Day: April 18, 2026
‘Sesame Street’ teaches Elmo Arabic: ‘What does salam alaykum mean?’
In between the Cookie Monster explaining his favorite exercise and Elmo pretending to be a DJ with frisbees, “Sesame Street” took time to promote Arabic culture.
The formerly beloved children’s program put out a video celebrating “Arab-American Heritage Month” letting everyone know the word of the day is “habibi.”
‘Happy Arab-American Heritage Month, habibi.’
The word, a common term of affection often translated as “my dear,” was not only featured in the caption for the show’s social media push, but was featured in a video where Elmo learns Arabic along with viewers.
Sesame souk
New York comedian Ramy Youssef joined Elmo for the sketch; Youssef has Egyptian parents.
“Salam alaykum, everyone,” the comedian began, prompting questions from the muppet.
“Mr. Ramy, what does salam alaykum mean?”
Youssef explained that “salam means peace” and that the greeting is generally a “way to say hello.”
“Oh, cool,” Elmo replied, before repeating the greeting to the children. “Oh, salam alaykum everybody. … Happy Arab-American Heritage Month.”
Elmo and Youssef then dove into the “Sesame Street” word of the day to teach viewers another Arabic word.
RELATED: ‘Sesame Street’ targets children for Pride Month … again: ‘This should not be promoted to kids’
– YouTube
Muppet madrasa
In a video with 1.2 million views on TikTok, Youssef said, “‘I’m so proud of my Arab heritage, and I’m so happy to share this month with my fellow Arabs and Elmo. So, thanks, habibi.”
Elmo, who is neither Muslim nor a native Arabic speaker, again asked for the meaning of the word.
“Oh, it’s an Arabic word for a special friend,” the comedian replied.
“Really? Uh, well, happy Arab-American Heritage Month, habibi. We love you,” Elmo concluded.
The video might be more jarring if this type of content wasn’t part and parcel of “Sesame Street” in recent years.
The show has been heavily invested in promoting progressive politics to children, even extending that to dipping its furry toes into gender politics.
RELATED: ‘Elmo says ALL JEWS SHOULD DIE’: Elmo X account goes rabid, calls for genocide after alleged hack
BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images
Street smarts
In 2022, “Sesame Street” promoted gay and lesbian parents to children through a song, and in May 2020 it showcased Jonathan Van Ness, a man who claims to be nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns.
Other odd presentations have included Hispanic Heritage Month and “Sesame Street: The ABCs of COVID Vaccines.”
Youssef is reportedly a practicing Muslim and is married to a woman from Saudi Arabia.
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Anti-Trump penis costume lady beats the charges
A woman who wore an inflatable phallic costume to protest against the Trump administration beat all charges at a Fairhope court in Alabama.
Police body-camera footage captured the moment that an officer pushed a 62-year-old grandmother to the ground at a No Kings protest after she refused to take off the costume on Oct. 20, 2025.
‘We have some growing and relearning to do about the rights the citizens of this town have.’
The officer told Renea Gamble that the costume was offensive at the time, but her defense attorney argued in court Wednesday that the arrest violated her constitutional right to free speech.
He also pointed out that the officer did not at the time accuse her of causing a traffic hazard, which is what she was charged with.
“He just found her to be offensive,” David Gespass said to reporters outside of the courthouse. “I mean again, that’s all he talked about when he was testifying was … not when he was testifying, when he was confronting her was, ‘I’m not going to put up with this in my town.’ He said nothing about her causing any problems with traffic.”
On the other side, city attorney Marcus McDowell argued that no one had the “constitutional right to wear a seven-foot penis costume on the side of the road.”
Fairhope Municipal Judge Haymes Snedeker found the penis lady not guilty on three charges and dropped the charge related to causing a traffic hazard.
He also found that the officer had probable cause to arrest Gamble but that there was not enough evidence to prove her guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Gamble celebrated the ruling outside the courthouse.
“We have some growing and relearning to do about the rights the citizens of this town have,” Gamble said. “They happen to be on par with the rest of the nation and as Alabamians, we dare to defend our rights, and this fight is not over!”
RELATED: VIDEO: Female No Kings protester wearing phallic costume tossed to the ground by cop
Gespass said that Gamble’s civil rights had been violated and suggested that they may file a lawsuit over the incident.
Some of the locals said they were disappointed in the verdict, while others said the embarrassing story had put a national spotlight on the city.
Before she was arrested at the protest, in keeping with the theme of her costume, Gamble held a sign with a message opposing dictators, but with an extra letter added to make the message explicit.
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‘AI shamans’ tell the fortunes of curious South Koreans
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