Jokes can endanger your life. Nasser al-Qasabi, a Saudi Humorist got online death threats from Islamic State supporters after his latest gag against the IS as fans counter by jeering at the militants.
"The Mujahedeen will not rest until we separate your head from your body."
This is just one among the many IS-related Twitter messages sent to al-Qasabi for making fun of the Islamic State.
Meanwhile, a hashtag that called for the "beheading of al-Qasabi" emerged in defence of the actor, which trended with over 12,000 tweets in Arabic.
According to a report by BBC, the surfacing of death threats against the Saudi comic stemmed from al Qasabi's recent controversial TV Show, a satirical series titled "Selfie", which cracks down on at thin-skinned social topics.
One episode that have provoked a big response on social media is the first episode of "Selfie" in which al-Qasabi plays the role of a father who went to Syria to look for his son who joined the IS. He disguised himself as a fighter and stumbled upon naive militants who mimic ideological slogans that are off the wall. The story ends tragically with the father being executed for refusing to join a suicide mission.
The gloomy ending sparked strong emotions to many viewers.
One Saudi woman tweeted, "I got tears, could feel my stomach squeezing, my heart was hurt, I went speechless. That was art, thanks to the amazing team of Selfie."
Another Iraqi fan commented, "Hats off to Nasser Al-Qasabi for his outstanding performance in portraying the ugly truth of ISIS!"
But controversy has been part of Al-Qasabi's profession as a comedian in Saudi Arabia.
In another report in BBC just a few weeks ago, a Saudi Imam denounced and accused al-Qasabi of apostasy for ridiculing overzealous imams smashing musical instruments in his show.
The Saudi imam however apologises to the comedian, who explained that it is the duty of artists to reveal the truth even at the expense of paying a price for doing so.
