There aren't many laughs to be had in the refugee crisis and the Syrian Civil, but U2 frontman Bono brought a note of levity to the debate in the US Senate on Tuesday.
The 55-year-old Dubliner was appearing before a US Senate sub-committee hearing on "causes of violent extremism and the role of foreign assistance", when he drew laughter by suggesting comedy should be deployed against Isis.
"Don’t laugh,” he said. “I think comedy should be deployed".
"Because if you look at National Socialism, and Daesh and ISIL, this is the same thing, we've seen this before, we've seen these people before. They're very vain, they've got all the signs … it's show business".
"The first people that Adolf Hitler threw out of Germany were the dadaists and surrealists".
"It’s like, you speak violence, you speak their language. But you laugh at them, when they’re goose-stepping down the street, and it takes away their power".
"So, I’m suggesting that the Senate send in Amy Schumer, and Chris Rock, and Sacha Baron Cohen, thank you".
He added: "I'm serious".
Senator Jeanne Shaheen responded: "Actually, that's not the first time I've head experts on how do we counter violent extremism talk about that".
"It's one of the things that we're looking at".
The reaction from US stand-up Schumer suggests she is not quite ready to up sticks and head to the Levant.
Holy shit https://t.co/Hzn4KNloAh
— Amy Schumer (@amyschumer) April 12, 2016
Bono also has urged the US and the developed world to face up to the refugee crisis, saying it is "not just a Middle Eastern or African problem, it’s a European problem. It’s an American one, too. It affects us all".
Bono recently returned from a humanitarian visit to Africa and the Middle East, and presented a three-point plan to tackle the crisis in an article for the New York Times.
The singer visited several refugee camps in Turkey with a group of Republican US Senators, including former presidential candidate Lindsey Graham. He described the camps as "car parks of humanity".
