i'm zeinab badawi. my my guest today is funny. comedian, actor and disability advocate maysoon zayid, who was born in the united states to palestinian immigrant parents. since birth, she has been living with cerebral palsy, a condition that affects the brain and nervous system. the conversation explores the power of comedy, particularly its ability to help people overcome disadvantage and prejudice, and prejudice, and asks where the line needs to be draw between humour and going too far. theme music plays maysoon zayid, welcome to hardtalk thank you so much for having me. really wa nt thank you so much for having me. really want to shake your hand at a shake too much to do so. consider it done. you said that you could win the gold medal of pressure olympics. i would definitely win the gold medal, i am i would definitely win the gold medal, iam palestinian, muslim, a woman of colour, disabled and i live in donald trump's america. you do not get more oppressed than that. we will come to donald trump's america perhaps a little bit later. what does it mean to have cerebral palsy. in my case might cerebral palsy was a result of the doctor who delivered me being drunk so it now i appear to be drunk the entire time even that i sober. it is a neurological disorder that affects muscle co—ordination and it affects people differently. you have said, however, you have 99 problems and cerebral palsy is just one of them. have you always had such a positive attitude towards your condition and where does it come from? i was raised as an equal by my parents. my parents acknowledged my disability, they accommodate for it did not focus on. whatever my sisters had to do, i had to do. if they were cleaning, if they went to public school, my pa rents they went to public school, my parents fought and made sure a two could go to public school. when i was born the doctors told my parents i would never walk. this is something really important. there is no shame in it not walk in, using a wheelchair, a walker, a cane, and sometimes people say it will check bound by that is incorrect. mobility frees people. when i was born i was born into different worlds. my father was determined to teach me how to book. so you derive that kind of positive attitude from york close—knit palestinian family, in particular your late father? my father encouraged me and my mother strengthened me. my mother is a tiger mum. she showed no mercy. the other day i was on tv, she told me my hair looked terrible and i was glad she told the because i'd learnt for the next time. my father was made cheerleader. he kept saying you can do it, yes you can can. he really believed i could do anything i dreamt of and encourage me to take chances and also to accept when i could not. you have spoken paid would walk on your father's feet and he would dangle a dollar note in order to entice you to walk as much as possible. that is one small example of how you do make jokes about having cerebral palsy... and how he approached it in a fun way. the dollar bill was really what worked the best premier because my inner stripper was so strong that i was running in the lead as by kindergarten —— in stiletto. was running in the lead as by kindergarten -- in stiletto. might some people see it as making light of something which is quite serious and restricting the many people because of the way society deals with people with disabilities?” talk about my disability honestly and with humour, making it more accessible and less frightening. that applies to people with disabilities and also to caretakers and parents. it is so important that we destigmatise disability. my disability is visible but others are invisible. we do not acknowledge the fa ct invisible. we do not acknowledge the fact that sometimes babies are not healthy. i want people to see that regardless of what disability a person has, they still have potential, they can havejoy person has, they still have potential, they can have joy and love. people think of people with disabilities as happy angels who never gi’ow disabilities as happy angels who never grow up and they get married and don't have kids but we have the potential to live full lives whether we are global, non—verbal, mobile, you mobile. iapproach we are global, non—verbal, mobile, you mobile. i approach my disability the way i approach my other 98th problems. it empowers people and helps not fear disability in others. when you saw your more able body sisters and you so you perhaps could not do everything they could, did you feel in any way angry and frustrated? i did not really feel disabled until got to college. in addition to my family, my friends we re very addition to my family, my friends were very supportive. i have the same best friends as since i was five years old. you are in a mainstream school. yes, my parents had to fight to get me in a mainstream school. they wanted to send me to a special school with children with down syndrome. if i did not go to a mainstream school would not be sitting here. one of the most important things in the world is to make sure children with disabilities... including those with down's syndrome... all disabilities, we all have a right to education and not everyone is going to be a hard surgeon. not everyone is going to be a hard surgeon. i certainly do not have the cord and nation. —— heart surgeon. you make a living from being a stand—up comedian and making jokes about your disability one is about the car park. at some point people have jabbed about being disabled. it is christmas evil, looking for parking. you sit i6 empty handicapped spaces and you wish, can ijust be a little disabled but also, there is a flipside to that. i use of the disabled parking and some people don't realise that i disabled so we people don't realise that i disabled so we have to understand that disability does not all look the same in every person. but making jokes like that, it takes a lot of skill to take on what some people see as a taboo subject. where do you draw the line between humour and what ends up just making fun, mocking someone with a disability?” tell personal stories and because i do that, i do not believe their ariza line i can cross. comedy is taking risks. comedy you're always pushing that line. where is that line? yourjokes pushing that line. where is that line? your jokes might pushing that line. where is that line? yourjokes might encourage somebody to block a person with a disability is? the line i draw is a do not find humour in cruelty so i have stopped using words that are painful to people, i stop mocking things that hurt people because i wa nt things that hurt people because i want my audience to be happy and laugh, ido want my audience to be happy and laugh, i do not want to invoke their darkest memories, trauma and pain. it is always putting my audience players. rick vasa has made jokes about a dead baby, breaking the law or causing someone actual physical harm, hurting someone feelings is almost impossible to objectively quantify, and to you agree?” absolutely agree. i did several dead baby jokes because context absolutely agree. i did several dead babyjokes because context matters at comedy is subjective. i make choices because i do not find being abusive funny but, if someone else can take something super dramatic and make it funny, it is their right to try and do so. do you think you have more of a right to make comedy about people with disabilities because you are someone with a disability yourself. joan rivers madejokes about disability yourself. joan rivers made jokes about the holocaust were she said that is ok because i am jewish. i feel the she said that is ok because i am jewish. i feelthe same she said that is ok because i am jewish. i feel the same way about disability. i do not find it entertaining all humourous when comedians who do not have disabilities mock or imitate disabilities. it is part of who i am... it gives you the right? the same way that a person of colour has a right to talk about being a person of colour. it gives me the right to talk about it. but i never pretend that... i have no right to go on stage and not an intellectual disability just because i stage and not an intellectual disabilityjust because i happen to be disabled. the fact that i have a personal connection allows me to talk about it in a way that others should not, honestly. you have ended up should not, honestly. you have ended up on social media being in the object of bullying. i mean, that is the kind of risk you run?” object of bullying. i mean, that is the kind of risk you run? i have been subjected to a lot of bullying online. in the past two years, i have been subjected to death threats. i took the guys who do comedy with me and they never do get threats like that. they have people say they want to punch them. i have people say i going to rape you so your father on it kills you. it is a deeply frightening world out there but i refused to be silent. while i was subjected to bullying, i talk about it in my head talk and when i did,i about it in my head talk and when i did, i had women, teens, girls, worldwide reach out and say i have been bullied. —— ted. worldwide reach out and say i have been bullied. -- ted. i gave them the power to survive. why notjust ignore them as mac i am a comedian and we are used to being heckled and when someone heckles are you you need to take them down. my presses isi need to take them down. my presses is i tried to educate firstly because you would not believe how many people are genuinely ignorant. you are upset by the bullying also? iam upset you are upset by the bullying also? i am upset by the death threats, i disturbed by the bullying. it does not make me go and be subconscious abound my lips, the fact i slowed a bit. it makes me go, i am on tv and you are not. it empowers me. the death threats scare me. do you wish at any death threats scare me. do you wish atany time death threats scare me. do you wish at any time you had not sought such at any time you had not sought such a high—profile? at any time you had not sought such a high-profile? ifi had grown up with social media would never have stepped good on television but now it is my destiny and i will not let anyone take me down. why notjust to get your disability is? one british comedian has said about her cerebral palsy, i have accepted it. i wasted yea rs palsy, i have accepted it. i wasted years worrying about the way i talked and what. she says she is no longer defined by cerebral palsy a quick look outside by tiny world was enough to me to feel guilty. millions of others live in war, poverty, . .. cerebral palsy doesn't define who i am. i accepted, cerebral palsy doesn't define who i am. iaccepted, but cerebral palsy doesn't define who i am. i accepted, but it is part of my story. icac be to include it in my comedy because it's part of who i am. “— comedy because it's part of who i am. ——i comedy because it's part of who i am. —— i am happy to include. ifi wa nt to ta ke am. —— i am happy to include. ifi want to take a drink right now i need a straw. depending that's not the reality does nothing to lessen the reality does nothing to lessen the impact my life. you went to university in arizona and studied drama. you said how you were very disappointed when there was a role ina drama disappointed when there was a role in a drama which needed somebody with cerebral palsy and they cast an able—bodied person in the role. with cerebral palsy and they cast an able-bodied person in the role. so i was a straight—a student in theatre. i knew i had talent, a new eye was a good actress and i knew i wasn't getting cast but i didn't know why. senior year they had a story about a girl with cerebral palsy and i was like... iwas girl with cerebral palsy and i was like... i was literally born to do this. and then i didn't get the role and when i asked why they said it was because i couldn't do the stumps. the reality was —— stunts. the reality was the university was reflecting hollywood, which shuns people with disabilities. we are by far the largest minority in the world. we are 20% of the population and only 2% of the images you see on american television. of those 2% 95% are played by nondisabled actors. a lot of us in the disability community, which is kind of led by me, i'm kind of the queen of us, find it very offensive for nondisabled actors to play disability on screen. we think of it like race. it's not something that you can act. when someone plays cerebral palsy and they are twitching and flailing about, that's not what the disability years and it's offensive, inauthentic and it ta kes it's offensive, inauthentic and it takes away our opportunities. as well as being someone with a disability you are also an arab american and another way you've tried to use your comedy is you've tried to use your comedy is you've tried to use your comedy is you've tried to normalise the perceptions of muslims when many are really seeking to demonise them. in 2003 you co—founded the new york arab american comedy festival and he travelled all over the world to showcase the talents of arab americans right across the entertainment industry. do you feel that arabs or muslims in the entertainment industry are also getting a raw deal? yeah. starting off with arabs, it was arab and muslim isn't synonymous. arabs were trailblazers in american comedy. we have danny thomas, this great comedic figures. posted 911 we became caricatures of terrorists and nothing more and so that was something i was really concerned about shifting and giving arabs the opportunity to be seen on screen as something other than a taxi driver terrorist. but also being the person of colour is a challenge and arab is considered a person of colour, so you have to break through that barrier. i was going to say, couldn't it be an advantage? one arab actors said recently that when he complained about being depicted asa he complained about being depicted as a terrorist and saying it was racial profiling he was told, you're lucky and you can use your ethnicity asa lucky and you can use your ethnicity as a playing card in which the industry overlooks white actors. that's an obscene comment, that people even consider that being a minority in hollywood is a good thing. it's not. we are still com pletely thing. it's not. we are still completely outnumbered. but it's not just him, others have arab heritage. one of them won an emmy. he was put on screen by an arab. people breakthrough, matter who they are. there are always exceptions to the rule. at the reality is i haven't been given that opportunity. i had to write my own tv show to get on television. i have a dealfrom my own sitcom with universal studios. i can't even get a guest role to play as before i star on my own show. that's how wants discrimination there is. so when we have breakthrough stars, people who defy the odds, it's because they defy the odds. it's not because there are genuinely more opportunities for minorities than white people. on television. especially with disability. you said arab and muslim of course are not synonymous and you are absolutely right, but when it comes to the way muslims are perceived the american actor samuel ljackson says perceived the american actor samuel l jackson says young perceived the american actor samuel ljackson says young muslim americans need to start telling their stories in the same way that african—americans fought and found ways to make films about their lives and experiences. do you see people doing that? is it happening? i absolutely see people doing that and i'm one of the people who is doing that. i think i have a real privilege as a muslim because as a muslim woman i am not what people picture when they think of a muslim woman, but i represent a lot of other muslim women. not every muslim woman chooses to cover. most muslim women are not being oppressed in america, where i live and where a corrupt. so i think it's a great opportunity for me to have written a show with a muslim family as a centrepiece, where the father is devout, the mother is a doctor who doesn't believe in god, to show that muslims are again not a monolith. we are not all these one note screaming terrorists that we are depicted as on television, that muslim women to look like me, that you can be devout and have faith, and still live 100% at clematis to the american lifestyle that i think right now they are trying to other as. —— acclimatise. so people often say to me, go back to your own country, and i say, where? me, go back to your own country, and isay, where? newjersey? audrey tell me i have to accept isay, where? newjersey? audrey tell me i have to accethesus and i say i do, he is a profit in islam. —— or they tell me. say i do, he is a profit in islam. -- or they tell me. despite your initial comment about living in donald trump's america, when you look at all the opinion polls, arab americans are actually quite well integrated as us citizens. when you look at the indices they are better off than the average person in the population, they've got high education achievements and that sort of thing. so it's not all bad. it's not all bad and again arab islam isn't a monolith, some are more integrated, some are less, but also 80% of americans are christian and that has an impact on their ability to blend in. seizing the problem is more of a muslim one than an arab one? —— so you see. more of a muslim one than an arab one? -- so you see. i do and that's different to a decade ago. right now it is absolutely terrifying to be muslim in america. why? we are under siege every day. hate against muslims is mainstream. courts agree with hate against muslims and we are not really given a voice to combat the negative images that are being displayed of us. do you experience it yourself? every day. i feel the anti—muslim sentiment every day. it yourself? every day. i feel the anti—muslim sentiment every daym what way? i was living in the new york area posts 9/ii what way? i was living in the new york area posts 9/11 and i never felt this kind of hate and backlash and dehumanisation. first of all i do find it very disturbing that an american president can invoke and incite violence against muslims without any ramifications. he wouldn't say that, he just says... are you referring to the videos? to the rhetoric and the videos. he would just say he is stating facts, that there's a problem with terrorism that is committed by people of the muslim faith and he is just stating facts. it is not actually stating facts. as somebody who is watching it, i know that he is inciting violence against me. i know he is ignoring the true dangers in america. i mean, in las vegas, 600 people were shot. that's a true risk. finally, you go to the palestinian territories, you've worked with refugees, bringing comedy as a kind of therapy to change people's lives. you've talked about how you use comedy for people with disabilities, muslim americans, that kind of thing. does comedy really have the power to do all that? to transform lives and attitudes in society? comedy absolutely has the ability to transform lives. i always say if someone is laughing at you they are less likely to kill you, but also if someone is laughing they are more likely to understand something that they never understood before. because there a difference between lecturing a person or yelling a person for saying something ignorant and getting on stage and doing a joke and having them realise, i'm the biggest, i'm the one who didn't know the facts. —— bigot. this woman isa know the facts. —— bigot. this woman is a muslim and there's no reason for me to hate her. when i do it worldwide it's more about the disability because when i do comedy worldwide i am putting out an image a lot of people have never seen. a functional independent disabled person. and it lets them know they have the potential, or their child has the potential, the xl in the same way i have. thank you so much for coming on hardtalk you are so welcome. and ifi can for coming on hardtalk you are so welcome. and if i can can, for coming on hardtalk you are so welcome. and ifi can can, you for coming on hardtalk you are so welcome. and if i can can, you can can! a very windy, stormy night for some, and certainly a stormy start to wednesday. met office amber be prepared warnings for the wind likely to expire during the early hours of wednesday. it's likely we could see disruptions, power cuts, maybe even trees down in places because of this, storm eleanor, which brought some very strong winds across parts of ireland during tuesday evening. it's continuing its journey eastwards. tightly packed isoba rs across much of the country, away from the north of scotland, which will have relatively light winds. but very strong winds to start wednesday across the north of england, southern scotland. 70—90 mph gusts. 60 mph across england and wales, with the risk of 70, maybe 80 mph across the south coast there. so likely to be some disruption from these severe gales for much of the uk through the early hours. and to start wednesday, keep tuned to bbc radio, particularly if you head out for the morning rush. a very windy morning, gale force winds. the severe gale easing down as storm eleanor moves out to the north sea. but plenty of showers rattling through the morning and also into the afternoon. some of these showers will be heavy with some hail and thunder. very squally, gusty winds as they arrive. but, in between, there will be spells of sunshine. top temperatures reaching around 10 degrees across the south. it may not be like that because of the strength of the winds. plenty of showers further north as well, merging together to form longer spells of rain. long spells of rain in northern ireland, central and southern scotland. but, actually, pretty quite across the north of scotland. fairly light winds, sunshine, showers there into the northern isles. wednesday, a brief respite, the wind will die down somewhat. plenty of clear spells. it's going to be quite a cool night to come. but then we look to the south—west, to the next area of low pressure, which will make inroads during wednesday night and into the start of thursday. now, this area of low pressure will be a little bit further south. so it looks like we could see the strongest winds across southern britain, certainly south wales, southern england seeing gale force winds. but quite mild with it. 12 or 13 degrees despite all the heavy rain. thursday, maybe a bit cooler, maybe snow in the higher ground, outbreaks of rain. fairly strong winds here, too, but not as strong as in the south. as we head through friday, transitional days. the weather front moving southwards. heavy rain on it. behind it, the air turns much colder. we start to see increasing amounts of snow to the hills and then down to lower levels. and that's a sign of things to come into the weekend. much colder air pouring down across the uk, it's likely to introduce some snow showers in places and a return to overnight frosts. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. our top stories: taking sides in iran. the us calls for a un security council meeting, denying claims that it is involved in the anti—government protests. tragedy in peru. at least 48 people are killed as their bus plummets down a cliff near the capital, lima. the long climb out of poverty. a special report on china's hopes of lifting millions from their remote villages to a better life. the continued existence of serious, widespread poverty represents a threat to the very legitimacy of a communist party that came to power promising to help communities like these, not leave them behind. the plastic problem. the uk under pressure to find new ways to recycle, now china is banning plastic waste from abroad.

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