For immediate release:
Eco-Friendly Jihad (Al Gore Meets Al Qaeda)

One of the most controversial comedy shows at this year's Edinburgh Fringe suggests that “9/11 was the biggest act of carbon offsetting since Nagasaki”. Eco-Friendly Jihad tells the story of an environmentalist who – in a bid to reduce US carbon emissions – joins Al Qaeda.

The show is the brainchild of Irish stand-up Abie Philbin Bowman, who made his Fringe debut in 2006 with Jesus: The Guantanamo Years. Bowman’s cerebral satire – in which Jesus Christ is detained at US immigration, “because He's a bearded, Middle Eastern guy who wants to die as a martyr” – secured rave reviews, great word-of-mouth and sold out for three weeks. The Scotsman dubbed Bowman "the face of this year's Fringe".

Bowman spent the next 18 months touring Ireland, the West End, the USA and Pakistan – returning to Edinburgh for a second sell-out run in 2007. (Three performances of Jesus are scheduled for the 2008 Fringe.) The show even became a hit - via iTunes – in Italy, Scandanavia and Japan. Now Bowman is back at the Fringe to tackle another hot topic.

“I deal with political subjects because I'm a news junkie. There's no point in picking a title just to be controversial. Edinburgh audiences are incredibly politically and comedically savvy: within a week you'd be buried by bad reviews. If I wanted to generate controversy, I would have called my show Confessions of a Gay Iranian Abortionist."

Bowman, who is currently writing a Master's thesis on the use of comedy as a political weapon, has done his homework. “If global warming passes 3°, the Amazon rainforest will start burning – releasing billions of extra tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere. That would make climate change unstoppable. The scientific consensus is that we can only save the Amazon if we reduce emissions by 90%. No government is facing up to that.”

How does this all of this relate to Al Qaeda? “The longer we do nothing, the more radical the action we will ultimately have to take. The most extreme strategy would be to start killing the world's worst polluters – Westerners – preferably in a way which discourages others from flying. That’s the most ‘inconvenient truth’ of all: 9/11 was the biggest act of carbon offsetting since Nagasaki. If democratic governments don't face up to the threat of global warming, then some day soon, environmentalists will have to choose between preserving democracy and protecting the planet. That's a pretty horrific choice. I want to wake people up to that looming danger, before it's too late.”

Where’s the funny side in eco-terrorism? “Well, the US Army fly bombs halfway around the world – whereas Al Qaeda typically walk them to their targets. Plus suicide bombers are a lot more biodegradable. That said, if Al Qaeda wants to encourage people out of their cars, they really need to rethink their strategy of bombing public transport.”

'Eco-Friendly Jihad' @ 15.55 (60) in the Smirnoff Underbelly, from July 31 to August 24 (Wednesdays through Sundays only – i.e. not: Aug. 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19.)
'Jesus: The Guantanamo Years' runs in the same venue/time on Aug. 5, 12 and 19.

Abie Philbin Bowman                                 00 353 861 677 268
AbieLaughs@Gmail.com                          www.AbieLaughs.com

Praise for Abie Philbin Bowman

“A rising star”                                                              
- Time

"A first-class comedy writer and performer"                             
- The Galway Advertiser

“A brave, creative man”                                                            
- The Boston Globe

"Energetic and intense… you get the impression that if he had to
go on for another two or three hours, he could”                                                
- Metro

Praise for 'Eco-Friendly Jihad'

“Contemporary and controversial”                                    
- The Seoul Times

“Sealing his reputation as one of Ireland's most thought-provoking comedians."
- Galway City Tribune.

Praise for 'Jesus: The Guantanamo Years'

"Way beyond superficial religious satire... Absorbing,
intricately woven, challenging and highly entertaining."                                                
- TimeOut

“Destined to be a Fringe favourite... Miraculous... *****”
                                                                                                                  - National Student

"The greatest stand-up story ever told… Funny, thoughtful,
impassioned… Abie Philbin Bowman deserves a comic sainthood."                            
- The Stage