saying? Like, I'm trying to find the right verbiage to not upset anybody.

SPEAKER_02 22:47

Yeah, because but the thing is, Nina, is that like hijab.

SPEAKER_07 22:53

Hijab does put you in a limit in a in a limitated in a like a limitation. So the fact that you broke out of that limitation and were able to achieve something so big, like hosting the Grammys as a hijabi, that is really important to acknowledge.

SPEAKER_02 23:06

Yeah, you know, because people who wear hijab like yourself are more outwardly, I don't know if this is the right way to say it, but like you're making a statement that no one else can make as fast in terms of what your religious beliefs may be, right? Unless you're a man in a yarmulca, yeah, yeah, maybe, but but even that, like, I I can't see that from across the street, right? Unless I'm behind them or something. But like, if you come walking towards me, I can immediately start potentially judging you, discriminating against you, and putting you in a category more so than than anybody else. And I'm sure, like, you know, Sikhs and and and people who wear headdress and things like that, you know, I'm sure that's the same. You know, I'm not saying that hijabis are like unique in that sense, but like from that sense, I get it when somebody says that's the first hijabi to do X, Y, or Z, because what they're actually saying is, you know, hijab people wearing hijab have never been afforded the opportunity for this spot. And this is the groundbreaking person. This is the if Nina hosts the Grammys, that showed you this lady's a trailblazer because we've had decades of hijabis not being given the opportunity, and she broke that mold, like she she did something different, so I get it.

SPEAKER_07 24:27

And that's a big deal, right? Yeah, right, but also it further puts us in a box in a category of like we're not just regular people, right? Instead of just being a woman, I'm a hijabi woman, and it's like I'm also just a woman, like I'm just a human, like right, right, exactly. So I do I have conflicting feelings about it.

SPEAKER_02 24:51

I and it's a hard question.

SPEAKER_07 24:54

I I would really have to like sit and like think about it because I I I I struggle with this. For example, like um I'm the first hijabi amateur boxer in New York, right? But like I don't I don't go around saying that. I don't I'm never like I'm the first, you know, like but like I would say that cringy, right?

SPEAKER_02 25:16

Exactly. But I know it's a little cringy. But if I was trying to hype you up, I would say that. Like I would say that to somebody and be like, you do know that Nina is the first hijabi, you know, amateur boxer in New York. But at the same time, I could like so it's a big deal to me. But then if you came to me and you said, you know, pound profound, I'm the number one hijabi, I'd also then be like, How many hijabis are there, Nina?

SPEAKER_07 25:40

You're you know, like well, if pound for pound, I'm number one because it's only me.

SPEAKER_02 25:45

Exactly, right?

SPEAKER_07 25:46

Top of the list, hunty.

SPEAKER_02 25:48

Right, exactly. So you know, I but I I hate saying things like that because it is a little like cringy, like yeah, you know, so have you have you had times where you felt like and I know era, you know, I'm I guess this question could easily be asked if I was referring to like Arabs as well, but have there been times where you feel like you're not I don't know, acting Muslim enough for certain spaces, and then other times you feel like I I'm I'm reflecting too Muslim y uh or too Arab for particular spaces. Like I'd love to hear about that because again, I don't experience that like you would.

SPEAKER_07 26:32

It's tough, it's really, really tough. Like, for example, I although like I'm a Jersey girl, I'm super Arab. Like I'm listening to Mokabha Depka music in the gym and my headphones, you know? Like, yeah, so like if everyone's like Nina, like pass the ox, like I'm playing, like, I'm playing like Arab nasheed music, you know? Right, right. So everyone in the car is like, what's this, what's this kind of music, you know? So sometimes I do feel like I'm way too Arab, especially like in school. Like, if I went to pack a school lunch, like I'm packing what my mom cooked, I'm packing.

SPEAKER_03 27:07

Right.

SPEAKER_07 27:08

You know what I'm saying? So everyone in school is like, what are you eating? So I do feel like I am too Arab. And for example, like even um on Friday, my friend is fighting outdoors and it's on the beach.

SPEAKER_04 27:24

Right.

SPEAKER_07 27:24

I'm gonna be the only one fully covered up.

SPEAKER_04 27:27

Right.

SPEAKER_07 27:27

Everyone's gonna be like, oh my god, Nina, how do you do it? Oh my god, Nina, are you hot? Oh my god, Nina, are you allowed to, you know, like I'm I'm already, I'm already like everyone's gonna ask me a million questions about the beach. Do you wear a one piece or two? And I'm like, you know, my joke, I wear 11 pieces. Like you know, so then so there's times where I'm clearly the outsider. Just just hanging out, just hanging out at a fight, I'm the outsider. And then I feel like sometimes when I go to like a family event or a wedding or something, everyone's like, wait, you went to you were in Rome yesterday for a comedy show? Like, what the hell? You know, like so that I am very like free and wild, even though I'm so not I'm so boring. But they just have that perception of me because of what I do for a living, that I'm like out and partying. And that's why I I made a I made a uh a meme of myself in Dubai sleeping backstage, and I wrote at what everyone thinks Dubai is and it's a party, and then what Dubai actually is, and it was a picture of me sleeping because I was so jet lagged. So everyone was like, Oh my god, you're so lucky, you're going on tour. And I was like, it's not what you think it is. It's so much work, it's so exhausting. I'm sleeping, like I'm not out partying, and but they just assume that. So then I feel like I'm not Arab enough for them, and I'm too westernized. And then when I'm with non-Arabs and non-Muslims, I'm way too Arab and Muslim because how am I in full outfit on the beach? Like, yeah, so I just feel like I don't really belong anywhere.

SPEAKER_02 28:59

Yeah, that's gotta be that's gotta be interesting because even when I've been with you and we perform, right? And and you go out on stage, I know for a fact that there are times where you finish up your set, and there are people who are who are judging you because you are wearing a hijab and now like have issues with your jokes because they're like that shouldn't have come from the mouth of this hijabi girl. But at the same time, I've seen women who wear hijab come running up to you after shows simply because she was funny and she wears hijab. Yeah, very weird dynamic. I I mean I will never understand. And you know, and and I don't think that it's it's very fair that if you drop the F bomb and I drop the F bomb, that people are like, for me, they're like, ha ha, it's okay, but for you, you're like, who raised this lady?

SPEAKER_07 30:08

Um I have this weird thing where people either apt, I'm talking about strangers. I'm not talking about when people get to know me and they realize I'm annoying and all that stuff. Like, I'm talking about like complete strangers, yeah. People either love me or hate me, and there's no middle ground.

SPEAKER_02 30:27

Right.

SPEAKER_07 30:28

Before you said a thing, by the way, simply wow, like because I could get on stage and just because I'm in a hijab, I turned half the audience off. Yeah, and then or I ignited them because they're like, Oh, that's cool, that's interesting. Oh, I see myself and her like I'm talking about like Arab crowds, yeah, you know, yeah. So people either love me or absolutely want me dead, and there's no in between.

SPEAKER_02 30:56

Well, you know, um even my DMs.

SPEAKER_07 30:58

I'll I'll let someone scroll through my DMs, and the DMs are, oh my god, let's get married, oh my god, I'm in love with you, oh my god, you're uh I'm obsessed with you, or please kill yourself, I hate you. Like, you know, just complete extreme opposites. So then let me ask you No one's ever DM'd me and was like, You're okay. I'd love for someone to DM you and be like, You're mid. Please think I'm mid, I'll take it.

SPEAKER_02 31:24

I actually for the Arab is me uh podcast had posted um something where I was like, hey, like, subscribe, blah, blah, blah. And this lady wrote, You're not funny. There was nothing meant to like blow her away with comedy in the thing. And I was like, some people are just like, forget projecting, some people are just going through something because I was like, Lady, I wasn't trying to like, and then I start, and you know, the analytical side turns on. I'm like, or did she come to like a show and she's seeing me again now? And she's like, he's still not funny. Like, and and and this is something I was gonna ask you because you've told me these kind of things before, where like you either get marriage proposals, death threats, or we love you, like you know, but what what's what's then harder? What's the harder punch to take when you're in the boxing ring or when you're in your DMs then or when you're or when you're hearing people give their their opinions on your comments? Unsolicited advice, yeah, because that's a hard punch to take too. Like, people don't understand.

SPEAKER_07 32:30

I'm not gonna lie, the the I I'm very I have very thick skin. Yeah, I'm very aware that people on the internet suck and they're projecting in a lot of them are whatever. The one there's one specific kind of comment or message that I get that is the only thing that really, really deeply affects me and ruins my day. And it's whenever I'm speaking about Palestine and I get people nitpick at me, and I'm like, I'm doing my very best. Right. I'm sorry. For example, I went on a newscast around October 7th, and I and I and I went on and I was like, Israel's an apartheid state, and they're doing this, and I and I and I I memorized my facts and I was like, I'm I'm gonna say all the things that people are scared of. And I went down and I and I gave that interview my I did it from the bottom of my heart, and a bunch of the comments were like, She's wearing Jordans, uh, she uh blah blah blah. And I'm apparently we have to boycott Nike.

SPEAKER_04 33:30

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Right.

SPEAKER_07 33:32

Bitch, I bought those sneakers two years ago. Like, literally, that's what you're taking away from my post. Right. Or like, um, I posted a video that went super viral, and it's of me opening for Bassam Yusuf, and I was hosting, and I was like, fuck Israel, right?

SPEAKER_04 33:45

Right.

SPEAKER_07 33:46

And all the comments are like, you should be ashamed of yourself that you're cursing with a hijab on. And I was like, Israel is committing a genocide against other people, and you're worried about a word that I'm using.

SPEAKER_05 33:57

Right.

SPEAKER_07 33:58

Sorry I didn't speak in the way you um deemed appropriate. Like, even when I'm trying to like spread awareness or do an or like I posted a video of me like very early on, and I was like, hey, like, I want everyone to know that I would I will never be silent on Palestine. Like, I don't care how many gigs I lose, I don't care how by the way. That video I lost my manager. Yeah, and a bunch of Arabs in the comments were like, look at all her makeup that she's wearing, look at all the look at all, and I'm like, it it that's the that's when I get bothered. I'm like, I I can't win. I can't win with our community. No matter what I do, I just cannot win.

SPEAKER_02 34:37

Here's the irony and in in in all of this, right? Let's just say that Ahmad DJ Khalid came out tomorrow, right? And in an interview, when somebody asked him, how come you've never said anything about Palestine? Can you imagine if he said, I just don't think I'm smart enough to articulate it? I was afraid to mess up. You know, can you imagine if he actually if he admitted that he was afraid to say the wrong to say it in the wrong way? You know what the whole community would say at that point? Bro, just say anything.

SPEAKER_07 35:09

That's not true because I say anything and I get my head ripped off. And here's the thing, sir, I'm not gonna lie to you. A lot of the times I don't feel like I'm gonna say the right thing, so I just don't say anything.

SPEAKER_04 35:21

Right.

SPEAKER_07 35:22

There's been so many times since October 7th that I've gotten invited on like big news shows, and I'm just like, what if I slip up? What if I say that our community is unrelenting when it comes, like, unless they deem what you say perfect, like you're they'll they won't let you live it down. I'm I'm too scared of our own people to get on the news and and and talk about Palestine more than I am of like the ramifications of my career.

SPEAKER_02 35:50

Right. And and that's that's the worst thing that could possibly happen is that somebody feels kind of that I almost want to say intimidated by the the repercussions and the consequences of speaking in the wrong way that they don't speak at all. Like I personally, I again very honest, I always tell people if you're ever worried about saying it the right way, just talk about what you personally feel. Don't speak for anybody else, and then you can avoid all the audits. So if I tell people I am devastated by what's happening to my family in the Gaza, right? They can't come and go, ah, it's neat, you know, Said, you like if I say, Look, it's a war, you know, when war happens, this is the worst thing, they can't come to me and go, Well, Said, don't call it a war, call it this, call it that, and be like, you have to it's not a war, it's a genocide. They don't have and look, obviously, we know the like we're just ah yeah, we we have to have a longer runway for people to to make uh micro mistakes in the scheme of things. Now, don't get me wrong, if somebody comes out and says, I just want peace, and I wish the Palestinians and the Sraans can just sit down and just talk it out. I'm not gonna be like, Well, I wish you would have said that.

SPEAKER_07 37:03

Well, that's not a mistake, that's just stupidity. Right.

SPEAKER_02 37:06

That's that now.

SPEAKER_07 37:07

We're starting to get stupid, where it'll be like me wearing Travis Scott Jordans on TV should have been okay.

SPEAKER_02 37:13

Exactly. And I think if anything, people should be like, hey, by the way, I wouldn't give too much FaceTime for Nikes going forward, or just hey, by the way, don't forget, you know, don't do this. Like, I've gotten on people before, like, I created almost a decade ago through Nike, I created what I called the air guzzas, which actually said guzza on them, but you don't wear them. I put them on the top shelf in in my closet, and they have the colors of Falestine. And this is before a lot of the big Nike talk, but you don't wear these shoes, they don't go on my feet. And people were just like, shoes that say guzza, and I was like, you don't understand, these shoes never go on the ground, they go above everything in my closet. I have a special spot for them. I like the colors, I like the look and feel. I don't wear them, but then when everybody starts coming out with kufia design shoes that say Falestine or something on them, I'm like, I actually am one of those people that say I don't think we should write Palestine on things we wear on our feet personally. Yeah, you want to wear some socks or something with some colors, okay. But if it says Palestine, I don't think you should put, you know, culturally, we don't put things we respect on the ground. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, like, but when I come out and say that, they're like, Ah, the brother, he's trying to start a new business, Said. And I'm like, So, so why did my shoes that never go on your feet catch flack? But their shoes, they're designing and selling is okay because haram, there's a new business. Like, so I'm with you.

SPEAKER_07 38:54

I just learned I learned that you can't win, so just do your best, and that's all that counts. Yeah, and not you're never gonna win everyone. Like, you're just it's just never gonna happen.

SPEAKER_02 39:07

But the worst thing that you can do for you and for me is allow some of those voices that do come out and maybe hold us to a certain standard to intimidate us to the point where we don't want to say anything. I would rather you you say things and make small mistakes than not say anything at all. Um, and like I said, you walking up on stage with your hijab says immediately before the mic gets turned on a lot more than what it would say if I walked on stage. Yeah. I might be actually, I might be the one exception, right? Because I've been I've I carry the Kofia around my neck every time I perform my whole life. And people used to make fun of me. Even out of, I don't know if you know this, they used to make fun of me and be like, Really? Yeah, they used to be like, Halasite, okay, like we get it. Okay, you're going up there, and you but over the last like few years, everybody has been in support of that. But when I first started doing it, they thought it was a gimmick, they thought it was a like a very gimmicky, um, almost borderline hacky thing.

SPEAKER_07 40:16

And I was can't win. You just that's why you just have to do what you want to do, you just have to be authentically yourself and just try your best, and that's all you can offer. Yeah, and by the way, I would just reply to these people and I would be like, I'm doing my best. I'm sorry, it's not enough.

SPEAKER_02 40:31

I I can you and I, because I think we agree on what what I'm about to say, can you and I talk for just a moment about hack hacky Arab comedy?

SPEAKER_07 40:47

Can I name it? Can I name drop? I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_02 40:51

Um I don't even want to name drop because there's there's been people who have done it and gotten away from it, and then there's people who weren't with it and now do it. I just I just don't like the um I don't like punchlines I could see coming from a mile away that contribute to stereotypes and contribute to to things. Um, you know, where uh yeah, so today I walked in and I knew my family was in the car because it smelled like garlic.

SPEAKER_07 41:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:21

That's it. That's all you got.

SPEAKER_07 41:23

I think there's I I can't, I can't the whole like TikTok Arab humor is fine on TikTok, but when certain comics, and I'm not gonna say names, are bringing it to the stage, you're like, you need to stop. And the reason why these comedians are selling out the improvs is because they have huge social media numbers, and the reason they have huge social media numbers is because there's a bunch of 11-year-olds who think they're funny, right? Who follow them.

SPEAKER_02 42:00

Yeah, and I think I think people should try to do comedy. I wish there was like a lot of people.

SPEAKER_07 42:06

I'm not saying anyone shouldn't try to do it, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Getting on stage and being like, my mom threw a slipper at me, is like, stop it. It's been done, it's been done and been done, it's been done.

SPEAKER_02 42:18

You need to move forward, and and and to be honest with you, like if people want to tell um like real family stories and they want to get on there, even if it's the slipper, like I don't, I don't, I don't really care. But for me, that's why I tend to call it lazy comedy. I'm not here as like some um, you know, uh that I'm just sitting here trying to, I don't know what what the word may be, kind of uh, you know, hold people back or or uh or tell people that they need my approval. Not at all. Like there's millions of comedians better than me and millions that are maybe worse than me. Um, but like I I just don't like when people take the lazy route and they start writing comedy um that um that just feeds into all of this, like all the stereotypes. Stereotypes, it's it's memes written out as jokes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so like you get on stage and you and I've heard things before where it's like, oh well, you know, we go and uh all of our people we you know own shawarma shops and gas stations and whatever. I was like, you're you're making fun of like a level of hustle that like you don't understand. Like this is not for you to talk about to sit there and like make fun of these things, or to you know, uh just sit up there and just talk about how I can't believe my parents married their cousins and stuff. Like you're making fun of your culture, and people are laughing at you. They're not actually you've seen.

SPEAKER_07 44:00

like my performances and stuff I'm not saying are uh are on a different level but like when I talk about real stories like I actually try to do it in such a way that gets that lends to people loving the culture more yeah um you know like oh the Arab are doing this and the Arab are doing that I think it like hurts us when we have people just jump up there and say hi my name is Saeed um I'm Palestinian don't be afraid everybody I hate that I hate when people do that yeah like I think that that had a time and place for it it had a time and place around 9-11 it's 2026 stop it yeah yeah I think we've proved time and we've proved decade after decade that Muslims are not anything to be scared of yeah like and you just you you merely mentioning it is just reiterating this white supremacy ideology that Muslims need to like be apologetic and and denounce terrorism we don't need to denounce anything we're in we're you see do you see white people denouncing school shootings every day it happened happened a whole lot more than terrorist attacks in America by Muslims like enough enough with the stereotypes I hate when Muslims get on stage and they're like boo you're like shut up you cornball I want to smack the shit out of them so bad. There was this no aha there was this one comedian she's a female she's Persian yeah she'll she gets on stage and she's like oh I'm sure you this is what a uh a Muslim woman sounds like since we're not allowed to speak and you're like who said we're not allowed to what are you even talking about what are you talking about it kills it it's it's such a dangerous rhetoric that the that that our people are are are pushing because they're lazy to write a joke.

SPEAKER_02 45:53

Right and you know you said something not too long ago on an interview you had and I agree with it is that I think it's also time for us to continue to sprinkle in real world material that doesn't necessarily have to be like all right my name is Saeed and I'm gonna tell you know this joke about Mensev and that's the only thing that I can talk to you about because I can't talk about traffic yeah you know like because apparently as a Muslim Arab like I don't experience traffic like we that's why I I like some of the kind of bigger name comedians that tend to venture off into like let me talk to you about my relationship let me talk to you about my kids let me talk to you about my job. To which I say that's garbage because when you go to Falestine as you have done before and you perform they they get and laugh at everything. Yeah they're great crowds. Right they're not expecting us to get on stage and just be like and here comes my token Arab jokes you know like you can talk about whatever um and and I love and I love that that's why I tell people like performing in Palestine was like my favorite life experience.

SPEAKER_07 47:28

Oh yeah it was amazing as well it was my favorite week of life did you go into it though with like any um did you psych yourself out when when you got there like I need this type of material and then you realize whoops I was overthinking this I think I was at a disservice to myself only because I was so new to comedy when I got when I went there to perform I didn't know what real stand-up comedy was I was still an open micro here in New York I was I didn't I barely had enough material to do 15 minutes. Like I I was relying a lot on like just being personable and and and like crowd work but I I didn't realize like crowd work didn't really work out there. Like it was it was just it's just different and I I wasn't seasoned enough as a stand up to be able to really grasp what the crowd wanted and needed. Nonetheless I still did great because they're just such great crowds. Yeah so now that I'm going again I'm like okay now I can actually do well because I'm it's years later I've progressed as a comedian you know I I know how to do it now.

SPEAKER_02 48:40

Um so even being such a rookie and not really knowing what I was even doing I still had such a good time like it used to be so funny Nina because the I I remember one lady specifically um coming up to me with like her sister or something and they were waiting to like take pictures with you. And so I became the photographer of course because they were like who's this guy and I was like I perform too they're like whatever security come here so they were like all right and so the lady she goes she's so tough she's so strong she I I I love her she it's just so strong and then like I'm like she is isn't she and like 10 minutes after everybody leaves you come up to me you grab my arm you're like oh my god Said what did you think did I do okay I was crying so strong she's so tough and yet little do they know all of us including yourself like go and like cry ourselves asleep if we I was in the bathroom sobbing because I did not do that well that night um and I'm not trying to be humble I just you know you know when you do well and when you don't like let's be honest um but again even though I was so new and I and and I had so much room for so much room for improvement I still had such a good time the crowds were amazing the crowds were so much fun everyone there was there to have a good time everybody was so nice and so supportive even that day that I bombed and sobbed everybody was like you're amazing and I was like um like it was the the crowds were the people were amazing the just the food just fall themes of heaven on earth you know I always tell um comedians uh that it's your performance is never as bad as you think but it's probably never as good as the other comedians tell you it was yeah you know you know it was bad when when Reem is like it wasn't that bad. Oh yeah well that's shut up yeah no but I don't I don't you by the way you slid that in there where you were saying you bombed uh and you didn't do well I don't actually recall a particular performance where I think it was I don't remember I think it was that one but um again I was I was so new um I didn't deserve that gig I'm very grateful and happy that I got chosen and and and and I had because it was an amazing experience.

SPEAKER_07 51:10

Yeah um and it was it was my favorite week of my life. Yeah so to be able to be back home and also doing stand up where like you're like your does your two favorite things in the world colliding you're like I can't handle this.

SPEAKER_02 51:24

In some cases we kind of felt like the Beatles or something because like we would go into these venues and by the time the show was done like everybody was wanting photos and they wanted to message you on Instagram and it was so wholesome. Yeah yeah yeah it was great i i love it i i had the opportunity to do it um you know a few different times and uh and it was just I highly encourage everybody especially if you're a comedian out there I'll put this out there especially if you're a comedian that is at the level of like like you're doing it like you're you're tour you're a national touring you know comedian do yourself a favor and find a way to make it to Falustine and like those people I'm sure are out there following all these these comedians and desperately wish they would come and and perform you know go to Ramalok do a show who cares hunter people doesn't matter um definitely go I'm sure you would recommend the same for sure absolutely yeah so I wanted to as we start to get towards the um you know I guess the the latter uh part of our conversation because you and I I'm sure could talk for for a few days I always say this is now where we get to the pouring of the the shay and we're getting towards by the way are you a tea or coffee? Are you a tea or coffee person? I'm an iced coffee person I'll drink coffee I'll drink coffee like the Ottawa one once in a while but I love tea okay all right good good uh I actually uh I don't drink coffee like sometimes I'll drink like uh Turkish coffee or something or like I I joke with people and I say I'm I'm a I'm a Aza drinker yeah so like if there's like a Aza or something like that where they're pouring like Arabic coffee coffee without you know I will just be like Adam Allah Shukram. Yeah thank you so much like that's the only time you'll catch me I think like drinking Arabi coffee. Yeah um and I get flack for that because people think I'm broken as a as a as an Arab that I'm not drinking coffee but I just don't so I drink double the shy so if that means anything so I want to ask you a couple uh last things here before we get the al bab the the fun part of um uh the fun ending uh of our conversation but what do you think you know we've discussed so much about your identity so much about your Arab identity identity you know identifying as Muslim hijab a lot of different things what are what would you say are the things that like if you had an opportunity to take all of your followers and put them into a room and explain to them y'all have no idea who I am you know what are those big Nina Harufa misconceptions um that people have I think the biggest misconception is that I'm a bitch I'm actually really nice and I'm very kind and I'm super empathetic.

SPEAKER_07 54:47

I see somebody old eating breakfast alone and I will start sobbing. Like I I don't show that sensitive side of me on social media because social media is a performance and it's in it's a it's a version of yourself. It's a heightened version of yourself and sure I think it's I think it's funny to play the heel and I also do it very well. So you know I kind of just do it you know um so I think I people the biggest misconception is that I'm actually way nicer than people think I am especially when I meet people for the last 31 years of my life who are like you're so nice.

SPEAKER_02 55:23

We thought you were the biggest bitch before we met you and I get that all the time and I'm like yeah I don't I I mean I get why people think that because I am very like stern on social media especially my anti-men rhetoric that I think is so funny um I really I'm not I don't hate men it's just funny to rage bait um so I think that I think that's a big misconception yeah but like what's like that hope moment for you where like something that you you've heard from someone or you've seen or like a victory that has come from this path that you've chosen where it kind of gives you hope to like recharge your batteries to keep going a personal hope? Yeah it could it could be something where somebody said something to you that you were like this is why I do what I do or it could just be a realization like you said you're walking through Falustin you're holding a microphone you're looking out at the crowd and you're like this is what I signed up for.

SPEAKER_07 56:24

Honestly um the time I felt the most like oh wow was being on Mehdi's podcast yeah and he was just like you're so smart and you're so funny and and and he's such a brilliant person that I was like oh wait I am smart and I am funny. Wait a minute like sometimes you you do it for so long you kind of forget that people that are that you like look up to are watching right um or for example I saw Dave Chappelle like two weeks ago and he was like oh I saw that video you posted it was so funny and he just and I was like oh shit that's amazing he doesn't follow me on social media but like he still saw a video of of that I posted that he thought was so funny enough that he remembered he remembered the entire video and told me about it and I was like oh I am doing something that people are watching and thinking that thinking it's funny. Yeah you know like just little moments like that that remind you that you're not doing it for no reason.

SPEAKER_02 57:29

Yeah or when somebody DMs you and they're like um I was so sad and I and I watched your blank video on this and and it it it gave me like it inspired me and I'm like oh yeah you know like just like little things like that where you're like I'm gonna go sit in a corner and cry now well I want everyone to make sure they follow you and I know that uh on all social media you are at Nina Harufa N-I-N-A for those that are not watching and and seeing this they're listening to the podcast it's N-I-N-A-K-H-A-R-O-U-F-E-H yes look at you first try my I did it shay feed I could spell uh all right so it's at Nina Kharufa um what do you got what are you working on now like what's that next thing that's coming around the corner that just between you and I no one else is gonna hear this but like what what's the what's your next big thing that you that you're working on next big thing is that I just finished filming my first short film um I'm submitting it to a whole bunch of festivals it's called Working Girls it's super funny it's very dark I love I love dark comedy um it's about power and hookers and it's great I love it I also just finished writing my second one and I just got funding and a green light to start filming in September.

SPEAKER_07 58:52

I'm gonna make that into a web series you're the first person I'm telling you now into the I was actually gonna tell you once we got off if I could send you the first draft and you could give me your opinion on it. Because Sarid reads all my awful ideas and gives me such good feedback.

SPEAKER_02 59:14

Oh he's great isn't isn't the first one that you were just talking about uh you and I spoke about that one before yes and I took all your advice and took all your yes so by the way misconception here's a misconception because I have friends who come and talk to me like they'll see you or other friends of mine that are posting things and they're like what do you think about this? And I'm like inshallah I hope she does well with that they're like you're just supportive because they're your friend and they're whatever I'm like listen first of all my conversations that I have with my friends are not your business number one. But number two there's a misconception that especially when it comes to you and like one or two other people where like people don't think that I would tell you yeah I wouldn't do that.

SPEAKER_07 1:00:00

No you tell the the reason why I ask you is because you're very honest with me and I value your opinion you're very level headed and you know who I am and you know me. You know we're we're friends. You you know how I am you know you know my dirty laundry you know I might have to have you killed one day I don't know sometimes I'd be breaking down and telling story too much.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:21

Um but no I I I the reason why I asked you is because you're you're so honest and you're you have great ideas like um you punch up my jokes for me I always go to I've been going to you for years for help and you always pull through for me and yeah no you're you're you're great at what you do and that's why I value your opinion yeah no I I appreciate it and and I tell people like I don't actually go to anybody and say first of all I don't like to give advice I think I've told you that like a million times right yeah yeah how I always phrase it with you is I mean for me personally Nina you do say that a lot I mean for me for me I would I wouldn't say it you can say it like I I personally like you know same thing with jokes people may bring me like a joke um and say what do you think about this and I'm like I wouldn't ask like I don't get yeah definitely and you're like all right I'll scrap it and I'm like no don't scrap it don't what what you're one of the people that like if you're like all right site I'm gonna say one plus one is two and I'd be like I don't I don't get the math you'd be like all right no more mathematics and I'm like no no what are you doing and you're like I'm throwing that's it I'm not performing tonight and I'm like what yeah I I crumble quickly I crumble instant crumble well I'm out bye nobody else to do it I'm good keep keep keep doing what you're doing i i i think that people like yourself i'll include myself in there as well like we're constantly trying to we're constantly in in the motion of trying to figure out what works for us right and so like sometimes people don't understand that they're watching the creative process that that literally somebody spoke to me today and was asking me about this podcast because I mentioned it to somebody and they heard they heard me talking about it and they said Said I've never even heard of that before and I was like I was saying it's brand new right and they're like yeah but like how come I haven't heard about it I'm like well it's it's new right like you heard that part right you heard that it was new yeah but and I'm like you you realize you can't hear new things they need to come out and then you'll hear about them and so they were just like kind of giving me that that and I was like I was like I'm I'm giving you behind the scenes of the creative process and telling you what I'm working on. Going forward I'm not gonna tell you what I'm working on. When it's done you'll see it but there was this like back and forth and expectation and and it drove me crazy. Yes don't you know people out there give advice you know uh if that's what you want to do but like just remember you're constantly watching people's creative process and they're very they're gonna be very in their feelings on those kind of things. So hopefully um people will remember that and um if not you can just go on to Nina's favorite website Nike.com slash uh uh boycott um where she has a separate line that's coming up if you want to buy me sneakers I am a six and a half youth um I also love Rad Bottoms I'm a size seven and a half um I take food stamps Zell Vanmo PayPal oh wow all right all right well we we are we are now at the point which we call the Al Bab and so what makes the Al Bab section um a little bit unique is that I'm going to be asking Nina a whole bunch of just what are really designed to be rapid fire but it ends up being a a small discussion and the albaab is us literally at the door halas we've given you the coffee which is international code in the Arab world for yellow uh we're done with you right so go ahead get out of here but before you go we're standing alba and that's where I have some additional questions but what makes the Al Bab part unique because I always want to uh you know mention this uh and at least bring this into the work that we're doing we tie it into a nonprofit uh kind of try to do good as well so how this works is anybody who comes on the show they usually pick a uh organization and then if they get through all of the questions and they don't have to duck a question or avoid a question in any way then I donate on behalf of Arab is me podcast to the organization. But I love that yeah but if they have to duck things then you're donating to your organization that you mentioned I don't care if it's a dollar or a million dollars.

SPEAKER_07 1:04:51

So the organization that uh Nina you picked uh is the servant's uh promise I'm sorry yes I love that my very good cousin Kiki runs it he owns it he started it they do great work it's all on ground he posts everything he he's very very ethical and very uh trustworthy not that other organizations aren't but I I know this organization for a fact he's not taking half a million dollar commission every year you know it's 100% like goes to the people and the employees on the ground and it's it's a great organization and they they do a lot of good work amazing so that's the servantspromise dot org uh people can check it out there so now we are ready to get into the questions okay so all right here we go I got my my little list here all right first question you have to eliminate the entire catalog of one of these people's work from history and you get to you literally you keep one you get rid of one who are you keeping who are you getting rid of umkathum or feedus

SPEAKER_02 1:06:01

Uh-huh. You're donating right off the bat.

SPEAKER_07 1:06:05

It's already get rid of Imcathum.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:08

Oh, you're keeping Feru's Umka Foom. Umka Foom is not getting love on this podcast.

SPEAKER_07 1:06:16

Was someone else had the same answer?

SPEAKER_02 1:06:17

Yeah, other people were like, I got to, I got to.

SPEAKER_07 1:06:21

Sorry to hear this. Also, I will make a donation regardless of if I answer the questions or not. How about that?

SPEAKER_02 1:06:27

Alright, all right. So here's some fun ones here. If you are traveling for an Arab wedding, does it change your gift amount because you had to travel? No. So your gift stays the same even if you spent a thousand dollars to get there.

SPEAKER_07 1:06:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:48

Mashallah. Okay.

SPEAKER_07 1:06:49

Because if I'm traveling for someone, I love them that much.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 1:06:54

If I don't fuck with you, I'm not traveling to for nobody.

unknown 1:06:59

All right.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:00

All right. So we know people probably who have been married and divorced several times. Like I know people who have had four or five marriages. Right? You haven't had four or five. Just one. Okay. Yeah, I mean, that's just one. Okay. Everybody gets a do-over, no problem. Um, but if somebody is getting married for the third, fourth, fifth time.

SPEAKER_07 1:07:23

You don't need to give them a gift.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:25

Okay, that's the question. None at all.

SPEAKER_07 1:07:29

Ah, listen. If it if they got married once and years down the line they got remarried, that's a different story. But if you're popping out weddings every every 12 to 18 months, yeah, no, you shouldn't even be having a wedding.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:45

Okay. All right, fair. Fair. Yeah, it it's it's Ayyb and potentially haram. All right. So um, if you are at a wedding though, are you the person, no matter whose wedding it is, you are definitely gonna be dancing, or are you a watch from the distance?

SPEAKER_07 1:08:04

I'm a watch from the distance.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:07

That's surprising.

SPEAKER_07 1:08:09

Be and that's why people think that I'm a bitch because you're like, oh, shai fahalha. And I'm like, no, no, I just have social anxiety.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:15

But you could be Shay Fa Halik too.

SPEAKER_07 1:08:17

No, I just I like I said for me for me to be like really active in a wedding, you have to be like, I love the bride or I love the groom, and that's rare.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:28

Okay, okay, fair enough. All right, so assuming you have some sort of family WhatsApp or group chat, yes, it's called the royal family. Okay, who in the family is most likely to make it awkward on the chat? My mom. That's a quick answer.

SPEAKER_07 1:08:47

She'll put she'll put TikToks that say like you should respect your mom because heaven is on and it's like we'll just like get into an argument and she'll post like TikToks about like how how it is to disrespect your mom and stuff. And we're like, stop it.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:02

All right, well, as a as a uh somebody who's who's had a show about matchmaking on TLC, I want to ask you this next question. True or false, mare marriage in the Arab world is a hundred percent about who you love, even if your parents don't like them. True, true, okay. So parents don't like them, it doesn't matter, it's all about us, boo. It's all about us. Okay, I think that's uh there's limits, but true. Yeah, I think it's it's probably good. Okay, so the next one is hummus a meal, a dip, or a side? A side just look for a while, I think okay, all right. I'm glad we're back to the uh interview.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:00

I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:01

All right, um what is your favorite dialect in the Arab world? Okay, all right, and what's your favorite hot drink in the Arab world?

SPEAKER_07 1:10:20

Tea with Nana.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:22

Okay, so here's the deep part of this question. You ready? If you can be anywhere in the world and be sipping tea with Nana, and across from you is one person from the Arab history, your family history or beyond, living or not living, and you can have one good cup of Shay with Nana with that person. Who are they? And where are you in the world?

SPEAKER_07 1:10:49

I am in Dar de Blan sipping tea with my grandparents, who I never met because they both passed away before I was born.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:59

Allah.

SPEAKER_07 1:11:01

And I want to ask them why what they did to my mother to make her this way.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:08

I like how he was like all deep and sad, and we were getting teary-eyed, and be like, what did you do to make my parents the way they are? All right, yeah.

unknown 1:11:17

Alright.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:18

Um, so here's a fun one for you. You are hanging out with your Arab friend, you show them your brand new car. Five minutes after you leave, your tire goes flat. Coincidence.

SPEAKER_07 1:11:34

Bitch, gonna say Mashallah.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:35

Yeah, Hasid, right?

SPEAKER_07 1:11:37

Yes, 100%.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:39

Okay, good. Because some people are like, I don't really believe it's just a coincidence. It's Hasid.

SPEAKER_07 1:11:44

I will never take accountability for anything in my life. I blame everything on Hasid.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:48

Okay, all right, cool. Um, we already discussed a little bit about food, so I'm gonna skip some of these. Um, but if your doctor told you, I'm sorry, Nina, you have to give up rice or bread, which are you dropping?

SPEAKER_07 1:12:04

I'm dropping bread.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:08

Dropping bread. Okay.

SPEAKER_07 1:12:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:11

So I'm a Zowie, so like we eat bread with bread. So I don't I don't think I could ever drop bread, um, but I respect it. Um, if you and I met up for lunch and we both were pushing to pay the bill, who would win?

SPEAKER_07 1:12:28

I would win because I'm very sneaky and I will pay immediately before you you wouldn't even have noticed that I got up and paid.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:38

Well, I would have shown up the day before saying that I'm gonna be meeting you the next day.

SPEAKER_07 1:12:42

I would have showed up the day before that telling them that you're gonna show up the day before that, and then yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:47

All right, so this last one is perfect for Nina Charufa. All right, this last one is gonna be perfect. Let's say you are running an hour late for a dinner, and you turn on your GPS to see how far you are, it says one hour, and your friend texts you and says, Nina, how far are you?

SPEAKER_07 1:13:08

20 minutes.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:09

20 minutes.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:12

All right.

SPEAKER_07 1:13:13

So I'm on the highway, I'll be there in 20. What's up? How's the parking look like? Yeah, how's the parking situation?

SPEAKER_02 1:13:20

All right, so this question has been my my uh has been the most fun out of all the questions because I've been really getting some some quality answers. Not one person, so I don't know what this says about Arab, has admitted it's an hour. Uh even I did uh interview the other day with um uh Dave Merhe, and uh, and so I when I asked him, he goes, I gotta be honest with him. I'll tell him like 45-50 minutes. I was like, still not honest. He's like, but it's close, right? And I was like, sure.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:55

It's actually really funny.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:57

All right, cool. Well, we definitely uh enjoyed uh having you uh today, Nina. Uh, we appreciate it. Um, you were you had a lot of amazing, insightful answers. I want everyone to follow Nina Harufa. Uh, we're not gonna even tell people uh why I keep saying it that way. It's a long story. Uh, but we're we're happy to have you on. Please make sure you follow her and also like, share, subscribe the whole nine yards. Um, we appreciate you, Nina, and and keep doing what you're doing. I definitely had a great time. I'm glad we were able to have you on. And yeah, so send them out to everybody else, and we will, I guess, talk to everybody on the next episode. Take care, everybody. Thank you again, Nina.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:42

Bye guys, thank you.

unknown 1:14:43

All right.