Brummie by way of Baghdad, Hasan Al-Habib provides a boisterous and energetic start to the show, playing on white stereotypes of Muslims and Arabs as terrorists and the idea that Britain will become a Muslim country. It’s all in good fun, with Al-Habib getting the mostly white audience fully on board with chanting in Arabic in an inspired call-and-response routine. Similarly, he extends this level of broad humour to anecdotes about his father, with two about his cheapness and advice about abstaining from pre-marital sex involving a certain Iron Lady that also bring the house down.

However, it’s the more serious routines that impress, with an anecdote about visiting New York showing how post-9/11 racism affected Al-Habib’s sense of identity – whilst he uses punchlines as levity, it doesn’t detract from his resulting crisis over his Iraqi Muslim heritage. Similar stories about racism Al-Habib suffered in school and his dad being racially abused in a supermarket contain the same theme of how such marginalisation can affect ethnic minorities and adds a more sombre undertone to the array of well-timed gags and audience interactions.

This isn’t to say that these stories result in a jarring tonal shift, with Al-Habib skilfully adding inspired broadly funny jokes in the mix to lighten the mood, but they provide a much needed insight into the personal impact of Islamophobia. The climax, where Al-Habib recounts going to Baghdad for the first time, brings both the comedic and serious aspects of the show to their natural conclusion in a way that fully represents his internal journey as well as what make him so effective as a comedian.

‘Death to the West (Midlands)’ is an entertaining show thanks to the stage presence and charisma of Al-Habib, who also ensures that its more serious message of self acceptance isn’t overlooked.

‘Death to the West (Midlands)‘ has finished its Fringe run