Servant of Allah. "Not a good last name to have right now!" joked Dean Obeidallah of the literal translation of his Arabic surname.

It's a good line for instant laughs during his comic stylings on stage. Obeidallah, a Palestinian-Sicilian Catholic who grew up in Paramus and Lodi, said working within mainstream culture could help improve the tainted public image of Arab-Americans.

"I don't want to be a Palestinian or Arab comic, I'm just a comic," he said. "But we need to foster understanding and dispel myths. It's hard in today's world to define who we are, and the problem is, we're letting others define us."

The stand-up comic left behind a six-figure career as a lawyer a decade ago. Now he works for "Saturday Night Live," doing legal work and production. On nights and weekends, he hits the New York City comedy circuit, averaging eight or nine shows a week.

But he doesn't have to range very far from home for material. Take his name - please.

"How hard would it be for me to make airline flight reservations for the rest of my life using that name? 'Hi, two tickets to Miami please. My name? Mr. Servant of Allah.' 'Hang on, let me transfer you to someone who can help you.' 'Hello, FBI'?"

Obeidallah, 35, is part of a growing number of Arabs and Muslims breaking into the pop-culture scene through comedy, poetry, hip-hop/rap, film and television. They say it's time America hears from the moderate voice - the majority - instead of extremists.

And they don't want the part of "terrorist No. 3" in the next Hollywood action flick. Maysoon Zayid, a stand-up comic and actress, has turned down roles like that.

But that doesn't mean she won't use it as fodder for her jokes. Indeed, nothing is too touchy for this brazen Bergen County resident (who doesn't want to reveal her hometown because she's been getting death threats; no joke).

"I found myself doing much more activist comedy just because of how civil rights and freedom of expression are being challenged," she said.

Zayid, youngest of four sisters born to Palestinian immigrants, spoofs growing up in the bicultural world of immigrant Americans.

"I'm 30, which in Palestinian years is 67," she tells an audience. "I'm a virgin by choice ... my father's choice."

Obeidallah has his share of those cultural quips as well, getting roars of laughter when he imitates his Palestinian father's accent.

"I can't stop laughing," said Menal Al-Hassan, a 21-year-old student from Paterson in the audience. "That's just like my family!"

Obeidallah, a former Paramus environmental commissioner and president of the Bergen County Young Democrats, graduated with a law degree from Fordham University and took a job at a Morristown law firm. But litigation left much to be desired, he said, so he moved to Manhattan to take a stab at comedy.

He also works with a colleague, Scott Blakeman, on a program they call Stand-up for Peace. They perform across the country, aiming to bring Jewish and Palestinian communities together.

"It's about uniting and laughing," he said. "We have serious dialogue about the Israeli-Palestinian issue, and we want people to find common ground. I think most people don't realize that overall the majority want a mutual peace."

Zayid planned to be a lawyer, too, but took a detour when she arrived at Arizona State University. All it took was one acting class.

With her earnings, Zayid runs an art program for disabled and wounded children in Palestinian refugee camps. Herself a victim of cerebral palsy, she is sensitive to the plight of the disabled. She said it's important to integrate disabled children into mainstream education. This month, she's working to bring eyeglasses to children who can't afford them.

She has also performed in Palestinian territories, Israel, Jordan and Lebanon. But she shrugs off questions about audiences taking her comedy the wrong way.

"So what? I'll be shipped to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which is not a bad thing. I hear there's a lot of single Arab men," she joked.

Obeidallah and Zayid put together an annual Arab-American Comedy Festival in Manhattan, which sold out two years in a row, and are planning a third. The two have been busy with a monthly radio show on WBAI (99.5 FM) called Fen Mejnoon ("Crazy Art"), where they interview up-and-coming artists and performers - a chance to highlight achievements of Arab-Americans, they said.

"There's every kind of awareness and history month that you can think of to celebrate every heritage. Black History Month, Asian Awareness Month and on and on," Obeidallah said."What do we get? Orange alert."