Shazia Mirza, a renowned British stand-up comedian, writer, and actress, has garnered international acclaim, touring extensively across North America, Europe, and Asia. Born in Birmingham, England, she is the eldest daughter of Muslim Pakistani parents who immigrated to the UK in the 1950s.
Known for her successful comedy shows such as "The Kardashians Made Me Do It" and "With Love From St Tropez," Mirza's most recent production, "Coconut," earned a nomination for Best Stand-up Tour at Channel 4’s National Comedy Awards. In addition to her comedy career, she has participated in survival shows like "Celebrity The Island with Bear Grylls" and Channel 5’s "Celebs in Solitary."
In an interview with Asian Voice, she offers insight into her career as a Muslim woman in comedy, addressing social issues and how one can truly only represent oneself.
Can you share with us your journey into the world of comedy and what inspired you to pursue a career in this field?
I never, ever planned to be a comedian. It wasn’t something that Asian women did, especially Muslim women. Growing up, though, we loved watching comedy on TV. My mum loved Larry Grayson, Frankie Howerd, and Kenny Everett (all the gay ones), and we watched sitcoms all the time. But I never thought that’s what I could do because these were all white men, and that’s what they did, not what I did. I did something respectable and became a Science teacher. It was hard and wore me out, and I decided to do a comedy writing course in the evenings as that’s what I was interested in. The teacher said my writing was very funny and I should go out and ‘perform it’. I didn’t even know what that meant, but she said I should do it on the comedy circuit. I had never heard of the ‘circuit’, and I had never been to a comedy club in my life before I did my first gig.
What have been some of the unique challenges you've faced as a Muslim woman in the comedy industry, and how have you navigated them?
As a woman in any male-dominated industry, there are always barriers and challenges. In comedy, it was difficult for me, as I was the first Muslim woman on the stand-up comedy circuit. I was expected to be a walking, talking explanation of all things Muslim. People asked me questions like, “Why did 9/11 happen?” “Would you become a Jihaadi Bride?” “Do your parents know what you do?” “Will they try to marry you off to an old man with three wives when they find out?” Women face many barriers in comedy, such as stereotyping, lack of opportunities, and discrimination based on gender, sexuality, race, and religion, but as a Muslim woman, I felt a level of discrimination that I had not experienced anywhere else.
How do you balance pushing boundaries with being mindful of cultural sensitivities and avoiding stereotypes?
I simply tell the truth. My comedy revolves around the truth of my life, my thoughts, the events I've witnessed, or my perspective on world events. When your jokes are based on truth, there's not much people can argue with. I don’t consider who might be offended or not when I decide what to write; otherwise, I wouldn't write anything at all. I believe in writing truthfully and authentically, and if it's funny, people will always relate.
You’ve previously talked about the expected responsibility on you to address social and political issues early on in your career. Has the scenario changed as you establish your name?
Yes, as time has gone on, I have become more confident to stand my ground and do whatever I want, and not worry about the responsibility that others put on me. When you are the only one doing something, be it a woman, a person of colour, a person with a disability, or a person of a certain gender, you are automatically expected to represent that entire group of people. But I have realised that you can only really represent yourself. You can’t speak for an entire group of people; people are individuals. I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to share my experience, and hopefully, people would laugh and relate.
In your recent piece for The Guardian, you talk about touring with your own halal, all-women comedy group. What was the experience like?
This was an incredible experience—a one-off, a totally unique rollercoaster. The event organisers, 'Twenty6' (@wearetwenty6), put us girls together and curated a unique show that had never been done before. It was brilliantly produced and executed. All the girls were fantastic; they are professionals who have been doing this for years. They were all hilarious, and the women in the audience laughed like they had never laughed before. We travelled from city to city in a minibus, where we talked about everything, laughed, and then did the shows. It was a magical experience. On top of that, Twenty6 treated us like queens, and we had a life-changing experience. The comedy was only a very small part of what we experienced together. We are all so glad we found each other in this industry.
What advice would you give to other Muslim women who aspire to pursue a career in comedy or any male-dominated field?
Work hard. Don’t be influenced or affected by other people’s opinions and don’t let people sway you on what you should or should not be talking about on stage. In comedy, you can joke about anything, as long as it’s funny enough. People have ideas about what women should or should not be talking about, but all that matters is what you want to say. It is still a male-dominated business, but there are way more opportunities for women now than there ever were before, so things are definitely moving forward for women in comedy.
