Maliki Mardinalli

The state will absolve you if you apologize, rather than make you disappear into the prison system.

You can post, you can film, you can even argue in a room like that.

But you have to bow down to authority, which, after 50 years of dictatorship, Syrians know how to do.

It seems to me like in Syria today, everyone has tasted freedom for the first time and they're not sure what to do with it.

Even the government don't even know what to do with freedom.

I spoke to the Sheikh afterwards.

He reiterated that he didn't cancel the show.

He said his remit is cultural centres only, and the comedians are banned from the cultural centres in Hama.

But anything in a private venue, he said, is outside his authority.

He never told anyone to stop anything.

He is lying, man.

I told Maliki about the conversation.

He said it was a misunderstanding.

I also learned the sheikh is not actually a sheikh.

We tried to figure out who cancelled the show in Hama, and didn't get anywhere either.

The next two shows are in Aleppo, and even though Maliki was worried about Aleppo from the start, the shows there are not cancelled.

They sell out both shows, a thousand tickets in total.

Maliki does the joke about his dad, and one about being a Christian in a mosque.

Sharif tells the bra joke.

Maliki was right.