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Shazia Mirza | The Guardian

Shazia Mirza is a comedian

March 2024

‘We’re the Muslim Spice Girls!’ Shazia Mirza on finding box office gold with her halal comedy supergroup
After years as the only Muslim woman on the comedy circuit, the standup is now making history with a female touring troupe. She relives the attacks she faced on the way, from ‘letterbox’ burqa taunts to Isis allegations

Cancel culture is a myth: nothing can shut us comedians up
Shazia Mirza
Maureen Lipman is the latest to claim humour is under threat. I think that’s a joke in itself, says comedian Shazia Mirza

I’m a comedian and banter is my job - this is the truth about racist jokes
Shazia Mirza
The Yorkshire cricket race row shows people are still claiming that abuse is just acceptable joshing. It isn’t, says standup Shazia Mirza

Brexit is like Bear Grylls’ Island: to survive, you’ve got to fake it till you don’t hate it
Shazia Mirza
My stint taught me that the secret to a cohesive society is pretending to like each other, says comedian Shazia Mirza

The gift I'll never forget
A Polaroid camera transformed my relationship with my mother
Shazia Mirza
Mum had always nagged me about schoolwork and tests. But then she bought me an instant camera, and the whole picture changed

Comedy heroes
Shazia Mirza on Kim Noble: he smashes every rule of comedy
Kim Noble exposes himself on stage – sometimes literally – in an act that is shocking, frightening, unethical and hilarious

The world is waking up to the brilliance of Birmingham
Shazia Mirza
Shazia Mirza: Named as one of the top 10 cities by Rough Guides, it’s time to pay a visit, have a curry and marvel at its clean walls

In defence of smutty jokes
Shazia Mirza
Shazia Mirza: Innuendo has a long, illustrious history in British comedy – as Jack Dee's critics should know

Megabus scare: where there's smoke, beware of brown men on buses
Shazia Mirza
Shazia Mirza: The terrorist paranoia over an Asian man with an e-cigarette shows we should think twice before accepting racial stereotypes

Immigrants don't come here for the weather – they want to work
Shazia Mirza
Shazia Mirza: Theresa May's bid to stop poor UK residents bringing in non-EU spouses would have barred my accountant, doctor and dentist

Shazia Mirza's weekend column
Shazia Mirza: Diary of a disappointing daughter
'It's a mystery why parents can't praise their children to their faces. It would change the world if they would'
Shazia Mirza's weekend column
Shazia Mirza: Diary of a disappointing daughter
'Those jumble sales were an adventure, I'd walk in and it would smell of dead women's clothes'
Shazia Mirza's weekend column
Shazia Mirza: Diary of a disappointing daughter
It can be hard for children of very successful parents to match them; it's also hard for children of not very confident parents to over-ride their sense of inferiority

Shazia Mirza's weekend column
Shazia Mirza: Diary of a disappointing daughter
Divorce can be painful, but it can also be hilarious
Fancy dress and a lot of bottle at Andorra's ski party
Unable to ski or dance and with no head for heights, comedian Shazia Mirza was apprehensive about the new Big Snow festival in Andorra
Shazia Mirza's weekend column
Shazia Mirza: Diary of a disappointing daughter
I try to imagine my mum and dad in the audience at the Moulin Rouge, but I just can't see it – mum would have to leave her seat every five minutes to go and pray