(CNN) -- Comedy scares people in power. We saw a disturbing example this week when Egyptian TV host and comedian Bassem Youssef, frequently described as Egypt's Jon Stewart, was charged with the crimes of mocking Egypt's President Mohamed Morsy and insulting Islam. If convicted, Youssef could be fined and sentenced to prison. Now, before you quickly categorize this incident under the catch all, "They hate us for our freedoms" crap, let's not forget our own history. Comedy legend Lenny Bruce was arrested not once but eight times, in the early 1960s for telling jokes that were considered obscene. However, Bruce's lawyer argued that the comedian was not being prosecuted for his profanity but rather for mocking political leaders and religion.
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Bassem Youssef was charged with mocking Egypt's president and insulting Islam
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Dean Obeidallah: Youssef, considered the Jon Stewart of Egypt, was performing comedy
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He says there's fear in the Middle East that comedy will undermine political leaders
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Obeidallah: Will Egypt's new president embrace democracy and freedom of expression?
@placeholder tragically died of a morphine overdose in 1966 while the appeal to his criminal conviction was pending.