The Studio at the Lowry theatre, Salford, is intimate and Shazia Mirza warms a shy audience, acting as her own MC, crashing the library and asking us to strap in for the ride with pokes at Asian stereotypes to playful swipes at the tinder generation and her own liberal white Guardian readership, possibly literally sitting stall left.
She is raucous, challenging and rebellious upturning themes of offence and assumptions, and, the labels that she sees society placing on Asian women. Her pace is fast with a side gag burst every minute, recalling fellow Midlander Frank Skinner, causing gasp and laugh in equal measure.
She is comedy circuit battle hardened and unafraid to provoke offence and brush of the abuse and complaints, asking the question why can’t she be a comedian, politically incorrect, unconformist and still enjoy a voice, a dual cultural identity and faith, Islam, that at this time is under a constant state of scrutiny, without her having to be asked to tone up or down her Muslimness.
A first 20 minutes of banter – touched on marriage (women being seen and not heard), class (meeting the Queen), great basmati rice gag, to getting Gaza into a bikini wax skit, and, the absurdities of offence (her defence of Prince Philip’s ‘Patel’ gate moment) and falling victim to her own burkha bus pass gag backlash on the BBC Radio 2’s Pause for Thought. 
The second half turned the spotlight on Islamaphobia. Shazia subverts our at times safe world views by asking us to look behind the Muslim poster girls of Malala, Nadia and Benazir and offer an explanation for the ‘far side’ – in particular the attraction of the Bethnal Green teens to join a group without remorse and humanity whose actions have led to an anxiety that rarely leaves the news. Ok, her explanation that it’s a simple matter of lust and rebellion against cultural boundaries maybe flippant, crass, but, does offer a different view point that cleverly challenges us, and, the Jihadi brides to explain themselves.
She risks a lot in exposing the lack of rationale in a decision to join ISIS and in a poignant moment, at the gig’s close, she reads a Hadith, a prophecy, warning of a group that bears a striking resemblance to the self-appointed warriors of Islam and in the accompanying footage, a reminder of the brutality of ISIS, and, how it’s principles are at odds with the Koran that she has researched and respects and at odds with empowering women.
‘The Kardashian’s made me do it’ is a timely reminder of the anxieties of our times – faith, identity, and the distress of families losing their youth. A two fingers up voice in the battle for hearts and minds at a time of sliding social cohesion, the blame generation, ISIS, Trump baiting and ‘Hopkins Law’. Amongst the humour, Shazia offers us a rallying call to arm our minds:
‘The greatest jihad is to battle your own soul. To fight the evil within yourself’ (Prophet Muhammad- Peace be upon him).
We may not agree with all the underlying rhetoric but I for one wish to listen to a voice not afraid to court controversy and lift the lid, for a pulsating hour. I leave the Studio wishing to dig out my Tupac Shakur album and Gil Scott-Heron’s the Revolution, that play us out, and revisit those rebels too.
Reviewed: 19th March 2016
Reviewer: Shridhar Phalke
