of southern california. and on may 20th will be live from the gaithersburg festival in brooklyn north of washington, d.c. and for may 31st to june 2nd look for us at the publishing industry annual trade showbook expo america in new york city. where it will sit down with authors and publishers to discuss forthcoming books for more information about booktv will be covering and to watch previous festival coverage, list the book fairs tab on our website booktv.org o. belong [inaudible conversations] all right. you guys are doing great. [laughter] i'd like -- thank you you did it, great, i'd like to send a special thank you for hosting us and inc. factory

for today conversation before we with again we're so pleased to share a trailer with you for tickling giants with the experience launching a news show in egypt. thank you. protesters on streets in cairo, egypt. >> slashes between protesters and security forces more than 1200 people have died. [inaudible conversations] saying things i'm not usually on tv. i think it is very --

ought to be best to popular television presented. insulted morsi insulted and a comedian would be a wanted man is itself astonishing thing. >> that gets into trouble. i'll sell you this it doesn't get me the the kind of trouble it gets you into. an accident -- [inaudible conversations] time to work from home if you want -- what are we going to do? i have absolutely no manual to do this. hurray -- been waiting for something to happen. this show is about holding authority accountable. regardless of who's in charge.

>> hold them -- we are the voice of the people. >> ladies and gentlemen please welcome copoundser of madison wells media gigi, and comedian and tv host, youssef. [applause] >> hi. that's a beautiful trout, thank you. nothing much going on on a monday night many chicago, right. that's your, okay i'll take it. [laughter] thank you for coming. did you get to know each other. who did you know? where can you tell me something? [inaudible conversations]

>> no, no that's something about me -- her? >> yeah, a big fan. big fan -- so we have something in common already. i see something there. thank you. great. all right. i'll be calling on people -- [laughter] right. >> all right. hey, gigi. >> hey, awesome, welcome. bahsome is called jon stewart of egypt allows a quick point of reference but i know jon stewart will say he's no baasome yew set i'm a huge fan but when it comes to reach, influence and risking your life baasome wins. baasome weekly show broke bare yearn political show in egypt filmed fluent a live audience and it was the most viewed television show in egypt with 30 million viewers per episode and at its peak. point of reference more viewers than donald trump has twitter followers.

[cheering and applause] and on top of all of that bahsome show around regime in the middle of a revolution and receiving death threats, protests and calls for his arrest. yeah. [laughter] that was that. so we with don't have nearly enough time tonight. >> but can i help you for a second. because john -- for me is an idol to be mentioned in the same sentence as he is it just, phenomenal. i think what john has done not just -- to inspire me but to inspire a lot of people how many -- comedy shows -- came out out of that -- power house that "daily show" so numbers are nothing. that only reason that we have more numbers is just -- we were only ones. [laughter] here you have a saturated market so if you have a couple of millions you're amazing. and that even change in the 90s.

in the 90s i remember that the -- premiere of seinfeld had 10 million views and that was considered many 90s a very, very low viewership. but now it is you have a lot of -- saturated so the comparison is not -- is not fair, and -- so nevermind. [laughter] forget all of that. so like just to be in the same sentence as john is a greatest compliment i can ever get. i watch him for ten years, inspiration and just to -- even be with him in the same like -- camera frame for me -- >> so how was that when he showed up on your show? >> no, no you have to go back to 2012. inch okay. >> because here's the thing. this single -- jon stewart of egypt -- i planted that. [laughter] i made it happen. i'll tell you why. so -- when i was still doing this show

on youtube for my laundry room, i -- about i was inspired by him and i had this wild dream that maybe someday i will go to the united states and i will meet him and i will be in the audience and watch him. so i had a kind of scheme, a plan which by the way is in my book. [laughter] did you see how i came to myself -- isn't that so american? [laughter] oh -- but i'm going to tell you how it happened and tell you how it happened so what happened was -- i made -- i made sure that whenever somebody would come and interview me and they asked me what had inspired you, what made you go on, what made you single, i would mention jon stewart in any context. any, like what kind of sitcom,

friends, also jon stewart, anything, so then it has worked and i remember the first english public article that was on daily beat entitled jon stewart of the nine. and that was first ever english speaking english article published about me. and then by the time i went to new york, you already heard of me. [laughter] >> kind of brel i brilliant. so were you back up for a second? >> yeah, a surgeon -- you're waiting for a visa to come to states to work in cleveland as a doctor. >> yeah out of all places. [laughter] >> it is in the book by the way. yes. i hope no one is from cleveland. >> anyone? [applause] wait is that robert?

that's you robert where were you last night, man the only guy from cleveland that i can actually speak to. oh, you too. two, so then you -- >> youtube happened explain what happened. >> at the time a stewart that is like about howard starts this shows on youtube. in 2010, like where there's no revolution in site. i was again as you said a heart surgeon, and i wanted to really get out of egypt because i was very frustrated of how medical system was working there. and i just wanted to -- finish all of my elite exam and i wanted to go. and i got accepted. i came to the next state and i did many interviews and i -- i got accepted in cleveland. and i was very happy and nothing e tells you how desperate i was

to leave the country -- like being excited to go to cleveland, and -- and i always say lebron james at that time left. [laughter] so i -- so i was just biting my time waiting, and then the friend of mine he was -- into youtube and youtube management and youtube in 2010 in egypt and -- it was just from other people. we didn't have arabic content at that time qeerd to think of. but nothing originally made for youtube so bits and pieces from television or other countries, so he said like -- why "don't ask, don't don't we e original content and he came to me in 2010 he said -- why don't you write something? and he came to me because first of all i'm his friend so i'll do for free, and second, he said --

according to him i had a way with people speaking to them and they would listen. and i weird stuff and telling to people so i decided to at that time politic was on the table like you cannot do political stuff. so i choose something else. religion -- [laughter] so i came up with this idea it was called searching for a god which is in five minutes explain a different culture or religion to people. and i would show people that like you are been here just like looking indoor to this key hole thinking that, you know, this -- there's your religion, your belief but others willing to die for or bet their life for that kind kind of conviction so episodes of scientology about witnesses,

mission with lamb and it was, you know, very is interested to do it. this so i -- did it before morgan freeman did it with story of god. [laughter] in 2010 -- that's of which -- and i -- and then it was supposed to be released in 2011 new year's eve. but something happened. do you remember that? there was a church bombing. and, of course, like you cannot speak about religion when -- and i i try like a dark humor but yeah, this is how it is how we celebrate christmas and war on christmas so fox news, you know, that is war on christmas not just starbucks cups but worse than other places so i was -- and remembers all right hold back and wait for a couple of months. 25 days later we had the revolution and scrub the whole

thing and revolution ended you know what let's do something but political. let's do jon stewart this is how it started. >> so rev louis. >> sorry do i give longer answers i'm sorry. i share -- yeah. >> i don't think it's a problem. [laughter] >> so -- you do the youtube videos after the revolution ends? >> yes. >> and what happens when you release these youtube videos? >> so i thought maybe 10,000 views and a 5 million and at that had time 5 million was a big deal now 4 to 5 million -- [laughter] and at that time that was huge. and -- sorry about the huge. and -- lch [laughter] and yeah i did the -- three weeks every single -- every single network in egypt

now wants to hire meed to a show and a what i said, i didn't plan for this but discover a ed leer when i come back from cleveland. hey, this guy maybe making a comeback and it was a -- it was a difficult decision at the time. because i almost say in april, in may 2011 the sip day i was signing my tv deal, the paper from cleveland so you want visa something that the people will never see again. [laughter] and yeah so this is how it starts. so you decided then that going to the united states wasn't the foremost important thing doing this show was. >> well, i thought that like i'll give it a try but i'll just put cleveland on a site and i'll give it a year. and see how it goes and if i

fail i'll never go back, and since my mom is this like very -- strong middle eastern lady who wanted, you know, it was welcome to fact that i would not leave her and go to america. we -- she said all right you can stay but you should not forget that you are you're a doctor so to please her i continued doing my hospital shift while i was doing the show for the first year. >> oh, wow. wow. >> yeah, it was very difficult for the patient to take any seriously. [laughter] >> so you se date them and that is terrible. >> yeah, like i roofied them. yeah. [laughter] so social media, facebook, twitter all of those things have been given a lot of credit for helping arab spring and revolution, youtube, what role do you think social media had in that whole era? >> well as you said it is

bypassed the gate keep rs which is the states from media, the media became irrelevant and people start to take news from facebook twitter which is a good or could be a bad thing but at that time helped people to -- made people feel they're not alone. and they can relate to other people and it is made the -- the process and the opposition much stronger. and -- so yeah. at that time it was very helpful. >> and do you feel that you were able to get the network to agree to let you do this show because of the popularity of facebook of the youtube? >> well this is what was so special about like our show we were the first ones who came from the people to theoffices they were all of people deciding what other people should do and say, and for us it was, with already tried concept on youtube

and to put it on television i know that this now sounds very redundant like what happens now. but at that time that was very unusual for us especially in the arab world, and now -- this was my relationship with many was egyptians who like this show or defense they do not look at me as liberty but one of them. so dynamic between us is totally dirchts. different you find someone saying you know each other for -- five years. we don't have these barriers of -- i thank god that that -- this is the case because i don't see myself as select because i got -- i got famous at age of 3-37, 38 soy wasn't born, i wasn't spoiled by being a select at a young wherer age but being abused as a doctor for 13 years

so a hum haddablenessmableness h that. >> through a medium that you were going whether it was religion or politics or anything? >> no, so the show was informative. but i -- you know, it part of of all of r lives but all with internalize it because we didn't seek a public politic and almost had this smear case cynical outlook to think and this happens to people under the leaderships. so you have a lot to learn. [laughter] so yeah, yep, go. >> so when you started the show it was well received when you spoke out against president morsi muslim brotherhood and then you continue to critique the government and general assi came this and things started to change and aside turned a bit.

so how is it trying to do comedy and satire when the tides are turning or doesn't feel the same for you? >> well there's all of the pressure associated with doing the show, and if any of you saw the movie which i saw for the first time with the rest of the people in the movie, i didn't, i didn't have a chance to see like an earlier cut. tickling giant. i went in tribeca film festival and into movie threat or not knowing what to expect and it was a very hard, emotional experience, and i -- i know i could see how depressed i was away from the camera and when camera rolls i'm just like -- just totally different creature that i have to perform. and it was always -- almost as living as there was leak living with a -- [inaudible conversations] having to bear this kind of pressure for me with me and my

team, with my family and then, you know, when camera rolls there's no accident kyes if you did a bad show you can't say i'm sorry -- [laughter] you can't. you know it is like i'm sorry i'm not feeling well you can't do this and it was just the show. and what you have mentioned about like the changing of the tide that even added and everyone additional layer of stress because thrrmt people who were closer to you who turned against you. people within my family, people within my closest friends. people who went to known me for 20 years since high school who considered me as an enemy. people who believed all of the this crazy propaganda said about me including a spy and operative awe of the craziest stories that i said before actually it is in my book and that is that

they're -- this is tool absurd to be true and it was in print so like black and white that they accuse me of being operative cia and recruited by jon stewart. [laughter] now you have to think either jon stewart is a mark or cia is broke, and i just why i'm starting to believe maybe he's not really an animal farm and people believed a lot of that stuff. they believed that i -- that they believed that i am someone who was anti-islam atheist operative of the west -- about the muslim brotherhood like obama -- and a i'm also operative -- so seemed like everybody is operative. except trump he's operative of someone else -- awe. okay. [laughter] >> see that? >> that's in your book too?

>> no, yeah, maybe. everything is in there. [laughter] >> so -- [laughter] so here's the other question i have. watching the movie and it is a really good movie if you get a chance to watch it. which you have seen it, it is terrific. you do get the sense that things turned and it was very difficult for you in the end. the the other thing you get a sense of is your very protective supportive of that team that you built thafers doing this show and watching it, i was struck by how many women there were making this show with you and i'm curious is that indicative how things are with egypt and with you and what's that? >> there's not a single interview that people don't ask me as american and i never get asked this question in the middle east so people are too sense tifer so so many women how was it like when never thought about it.

and hired them because they were better and that's it didn't think of anything. we had 80% of our team because there were more dedicated worked harder and they -- they stuck around and did the job. i really didn't -- we didn't think of a code. we fired men and women alike. [laughter] and we hired men and women alike but happened it to those stuck it out and were more better than the job were at women, and senior producer hence she was basically i called her my aunt ten years younger momma hen mother of the team, and i kind of like i trust ared her with my life. but i didn't think that she's a woman. i didn't think he's people were men or woman but it was whoever will do the job so i didn't think about it. yeah. [applause] > absolutely.

so today can you return? >> yeah, i will say that egypt is like hotel california and check in any time yowpght but you can never leave. is there something official? no. but do they need something official? every single day i hear about another friend's journalist being banned from flying who had his belongings confiscate sod why would i put myself in had this situation why risk it and plus why would i go back? that -- i mean there's two reason why i go back. first of all i do kite surfing and we have the best beaching in the and at least you can go there in the water without wearing wet suits. which is something i really miss it is just come on. it is the ocean. water you should be there in

your swimming trunk not a wet suit and second thing i miss is egypt mango and you do not have mango. what you think is mango is like cucumber. [laughter] you need to be reeducated about your definition of mango so all of the things that i have actually i loved and i cared about in that country. my family both of my parents are dead. they died -- about i had my everything that i worked for this, you know, success in a few that i was not expected to be successful at was taken away from me. so i thought why would i go back? so when people ask me another question don't you miss egypt? like of course i do and egypt i miss and love it is not there anymore, and you could be in exile while you are living in your own country we can be

intellectually -- you can't find compatible with other people around you but become an outsider even when you're nsdzer. >> so you never expected toughs leave egypt early on? >> no for me scary to make the move and i had to move from egypt to dubai and i live now in california in los angeles. yeah. it's great. >> you're raising a daughter -- >> they have something call cald the sun. >> raising daughter. >> yes, she's five. >> how's that raising a daughter in exile in another country -- >> children don't really are feel exile. they know that there's something called egypt and they know that this is america. but she is comfortable, you know, children are very flexible. and sheens she's fluent in

english and insist she goes back to egypt to, you know, get some arabic you know -- fed to her, and she tells really good jokes in english. you want it hear one? >> yes. >> so i said this yesterday -- and in the movie so she went to her mom and said mommy why did the little boy eat his homework because the temple told him, it's a piece of cake. and she's five. she's smarter than me. >> will you counsel her towards medical or -- >> never medical. no that's a -- distant no. why, why medical, why? why does -- no. [laughter] >> okay. >> but like if she wants to do it she can do she wants.

because i'm a dad that does not stand in the way of his daughter but -- [laughter] [inaudible conversations] so during the last presidential election season, you traveled the country. and you did a and i think curious to know what did you learn about us as americans doing those interviews traveling through the country you saw things that a lot of us don't actually see. >> well, i didn't learn anything new because i -- i was a big follower of american politics. it just it was -- it was george w. bush 2.0 but much worse so it is same record, the same what is new this time that i came from a place where everybody is also living in his own ecochamber and there refuse to deal with facts. it would contradict with their ideology so -- for them ideology is much more

prnght and what had is what i found is more interesting is that -- when you sit here and you sit and you -- about if you're if you want to use fact and you want to tell the truth, you need to -- convince peel right but there are other people ho don't care they can just like throw lies, and it doesn't matter as long as they confuse people. so that was the thing, it's not about like -- who is believable him. but it's like what kind of confusion can i cause? it's like a lot of -- and i finds this interesting, and -- there was a rally that i went to in a small town in georgia and trump was there and i remember the guy who came before him issue and he was people cheering

for anything that he would say, it was like well if trump and then he said like if trump didn't repeal and any of his promises but he build a wall would you vote for him. yeah, seriously? just like we have the same thing in egypt yeah we're greater than everybody and everybody wants to take us out and they're jealous of us and they're -- same thing. you -- it's the same, we have the same narrative in the media like oh, america is like going to destroy egypt seriously they're giving you 1.8 billion of aid each year so it is like -- it is the same record. so do you have pointers for us -- >> me? >> yowpght to take pointers from me? >> revolution -- yeah. this was --

for them to buy the book but seriously -- [laughter] since we're doing very well in egypt yes -- well no, there's the pointer. i think the only thing that i can say is -- and i repeat myself a lot in that. ... test test

>> to organize, to go out and to vote and cast your vote. now you make a difference. in california, like after all of this, the turnout from the elections was 12%. although people were so hung up on going to the woman's march. but 20% came to cast votes? people were lazy and this is how john kerry lost for bush in the second term of 2004. people just stayed home and same thing in michigan and pennsylvania. i had this too. people were watching me and laughing but they wouldn't go further. so you just speak, operating a

vacuum and that say dangerous. >> on that note, one last question before we take questions from the audience and that is so what are you going to do now you are here? how are you continuing? >> i am in los angeles. i am blending in well. i am driving a prius and i am vegan [applause] >> i am trying to become -- i wake up every morning finding a few thing to help me. you know, living the the california life. but right now i am trying to find my own foot hold in america. it is hard, difficult. to come at the age of 43 and leave everything behind and start from ground zero is difficult. different language, not my native language. it is like i have to unlearn everything and learn stuff again

from the beginning. there is someone with a phone. hello, friend. let's not get the wise people scared here. >> i think you do pretty well with english. >> yeah, yeah, but it will never be like someone who is native. you are living in los angeles and it is a cut-throat competition. people are younger, more beautiful, more attractive, more talented and have been there longer. i come here and people who call this crisis. i do stuff that like people half my age do like wait tables, take

acting classes and try not to be casted as terrorist number three. maybe terrorist number one? you know, i am trying to pitch ideas, too. but this is hard to pitch stuff. you get rejected. you pitch again, you get rejected. people ask you what do you do in hollywood? i am working on a script. meanwhile, i am having live chose around the country. it as a one-man show and i go around and give people a -- it a mixture of standup, storytelling, talk, and i pitch these ideas. i just wrote a book.

and i am supporting a documentary. you never know. two years i never thought i would be here and five years ago the only feature i was in was in the operation room. life is full of surprises. >> on that note, thank you very much. this has been terrific. >> there are microphones that people -- gl >> you are supposed to walk to the microphone? is that how we are doing this? and there is going to be a book signing afterwards.

>> oh, yeah, in the lobby. i will sit there and by the way, you don't have to buy it. if you want a picture, you don't have to buy a book. i will be very happy to take a picture with every single person and it is not a prerequisite but if you buy and push be up to innew york time best-seller that will piss off trump. >> [inaudible question] >> what do my countries have in common? they are trying to make a change. people here have the freedom of expression to do it but just

need to organize. it t is the same -- what i see, especially in the political side the same echo chambers and i hear that on both sides. not just conservatives. many liberals are going back home and having wet dreams donald trump will be impeached and it is not going to happen that easy. you know? even if you impeach him you will have mike pence so yeah. >> hi, there. my question is obviously you started something very important and you are not there doing it any more. has anybody taken up the torch on your behalf and what is your opinion about the media, satire there now and how people are making their statements. >> in egypt, no political satire. political satire is totally

taboo. there are people who attend the taping of comedy shows to make sure there is no political jokes. this is how it is. i was offered to come back to egypt. i was offered from high up officials to go back and do by show and political satire but it would be with a certain understanding. you can read they wanted me as the makeup on their face. you know it wasn't going to happen. they are not going to allow those kinds of political satire. in egypt, there are wonderful, talented comedians but they are only allowed to do social satire. they can not do anything more. but i think if comedy doesn't agree with -- it is a

distraction. this is how comedy is used where i come from; a distraction. i was debating should i try and maybe push the limit? we had a big issue in egypt the last year. the biggest thing in the news was upsetting two islands. they woke up in the morning and found our government was giving two strategic islands to saudi arabia which is horrible. people went and protested and were protest -- and people were arrested. not a single comedy show mentioned this. if you have a hot political environment and you crack jokes

about traffic, marriage, you are betraying your audience. this is why it is totally impossible. the second half of the question how is comedy doing here? >> no, there. >> it was very, very difficult. there is none in egypt right now. >> many comedians -- >> many comedians here tell a lot of political jokes and others get really involved in a political process. where do you find that balance? do you see yourself actually getting involved in egypt and in politics to a further extent than just making jokes? >> no, personally i wouldn't chose to be involved in

politics. i think it is something i can't even imagine myself. i have already suffered enough. i can't even imagine myself being in the political fight. it is horrible, dirty, your family gets even more affected when that happens. i don't know. five years ago i didn't think i would be in the u.s. but i would prefer comedians stay in their own zone but someone like al fr franken he made the switch and became a full-time politician. >> do you have any advice for egyptian youth now? i am asking because in egypt for the past few years there has been a wave of depression, they are let down from the revolution

and don't know if they should fight the government head-on or should we seek positions from within to change over time or should we leave it as a whole because they don't respect people with ideas or change? >> i try as much as possible to stay away from giving people advice. i am not the best person to give advice. but i think it is going to be stupid to fight the government head-on right now. and i think they are on their own path to destruction especially economically. i think what you can do as an egyptian young woman or man is to make yourself better at what you do because the time will come when your efforts and expertise will be needed. i think you should focus on yourself instead of being pulled into this depression that is happening and i am sure that

many of us here, egyptians, feel what i am saying. i think -- big clap! [applause] >> yay depressed people. so, yeah, i think we need to work on ourselves to be better at what we are. if the time allows because sometimes you could be on the right side of history. you can have the better argument. but the circumstances are not right. so it is a measure of when the time comes. we will never know. >> i only ask this because i have met so many egyptians who work for the u.n. and so many have told me that the government doesn't allow for me to go further if they did awesome. >> yeah, if you work for the government it is something else.

>> when the arab spring was beginning and for many of us who had family or personal connections with the arab world or even just basic empathy there was a lot of excitement and promise. it feels like, you know, there was a sobering reality after that. i wonder if looking back, since you were there at the ground level and living through thesethi -- these things with the transition to the morsi regime and then after that even worse things. looking back what can we learn as critics, observers, and participants in this kind of thing? and for the egyptian people what might have gone differently? or do you see it as an open process of working through the

kinks of getting out of this kind of purgatory you are in. >> the thing about the arab spring is revolutions don't work in 18 days. they were like that was so yesterday now and we will move over it. that doesn't work. it is not like that. i wonder what facebook and twitter feeds would be like during the french revolution that took 200 years. it is just -- i think people -- i mean 70 years ago, europeans were killing each other for military dictatorship. we are just doing both at the same time now.

it is a process. you are dealing with a deeper law in place. even after the revolution, it was never in control. it was always in the hands of the military. the true rulers of the country. and looking back, i still think we never had a chance because the muslim brotherhood thinks about what they want. they culuted with the military and then there were -- you know, toppled by them. and the same for us. we thought we can get rid of the muslim brotherhood using the military and the military would let us do our own process and we were naive. it is a learning process. i think it is a generational thing. maybe the second generation will

be smarter and maybe it will take longer. it will take much more than thinking in the square for 18 days. yup? >> hello. i was just wondering. i have two small questions. in all your time with social media what is your definition of success? and also, there is a lot of young adults here who are pursuing their own success. what is your number one advice? what works for me may not work for you. that is why these self help books that are like this is how you do it.

maybe if i did the same exact thing six months later or before it would not work. it was just circumstances and the right time. there is no manual. the more the books are sold the more people use the car there. i think you find your own voice and success and your definition of success will be a different definition of success than mine. it is money? popularity? doing what you want regardless of money and popularity. that is why i try as much as possible to not give advice.

how old are you? >> i am 19. >> you are half my age. you are already in a different set of circumstances. you have stuff that is not available to me. you maybe have a better understanding and judgment of what works for you. that is why when i go to college and people say what is your advice? it is like my advice? don't take anybody's advice. [applause] >> that is actually good advice. >> i was wondering if i could get some advice. i host a satirical late night show in chicago and for self promotion it is bes

besteveningever.com. there is more to it than being witty. you have writers rooms and have to understand the equipment. i wonder if that was difficult. and the other one which is a little deeper so take your time. you have someone who could have someone on from the bush administration and ask them about the iraq war and you have your show which is more we will not have people on but we will talk about what they are doing and then i feel like there is a difference between satire and access there and what ufeel is more effective or you like better?

>> i read the independent talent as much as the prop. being the nerd i am as a doctor, i created a group of doctors where we had worked certain hours, had certain tasks to do and we would come up with something good. it was the process. it was people who were talented but sometimes you find talented people but they are not disciplined. the second question -- i am sorry? >> do you like more satire, as in writing about people, or access and having them on and making that conversation fun? >> i prefer satire, yes.

>> thank you. >> thank you. besteveningever.com. >> thank you were your wonderful talk. i have a question but i just -- >> no, we have to -- >> since you and i from the arab world we know that it is a question. it is not an opinion. it starts it why, when, what and ends in a question mark. >> i am going to go -- it is kind of philosophical. >> awe. [applause]

>> you said why go back. there is a sense of like giving back to the space we grew in and what we call home. in this day and age is home a natural sense or is it something you have when you get older? as a cardio surgeon, you go go back to egypt and be over ' -- overloaded with the patients or stay here and do published articles and have quality time in doing what 3d has the impact. the second part is there any reason to give back to the place you are came from? >> there a lot of reasons if you are allow today give back.

i was there and tried to stay as much as possible but i can't stay much longer. staying could be on the expense of my safety and the people around me. it becomes counter productive. all of these beautiful phrases of giving back and whatever it has to be executed in context. you have to look at the circumstances and decide. i wouldn't have even left if that procedure, that process, that program was allowed to continue. there was no reason were me to leave. by the way, i had a green card when i had my show in egypt and never thought of leaving. i came who i couldn't stay there anymore. it is just like the natural circumstance. everybody is different. maybe you can but i can't.

>> can i vouge? i migrated to chicago straight from there. >> was that after 1992? >> no, right before the war of kuwait. my dad migrated and it happened a year later. when my parents left egypt, the culture and the living over there was different than it is now. do you will it has to do with the poverty level? >> it has nothing to do with the poverty level. >> what do you think influenced that change? egypt was known as the hollywood of the middle east. and now it seems like everything

is going -- i don't know if it is going backward because then it would go back to the way they parents lived in egypt. now it is so conservative. >> it is not just temperatucons. this is mixture of education, awareness, openness and military doesn't allow anyone. when people think it is the religious thing. who do you think allows this? who controls the educational programs and the schools for the last six years? who allows the islamic law to rule? it is the military. the military has the same because you cannot speak back. you cannot speak to a higher rank.

they will use religious and sharia law. it is a mixture of everything. military dictatorships are not competent. you have decline in education, in awareness, in everything. whu when you become weaker you use religion. all of these groups in the '70s were made up by the egypt inferior ministry doing that to combat the muslim brotherhood. the whole thing of how we got back or declined is a product of military leadership. it sounds a little bit, you know, difficult to under, but the military people are as conservative as the religious people. if you are in egypt right now

and you are taking a car to sinai, the people who stop you and check for alcohol are not religious people. they are soldiers. it is the military, of course. >> hi. with you transitioning from a doctor to a comedian, how do you deal with the negative stuff people have to say about you being a bad man or a terrorist? how do you deal with that? >> i don't read the comments on the comment session. i used to read them and it depressed me. >> i think we have time for one more. [mic not working]

>> last one. so, we as americans have a lot of freedom to express ourselves as you said earlier compared certainly to egyptians. if you were an american and you were not going to be an american or you are living in the united states now and you have a great deal of freedom and we have a great deal of freedom. if an egyptian came to the united states and had the freedom you have shouldn't we be going fascist online on social media. we are more free than you know. >> i didn't get the last part. >> we have more liberty than we even take advantage of. would you advise us to make more use of that liberty? does that make sense? >> first of all, i am in no way

in the position to advise people how to use their liberty. that is one thing. and i think people should do whatever the hell they want. they want to go crazy on social media? do it. you want to go and insult people? do it. even if you want to be racist. we cannot stop it. i will give an example that is not american and more international. do you remember, of course, and this is something i give advice to my people. when people were offended by the charlie hebdo character and the danish cartoons before that and we were up in arms and i said you go and make them scared and what do you think will happen? you will close down charlie hebdo? bravo. you have the internet that is never closed. you cannot stop people. you cannot draw the line. i am sure. like one of the side effects of democracy is you have to listen

to ideas and opinions you don't like. it is part of the problem. if you don't like it, you can chose not to see and not to see. but it is people expressing opinions. we live in a day and age that many of the ideas that kept in someone's mind and people will not say it in public. all our brains are splattered in social media and people see what is in sight and it is a scary place to be. that is human nature. people are expressing themselves and saying whatever they want. it is absolutely impossible. is it a good thing? it is a bad thing? i don't know. it is the way it is because there is absolutely no practical way to stifle the freedom of expression on social media no matter how annoying, how horrible, or how excruciating it can get. it is just the way it is.

or else, you can give up technology. i don't think any of you is ready to give up on those instagram photo pictures you take every day. yeah. it is just we have to live with it. >> on that note, thank you again.