She is one of 17 million people worldwide living with cerebral palsy, a condition that has no known cure. But that doesn’t stop her, and that’s what makes her absolutely awesome. Maysoon Zayid is a multi-talented, beautiful, striking, amazing artist; in her words, the first shaking comic without a drug problem.

Having danced on Broadway, co-founded the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival, advocated for the disabled and seen as one of the first American Muslim women comedians and the first female to introduce stand up comedy to the Middle East, watching this classically trained actress speak on stage or on Keith Olbermann’s Countdown show is extremely inspiring and constantly hilarious.

Today, this American-Palestinian stand-up comedian and actress performs around the world, delivering jokes about Palestinian-Israeli relations and Islamic identity with sharp wit and miles-deep insight, using humour to inspire cultural understanding and education.

Offstage, she spends time in the West Bank providing assistance to wounded and orphaned refugee children, and has established an organisation called ‘Maysoon’s Kids’ to educate and empower young Palestinians also facing the challenges of disabilities.