NEW YORK, NY May 08, 2009 —New York's Arab-American Comedy Festival is six years old... but this year's edition is the first in a new political climate for Arab-Americans. Comedian Dean Obeidallah co-founded the festival as a response to anti-Arab sentiment after 9/11. Now he says with the Bush administration gone...so is the rationale for a lot of jokes about prejudice.

OBEIDALLAH: Things just about going to the airport, being confused for a terrorist being randomly profiled and stuff, they're going to seem out of date. They're going to seem like they're not relevant anymore, and that's really a great thing for our community.

REPORTER: Obeidallah says the new atmosphere lets Arab-American comedians make fun of their OWN lives...without feeling defensive. Food...family...relationships are all fair game. Co-founder and comedian Maysoon Zayid says dating jokes get big laughs from the most conservative -looking people in the audience, like women with their heads covered:

ZAYID: And I find that these women laugh more than all the other audience, because they've all been in my place lying about dating.

REPORTER: Zayid says she and other Arab-American comedians...have started taking the American art of stand-up comedy on the road... to places like Jordan, Lebanon and the West Bank. The New York festival opens this Sunday and runs to May 14th.