ZARE Meets Fathiya's Comedy.

By Furvah Shah

From jokes about finding the perfect Muslim, skater-boy husband to how she thinks the boys at Heathrow security might just secretly fancy her, the stand-up of Fathiya Saleh will leave you laughing at the most serious of issues. The 23-year-old from Camden explores faith, identity and the realities of Muslim women’s lives in her material, which she has been performing across London at charity events and open-mic nights since 2018. Fathiya’s warm demeanour, infectious laughter and passion for what she does undoubtedly makes her someone that we should all keep our eyes on (in the best way possible, not that airport security kind of way). ZARE met Fathiya to chat about becoming a comedian, the reactions of her friends and family and what it is like being black, female and Muslim in stand-up circles. 

What made you want to start performing comedy? 

Honestly, I don’t know. I have always been told that I'm funny and was always the funny one amongst my friends, and I do genuinely like making people laugh and smile. But, I never put two and two together until, like, the summer of 2018. I was watching SO many comedy shows and re-watching old Chappelle shows, and I ended up feeling really inspired. Like, they were telling jokes but were addressing serious issues of race and politics. I thought maybe I could do the same and address these issues as well as a lot of the false conceptions of Islam. I really started thinking about wanting to do stand-up, and then I started saying it out loud to people. A couple of months later, I remember walking past a comedy stall where they were signing up people to join their comedy society, and I put my email down consciously thinking that nothing would come of it. Then, two weeks later, they sent an email to all of the people they signed up, saying that they had an upcoming open mic night and if anybody wanted to perform a ten-minute piece, then they should reply to the email - and I did. I remember being so nervous! I couldn't even believe I was replying, I was so nervous when I hit send. Even after I pressed send, I told myself that I wouldn't turn up on the day. But, I did and it was one of the best experiences ever. 

What were the reactions of your family and friends? 

Everyone was really surprised and shocked, but in a good way, no one expected it. I didn’t even expect it. Everyone was really supportive and cheered me on. I kept it on the low and still do, I don’t really tell people I’m doing it and let them find out for themselves otherwise always get someone being like “you do stand up? Tell us a joke then?”. 

How is it navigating stand-up circles as a black, Muslim woman? 

It’s definitely hard sometimes. Like, there have been some shows with predominantly white comedians and white audiences and everyone’s drinking backstage and I would think, “what am I doing here?”. Or, I can feel eyes on me like “what is this hijabi gonna say that’s funny to us?”. But then, I just go on and do my best and try not to take anyone too seriously. I go there to do what I love, which is to make people laugh, and after I get the first joke out of the way, I always feel better. I end up feeling like, although we may be different, we all have a common ground of laughter. I try and do a variety of shows, so I’ll do stand up at Muslim events, open mics, comedy nights etc. and so, the more I do a diverse range of shows, the more comfortable I feel navigating different circles. 

You draw on your Somali-Yemeni heritage and Muslim faith a lot as a part of your comedy, why do you think it’s important to do so? 

I draw on it a lot because that’s who I am, it’s part of me. Also, for so long in whatever it may be - comedy, television, sports - we haven’t seen ourselves. It’s slowly changing, but I think it’s important to showcase that and be proud of it and change the narrative that is often negative or lacking when talking about Muslims, Somalis, Yemenis and other ethnic minorities. 

What would you say to other Muslim girls who want to start performing their comedy but perhaps, don’t feel confident or supported? 

To other Muslim girls who want to do it, I would say just go for it. Find someone, it can even be just one person who is super supportive to come with you to your shows and just do it. Try and start somewhere where no one knows you, that way it takes the pressure off, because you’ll never see those people again. There’s a saying in Islam, to paraphrase it, it says that “if something is meant for you, it will reach you even if it’s beneath two mountains. But, if it isn’t meant for you, it could be between your two lips yet it won’t reach you”. So, go for it. 

Where will you be performing next and what do you hope for in regards to your future as a comedian? 

I will be performing in April at an Eritrean community event. For my future as a comedian, I just wanna make people laugh, make shmoney and buy my mum a house in Somalia in sh Allah (God willing in Arabic). A Netflix special would be dope too. 

Make sure to follow Fathiya on Instagram at @FathiyasComedy.