>> techknow - where technology meets humanity. this is al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz in new york. here are today's top stories. >> it is wonderful to be back in kenya. [ clapping ] a warm welcome for president obama as he returns to his father's homeland. sandra bland is laid to rest. hundreds mourn the woman found dead in gaol days after being arrested during a traffic stop an uneasy truce broken in yemen. saudi-led forces paused to allow in medicine and food for those

trapped in a law the fight to save some of islam's oldest sites runs into an obstacle. critics point fingers at the saudi government antibiotic infections kill 20,000 in the u.s. what doctors do when drugs don't work. president obama has wrapped up his first full day in kenya. it's the first time a sitting president visited an african country. it's at times divisive. president obama co-hosted a seminar onentrepreneurialship in nairobi, praised them for advancements and announced $1 billion for new businesses. during a news conference he

criticized criticized president kenyatta over gay rights. another concern is the fight against extremism. others against kenya, the u.s. and other countries cut the influence of al-shabab in somali. andrew simmonds has the details. >> president obama started in relaxed style, at the global entrepreneurship without notes or a teleprompter. he did it as lib and used kenyan-swahili slang and praised them for the way they were doing business, encouraging entrepreneurs to do more and announcing a series of merures to help them and said that africa was open for business. the economy was doing so much better. >> when i was here in nairobi

10 years ago it looked different than it does today, and the incredible progress that has been made - imagine what could happen if more and more of our global business leaders, and global capital paid a visit. and actually had a conversation as opposed to just being blinded by some of the stereotypes promoted. it could move faster. >> later it was on to state house and talks with kenyatta, the kenyan president. they want more help in the war against terror cash for security and training. obama said he'd do na but made a warning saying the government should not isolate the muslim community, didn't use those

words, said a legitimate minority saying there was danger, it would radicalize many people. he used u.s. as an example saying reaching out to the communities can help rather than hinder the situation. kenyatta responded by saying he'd do more to include the minorities. this is how he responded. >> we agreed together that we could build a future in which people of all faiths cultures live peacefully together with the rights of individuals and minorities protect it. and those in power hold to - held to account by strong and inclusive institutions. the two presidents came over in a unified fashion. obama had a successful day here, very confident, riding high with his foreign policies now, and making it clear that he believes in africa, he wants to do more, making it clear that he's the only sitting u.s. president who

made four trips to africa. there was one thing that was a difference that will not be bridged. an issue on gay rights. president obama calling for more, and kenyatta said he couldn't impose such rights when people didn't want them. nothing happening there, and the issue of corruption remains to be seen of what will be done there. obama, if he carries on with the business let's bring in robin sanders, ambassador to nigeria, joining us from d.c. good to see you. >> good to see you. >> the first question - how productionive to the think the trip has been for obama. >> i think the week has been a reset for africa the nigerian president was here, they talked of a u.s.-african summit.

that was announced at the white house. this is a lead into where he is and what he said at the summit. our interest in security, job creation and growth and trade relationship with kenya is strong. we have about 413 million trade with quenia now. particularly in i c.t. areas and the oral sector. it's a good reset of our relationship with the continent. >> it's a major force, and the concern of human rights gay rights and a major divide. were you struck by the kenyan president's tone over gay rights when the president said about that. >> our president is absolutely rite on target.

we have to encourage african countries to do better. the u.s. president struck the right tone and we have to continue to have a push and dialling with african nations. kenya is not the only one you have uganda and nigeria, and a number of countries rolling back and making the rules and regulation strident. we have to push them to look better at the minority populations and the future and do a better job on human rights and gay rights? there is concern that the president could push harder especially since there was $1 billion in business opportunities. there's leverage - no? >> there's some leverage. we have to do the dialogue. we have come a long way from

where we were 10 years ago. we have to get the nations that have the laws against gays and l.g.b.t. community, we have to get them to look at this at the human rights issue. to roll back some of those laws and the first step is having the president be on the continent and make a powerful speech. >> when you look at the president's legacy in africa. do you think he paid enough attention to the continent. >> i think in the first term we had economic challenges here in the united states. certainly in the son term the president put -- second term the president put africa right and center. there was a ceremony on wednesday. there was an african-u.s. summit. we had the nigeria president here a trip to kenya, trade initiative to africa and a number of great agendas for the

continent. i think he reset the button in terms of the u.s. relationship and dialogue with the continent. >> starting with an historic visit. thank you for your time today. >> absolutely. >> family and friends of an illinois woman found dead in a texas gaol gathered for her funeral in illinois. they remember sandra bland was a courageous voice and struggle to come to terms with her death. >> reporter: as sandra bland's casket was carried into the church, a friend insisted hundreds of friends would have come for bland if her arrest and address had not touched off a fire storm. >> it's a devastating loss for everyone that knew here. >> reporter: she was pull over in waller county texas, after failing to signal a lane change. an argument ensued and she was arrested.

critics say the officer overreacted. three days later bland was found dead in her cell. an autopsy ruled it a suicide. the family called upon an independent autopsy. >> when you are an activist and fighter you don't take your own life. what waller country is producing to the world defies logic. >> the service was closed but her casket was open to those including her sister. she said she and her family were tired and frustrated and needed a day to mourn. they left bland's story to the church. >> she was positive, uplifting, powerful. that's the sandy bland we want the world to know. >> in addition to celebrating her life there was a clear message. some wore t-shirts that read sandy speaks, a hashtag used which friends of sandies in recent days.

>> a funeral programme described sandy as unapologetic to social justice issues. one of her friends told us about a social media campaign back in january. >> she stuck up for what she believed in. it's not fair to them. >> mourners say as far as they are concerned, there's no period after waller county's investigation, only a grievous bodily harma with more of the -- cama, with more story to come. >> sandra bland's death called four police reforms. there was a rally in newark new jersey, a city that struggled with tension between officers and the people they are supposed to protect. >> good afternoon from newark new jersey and the million person march against police brutality, racial injustice and economic inequality. not quite a million people here

but the organizers are pleased with the turn out in the sun shine on this saturday afternoon. larry ham, who put this together has been telling why events like this are so important. >> we are hoping to continue the spotlight on police brutality, police murder unarmed civilians, police torture, and terror. these - i know to a lot of people that may sound like hiperbally, but it's not. >> on the organising committee of this event, there's no fewer than three mums who have lost their sons to alleged police brutality. one of them michelle kamal has been telling me about her how son decide saying the authorities refused to indict the officers involved. >> within minutes they killed my son. three officers shot him 15 times. killing him on the spot. >> reporter: and another speaker

this afternoon is the well-known dr cornell west whose main message to the crowd is that police brutality across the united states needs to be stopped and event like this are the forum to encourage that to happen. >> john terrett from new jersey. >> u.s. armed forces say air strikes destroyed an asset of i.s.i.l. fallujah and iraq. newly released video shows the distribution of facility used to make explosives one of 31 air strikes by the coalition in iraq and syria turkey appears to be fighting on two fronts - i.s.i.l. and syria and kurdish forces in iraq. it says the p.k.k. in iraq followed turkey's first ever strikes on i.s.i.l. and syria. turkey has been accusing forces in northern syria of driving out civilians, and the p.k.k. said it ended a ceasefire agreed to

this 2013. the operations will continue for as long as there's a threat against turkey. >> i.s.i.l. detonated two suicide bombs in the syrian sound. activists said the attacks target two checkpoints. one of the villages tell of a strategic location, taken back from i.s.i.l. by kurdish forces, and follow an i.s.i.l. suicide bombing killing 32 people in a town close to the syrian border on monday. >> saudi arabia says it will start a 5-day ceasefire in yemen. the announcement comes a day after delivering several tonnes of medical supplies and equipment. a saudi-led coalition says it will pause the offensive against rebels but will respond to violations. officials say the ceasefire was requested by ousted yemeni president abd-rabbu mansour hadi, who is in exile in riyadh.

a u.n. brokered ceasefire failed this month. a federal judge ordered the release of immigrant families held in two texas detention centers, a judge ruling the facilities do not reach minimum requirements to hold children. that children had been held in deplorable conditions in border patrol stations and they had failed to provide safe and sanitary conditions for children in cells. more than 2600 people were the in centers, 2,000 more than they were built to hold. some of islam's sacred sites are in danger. these are not in a war zone. a battle to save ancient grounds in saudi arabia. plus this... >> thank god the police got here in less than a minutes. >> live to louisiana, for the

search in relation to a shooting killing two in a theatre.

louisiana police thank tipsters for information about the suspect in thursday's

shooting. they are piecing together what prompted a gunman to open fire in a lafayette theatre. what can you tell us about the condition of the victims? >> good evening. we know that a wounded victim was released from the hospital today. we understand two are hospitalized. both in good condition. good news considers the conditions 24 hours ago. one was critical in the intensive care unit. there's a lot the police don't know about the suspect. they want to provide a sense of calm and comfort to the community, reiterating that there is no ongoing threat and the shooter acted alone. >> reporter: detectives wrapped up the initial investigation into thursday's mass shooting at the grand theatre in lafayette. officers returned on saturday taking another look at the

evidence. >> we'll re-evaluate what we have done make sure we have not left a stone unturned. we are still speaking to victims and witnesses. >> reporter: for the first time officers allowed us behind the crime take walking to the theatre, showing the door with john russell howser tried to escape. >> he came out of the door. we suspect he saw the officers and re-entered the area. >> reporter: state police and fbi are trying to track down people who knew or who came into contact with houser. >> we don't no why he came to lafayette. >> no, it will be tough. i don't think we'll be 100% sure as to why what happened here at the grand theatre happened. >> reporter: do we know from his family, who you have spoken to?

>> you know we know that he had some mental issues. we know - based from what they are telling us. all of that will come out in due time. >> meantime there's a memorial outside the lafayette boutique jillian johnson owned her his bed. her and another were kill. jillian reed stopped to drop off flowers, saying she left the theatre an hour before the shooting. >> we have come together and shown support for the families and victims. lafayette is a great community. we'll stay strong. a lot of people are praying for us. we'll get through this. >> the community is fan back by it. we are in mourning, in the healing process. >> police say the movie theatre could open on monday a stein of the community moving forward. terry tyler randell ter terry landy senior said part of

that is talking about gun crime. the topic was avoided during a press conference. >> the cause and effect is people getting guns that shouldn't have guns. to have a debate about the cause and effect is now. it's not three months from now. >> reporter: today louisiana governor bobby jindal issued an order to keep protesters away from the funerals of the victims, two women aren killed. that's because the baptist church announced plans to protest the funerals, and the accused shooter, houser in the past tweeted out his support for west borrow church. >> thank you jonathan live in louisiana. a wisconsin family said good buy to a marine killed in the chattanooga shooting. a funeral was held in his home town. public visitation was held at

his high school. he was among four marines and sailors killed on july 16th. some ancient sites of islam are in danger of disappearing. happening in an unlikely place - saudi arabia. attempts by groups say the sites have fallen. >> these are the images coming to mind when referring to islam's holy sites. these places and others have been under threat for decades by some of the same claiming to protect them. at the heart of the controversy is this place - a cemetery where many members of prophet muhammad's companions are buried. the family demolished the shrines saying the tombstones are unnize lambic and replaced them. muslims currently are not allowed to pay their respects. the conservative form of sunni

islam frowns on visits to shrines, times or historical sites on grounds it may lead to sin, worshipping anyone other than god. they want to bring attention to why the site may be destroyed. they stabbed for protection, or attach archeological significance to the sites. and why have they been destroyed. >> a director of the organization is based in chicago. and her group has been trying to bring attention to the issue. it started to organise protests on the 8th day of the 10th month of the islamic calleneder. to mark the anniversary of destruction. in 2007 they bussed people to the saudi embassy in washington d.c. since 2007 many more sites have

been demolished, and requests for documentation of sites that used to exist have been denied. the sites are not only important for muslims. >> we have several sites represented over here. we have invited some of the non-muslims. some of the cultural sites are very much valuable and important for non-muslims as well. >> the group sends a memorandum to saudi officials, this year's calling for the government to:. >> hussain says the calls have fallen on deaf ears. >> we submit the memorandum to them every year. and we do not get an official response or acknowledgment that they received the memorandum. >> an unnamed government saurs

says that the project should not be seen as destruction, but rather expansion to the already existing holy sites necessary to accommodate growing number of pilgrims. they have been met with opposition. growing dissent compared the skyline to that of las vegas, complete with a modern clock-tower mall shopping malls and jacuzzis. it rests on what used to be an 18th century cita dell. projects have been kept under the radar, so not many are aware of the construction taking place. they say enough is enough. >> we want to bring attention as to why the sites are destroyed, and country or global site.

they stand for attention and attach archeological issues to the site demonstrations are planned around the world in a handful of cities - including london melbourne and karachi. >> the director of an organization joins us from los angeles. thank you for being with us. i understand you are coming from a protest at the saudi consulate. is the movement gaining traction. . >> yes thank you for having me yes. this, of course, you can see this all around the world. you know although it was destroyed many years ago, but today, what you see from the terrorist organizations, you see two things killing and

destruction. this started. within the saudis and others attacked medina - one of the holy cities of islam, they killed so many people. then they destroyed this historical cemetery regarded by the prophet as a respected place. and the prophet, his wives and family members the grandson is buried there. and other great personalities of islam and companions are buried there. >> there are multiple sites of concern, many that have been destroyed. the argument for saudi

government is that the country sees millions come every year and they need the space to accommodate the huge crowds of tourists. what do you say to that? >> this is not a good excuse of they can expand the haram and mosque while protecting the historical sides. because these... >> how do you protect them if they are in the same election. >> yes you can leave them. leave marks symbols, signs, they are eliminating everything. they want to wipe out history of islam. the prophet that is against islam and the history of islam. exactly what in i.s.i.s. and

taliban and boko haram and al qaeda have done and are doing everywhere. you mentioned the group that destroyed other sacred sites. are you frustrated there's not been more international condemnation under saudi arabia's moves. >> this is true and the media is not paying attention on the important issues. this is an ideology. they are groups, but not, you know just groups. it is connecting them together, and saudi arabia is the center of this type and promoter of this ideology. now they are everywhere. terrorism, vandalism. nobody is safe from these people. no one. not just a sect. no muslims.

christians jews you know. syrians, arabs. no one is safe from this kind of terrorism. >> they are important it islam and other faces around the world. >> thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you very much. >> so-called super-bugs kill more than 20,000 people in the u.s. every year. >> and a couple of days later some of my blood tests came back. they said hey we need to isolate you and put you in a room yourself because you have an infection that we have never seen here before. >> the fight to kill that infection, next. >> go ahead and address the i.s.i.s. in the room. >> later, muslim humour. comedians using jokes to break down barriers. pags

welcome back to al jazeera america.

here is a look at the top stories. president obama finished his trip to kenya. he announced a billion of support for new businesses and addressed counterterrorism relating to al-shabab, and gay and lesbian rights in kenya and throughout the continent family and friends of an illinois woman found dead gathered for her funeral. authorities say bland hung herself in gaol. her arrest for failing to use a turning signal escalated into a physical altercation with the officer. protests against the saudi arabia government saying the kingdom is destroying islamic sites, among them the cemetery where prophet muhammad and come pannians are buried they are known as super-bugs, an infection resistant to most drugs. they sicken millions much the

most common type is cre, but the exact fam of cases each year is not known. 19 states have walls for medical facilities to report infections california does not have the requirements and cre sickened 179 paint the ronald reagan medical center in los angeles. two died from infections linked to tainted medical equipment. super-bugs super-bugs kill up to a quarter of a million and can rise to 10 million by 2050. it's a concern in india, where doctors struggle to treat a growing number of patients, we have this report. >> reporter: he's 14 months old. for months he's been ill. he had typhoid and saw the

doctor in january. it took two courses the treatment, but now finally he has the all clear. >> most of the cases we have here are drug resistant. almost all of them have been drug resistant. it is a problem. for adults getting the right treatment is a problem. >> i had meds from one doctor. when the first didn't work, i went to another. the second doctor's didn't help either. >> reporter: it was when she visited a clinic close to her home that she was found to have drug-resistant tuberculosis. dr shelley butler spent the last 20 years treating difficult tb cases and said more and more drugs are becoming ineffective against the disease and hartley

blames unqualified health providers. >> there are informal providers, some are not qualified to write a prescription. training and upgrading skills is require to proven the diseases. >> reporter: once a drug-resistant disease like dive eyed takes hold it's -- typhoid takes hold it's passed on through the water. sanitation is a challenge for communities like this and drug-resistant illnesses are a growing threat. where the government fails to fix the problem, health workers comment by treating the spread of illnesses with a host of medicine. ad hoc treatment does little to contain the bacteria. it raised questions about dealing with the diseases

aspecting million. >> doctors around the world have long been aware of the threat of drug resistance. now with a number of cases, that is real. they back calls for action to help stop super-bugs and hope it will be enough and won't come too late to protect the health of the next generation. researchers fight super-bugs in the united states. a major barrier is making new drugs more and more difficult. jacob ward explains why >> reporter: the united states has a bug problem. multidrug resistant bacteria super-bugs that learn to shrug off the antibiotics plague the health system. >> these organisms get spread, and can live on the skin and live on the surfaces of a desk or bed or steth scope. >> the trub is that it takes --

trouble is that it takes days to identify specifics of bacteria. dr lee riley received a multi million grant to develop a process identifying the right drugs to fight bacteria. >> if you can determine what the drugs are doing the organisms, that you didn't give the right drug, you don't have to worry about creating resistance. >> here in the u.s. and around the world companies are not making antibiotics, it's too expensive and hard. they pretty much tap out of the micro-organisms that can be cultivated in a lab setting. >> there are enough mirk organisms if this dirt to pursue lines of antibiotics. it's only out here that they'll thrive. >> as a result researchers are limited to the tiny number of microorganisms na grow. >> the gap is humongous.

a large aim on the planet is not contactable. this dot is it. how much of that would have been cultivated. >> the team developed device the chip that can isolate cells in dirt to let them grow the way they do in nature. >> it let's nature provide the component for growth. and once this forms, we can explore it with the ability to produce antibiotic. >> the hope is that a new crop used on bacteria specifically identified could slow deadly infections around the world, infections that our food and hospitals help to create. >> this is a big deal. let's bring in the doctor an

infectious ciites physician. how big of a deal is this when it comes to treating patients. >> as we chatted about. on the hospital wards we see a lot of drug resistant infections. it takes something like this outbreak with endoscopes to get the public's attention focused on the problem. >> in a lot of cases we are not clear on how widespread this is, correct? >> hospitals do some of their own monitoring. when we test a patient for infection, we sent it to the lab to see if it's resistant. we give the correct one. the prevalence, how common they are. that is a bigger and bigger problem. >> in your daily job as you work in the hospital, how often do you see this bacteria? >> every day. >> so it is a real problem, and

there are a couple of things we need to address. one is managing antibiotics responsible in the hospital. that means that you don't give everyone an antibiotic for something that is not appropriate. >> a lot of people come in with coughs and colds. they want an ain by otic. it's not appropriate prescribing. we don't need to pull out the big guns. sometimes plain old peninsula works. and the other issue is big agriculture, the food industry is using antibiotics to mask unhygienic conditions and promote growth driving the emergence of super-bugs. is a patient that goes into hospital for something minor, and catches a super-bug. what advice do you give patients on trying to prevent becoming infected with something like this. >> a major lesson is more is not

better. in this country. we need more tests, procedures, drugs, antibiotics, that's a solution. unfortunately, all of these things have risks associated with them. you need to question do i need that antibiotic. do i need the test do i neat the scope. >> challenging your doctor? >> asking. asking do i need this. a lot of times doctors assume that patients will leave the office unhappy if they accident get an antibiotic. a lot of times patients want reassurance that it will get better on its own, get sleep, drink fluids, you'll be okay. >> how hard is it to fight the drugs. >> the issue with the super-bugs is they are resistant. they will not be killed by common antibiotics. we have to reach for tox ib, more expensive i.v. antibiotics,

it's more for the patients. what is the biggest problem in trying to figure out a fewer for the disease. is it money, time or what? >> unfortunately antibiotics is a bad market in terms of the market. it takes time for antibiotics to come to market. it's not like lipitor ta you might be on for the rest of your life. once we have a new anti-by ot tick we do as mousse irons have everything possible to restrict the use, because we don't want natural selection. >> it reads the more you are on the antibiotics, do you see it as a bigger problem or doctors are getting a hold of this? >> i think it's an increasing problem as much as we educate doctors and patients, it hasn't changed that much. >> thank you for your time today

there's some controversy over whether hillary clinton will testify before a house committee in relation to the benghazi attacks. aids announced she'd speak in october, but a committee spokesman denied that. it has turned into a fight over hillary clinton's private server for the use of secretary of state business. sepp blatter gave support for russia to host the 2018 world cup. blatter is in st. petersburg. he shrugged off the corruption scandal. and is back. sepp blatter is emphasising the trip to russia. it's under fire from three sponsors f.i.f.a. executives met visa mcdonald's and

coca-cola. >> meaningful reform cannot be implemented under the counter leadership. they are requesting an independent party to carry out changes. still to come - the best pictures ever seen. secrets revealed from the dwarf planet. >> it's that time of year when the wildfires are creeping up across the west. who will get a break, who will see a lot more bl. more on that -- more weather. more on that when i return after this.

wildfires are wiping out thousands of acres of dry land in six western states - california montana and

washington are getting the worst of it. high winds and dry brush are helping the fire spread. extra firefighters are coming from as far east as maryland to help, and with the drought, this is what we were worried about. >> that's right. we'll get wildfires every year. because the drought has increased in the area, there has been an uptake in the numbers across the region. let's look at the satellite. the area of concern is dry from california up here to the north. we are getting some moisture across the border states and we'll talk about that in a moment. let's look at where the wildfires are located. we had some towards california. some are small. here towards napper is one of the biggest, 4,000-5,000 acres and not over half contained. then to the north, one of the biggest wildfires is across

washington state, towards the south-east and towards montana. we think over the next couple of days that we will get a break. here is the situation. we are talking about draught across california. and a year to 12 months ago it increased 1%. so there has been no relief in this area. also, if you look at washington that is one area we are looking at into montana. that is one area that is dealing with quite a bit of drought situation. very dry here towards the south. no rain expected on sunday. temperatures towards the south very very warm. going towards monday, not relief in terms of the rain coming into play across that region. as i said we expect to see a break here across the north. idaho and montana, we'll see rain coming in here.

towards monday it will be really fizzling out. not much of a break there. we are seeing a lot of heavy rain. next hour towards florida, they have been seeing so much main that the flooding has been incredible. >> in the wrong part of the country. should be the west. >> donald trump is rocketing to the top of the polls among the voters. >> what does trumps police say. that is the topic. "third rail" with imran garda and his guests. here is a preview. >> we are a long way from the elections. >> right. >> he's not going to be the republican nominee, i don't believe for a second. he may about a third party in which case the incredibly boring and tire s hillary clinton may become the president of the united states. >> i think it will be exciting and not tiresome at all. i'm from california the land of ronald reagan and diego

schwartzman, trump is like an arnold schwarzenegger. in the world of infotainment and citizens united. he could go. >> he could go. you have been in politics for 30 year, you believe he can go all the way. >> i think that - i would predict donald trump on the stage next fall. >> going were? >> republican nominee or the independent. >> where is he going? >> hillary clinton will be happy. >> i think as the nominee for the party. >> he'll be the republican nominee. >> no. >> i think he sees him on the stage. >> you know you are hoping. >> i'm hoping hillary clinton is. >> i think chris hit a button when he said that there's hillary and establishment fatigue. i think the race is so wide open we have no idea who we are in store yore. >> "third rail" airs sunday 6:00 pm eastern, 3:00 p.m. pacific. del walters is here with a look at the next hour.

>> president obama making a stop in kenya. a topic on the agenda advocating for gay rights. the plea not well received by kenyans. we have more on the visit to the home lands, and a deeper look at the minimum wage. by cities heeding the cry of workers. the university of california followed suit. if this is a trend, how will the higher wages be received and can business sustain it. that ahead. >> up next - muslims using comedy to bridge a cultural divide. >> there are three types of muslims on tv - there's i.s.i.s. al qaeda, and there's under arrest. >> that story is next. stay with us.

from the edge of the sol oar system n.a.s.a. released more stunning photos of pluto. the pictures are sent back by

the "new horizon" spacecraft. and scientists say this is the best image seen of the dwarf planet. photos show a different terrain, but most are interested in this an image showing pluto's atmosphere. >> this is a first image of pluto's atmosphere. that is what stunned the encounter team. for 25 years we knew that pluto has an atmosphere. in is our first picture, the first time we have seen it. this was the image that almost brought tears to the eyes of atmospheric scientists. >> n.a.s.a. says the first phase of the data transmission is now complete. next is technical data and photos expected in september well there is nothing funny about hate and prejudice. muslim communities say that comedy shows the funny side. they are here for what they

described as the first muslim-american comedy festival. >> let's address the i.s.i.s. in the room. >> reporter: this man beliefs comedy can combat fears about muslims. >> i'm walking down the street people are looking at me. there he goes i.s.i.s. is here now. >> he's one of the 18 muslim comedians from around the world starring in the first muslim funny fest. for them little is off limits. >> mum was like "is he circumsised?", i said i don't know. >> just in case the word muslim didn't tip anyone off, i said let me dress like this. >> there are three types of muslim on tv i.s.i.s. al qaeda, and there's under arrest. those are the thret. >> reporter: one poll suggests that americans view muslims more negatively than any other religious group. attacks like the assault on the "charlie hebdo" in paris, and last week's shootings in

chattanooga, tennessee perpetuate that image. >> those people that commit acts of violence are fringe they do not represent the majority of muslim worldwide. what we are trying to do is show again, that your average every day muslim is like you. >> you don't go to pray in stilettos, you go to dance on polls. >> reporter: do you get tired of having to defend muslims in america? >> i'm tired of answering the accusations, not the question. i'm happy to answer the question. >> this man says he's been answering questions about himself since he was a child growing up. >> i've been explaining my name my whole life. what kind of name is that? it'sara bike. >> you are from arab. >> no i'm from india. >> he studied law, and worked up the courage to industry stand up

comedy. he went on to tour the world with fellow muslim-american comedians, preacher moss and mohamed, and call their trio allah made me funny. you guys do comedy as a full time job? yes. how is business? >> islamaphobia is good for stand-up comedy. we are going to places where people think they may not be welcome, but it's a powerful thing. humour is universal. some within our home, outside of our community. >> i didn't realise that indian men are the most stressed out people on earth. especially if the guy has a daughter. >> how old old is she? >> despite the obstacles, muslim comedians are making progress. >> there has been a couple of

instances where people came up after a show n is heart worm of course, and have been in -- heart warming and have been in tears, saying i can't believe you exist, and i came into this show with so much anger and negativity in my heart towards muslims, and you have completely destroyed that. >> he has a message for muslims too. illustrated through a story about a white man he felt eyed him suspiciously at the air fort. >> he missed his kid at home. like me. that's when it hit me. i'm like dude we are the same bird. you are like white chocolate, i'm a snickers bar, both delicious humour is indeed universe am. >> that does it for us on this hour. i'm jonathan betz in new york. stay here the news conditions. this is al jazeera america, i'm del walters in new york. a look at the top stories. >> the state should not

discriminate against people based on their sexual aryan sayings. >> -- orientation. >> president obama visits kenya. on the agenda gay rights. is it falling on deaf ears. turkey launching attacks on two fronth - i.s.i.s. and kurdish worses in iraq. a louisiana theatre - set to reopen. the latest on the investigation into the deadly shooting. and the minimum wage $15 an hour. take a look at the push to raise the rates and what that means for workers and business. we begin in kenya, president obama wrapping up his first full day in the east african country, spending the day with their president. the two leaders breaking groun