Jon Stewart Defends Bassem Youssef, Calls Out Egyptian President Morsi For Hypocrisy, Fear (VIDEO)

'Making Fun Of The President's Hats... Was My Entire Career for 8 Years'

Jon Stewart devoted a significant portion of his show on Monday to address the arrest of Bassem Youssef, an Egyptian comedian and TV personality known around the world as "Egypt's Jon Stewart". Youssef was released on bail on Sunday but could face charges of insulting the country's president and Islam.

Youssef has previously been a guest on "The Daily Show" and as a fellow satirist, Jon addressed both the personal and political failings of his incarceration. "I know Bassem... there are two things he loves in this world with all his heart: Egypt and Islam." Jon also identified with charges that Youssef had insulted a hat Egyptian President Morsi wore and the fact that he's not fluent in English: "Making fun of the president's hats and less than fluent English? That was my entire career for eight years."

Stewart used the rest of the segment to make a direct appeal to President Morsi (meeting him at camera three) pointing out that upon taking office he had promised not to threaten those who expressed contrary opinions, specifically Youssef among others.

As serious as Jon's ultimate point was, however, he still managed to work in a dig at another well-known controversy: "Silencing a comedian doesn't qualify you to be president of Egypt... just president of NBC."

Watch part one of the segment above and part two below.

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