Source: Toledo Blade

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030621/NEWS10/106210073

On June 21, 2003 the Toledo Blade reported that "Azhar Usman is very serious about comedy. A Muslim standup comic, he works hard at honing his joke-telling skills while hoping his humor will defuse tensions and shatter stereotypes... He compared a Muslim joking about terrorism to an African-American comedian using the 'n word...' 'It’s an empowering thing, the ability to laugh at yourself and to poke fun at an oppressor,' said Mr. Usman, who will perform Friday night at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo in Perrysburg."