Muslim comedian hopes to build bridges with her standup

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This article was published 02/05/2019 (2489 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ottawa comedian Shelina Merani doesn’t need to stress too much about coming up with material that fits the theme of the Winnipeg Comedy Festival gala First Impressions.

As a female, hijab-wearing Muslim comedian, Merani is no stranger to first impressions — or to subverting them.

The Ottawa-based performer, who moved from Kenya to Calgary with her family at age four to escape the persecution of East Indians by Idi Amin, hinges much of her comedy on dismantling stereotypes and building bridges.

“I do go a bit more profoundly into it,” Merani says of what she’s prepared for tonight’s event at Club Regent Event Centre, which will be taped to air later on CBC-TV. “But that is already a big focus of the comedy that I do: talking about my appearance, about how I’m perceived, and trying to break down some of the barriers as well.”

Merani has always been a bit of a style rebel; that didn’t stop when she converted to Islam in 1994. She loves bling and novelty handbags, and her headscarves are often adorned with whimsical prints, such as skulls, pandas, peace signs and oh-so-Canadian moose.

Her unconventional style in what’s considered a conservative religion is just one way Merani turns the stereotype of the submissive Muslim woman on its head. The other is with her gentle humour, which uses puns, pop-culture references and familiar tropes to stress the connections, rather than the differences, between us.

“I think what’s been important for me is the way I conduct myself as a Muslim,” she says of her comedic approach. “I’ve never, ever felt like a victim and one of my main messages is what our common humanity is and what our universal values are — though I think I’m able to be a bit edgy when I’m talking about those things, but in a lighthearted way.

“It’s never been my style to be angry about what I’ve experienced, whether it’s Islamophobia or being marginalized.”

Merani’s first comedy performances in 2013 were inspired by her frustrations with how women were treated in places of worship — “I felt like the ‘other’ within my own community,” she recalls — but she soon moved on to performing for more general audiences.

In 2017, a producer from America’s Got Talent contacted her (she initially thought it was a prank) and invited her to try out for season 12 of the NBC reality talent show. Though she didn’t make it to the final round, it was an experience that only strengthened her dedication to her craft.

To prepare for her TV appearance, she worked with Ottawa actor Pierre Brault, who teaches classes in standup comedy; afterwards, she continued her education.

“When I first started, I think I knew that (comedy was an art form). I knew instinctively how to write a joke, but this course really reinforced those things,” she says. “It is such a craft and an art, and it’s so hard. It’s maybe the only art form where you’re testing out things and only then you’ll know if it works or not.

“The more I’m doing it, the more I’m realizing that at the beginning, I was completely innocent to how hard it is. It’s a struggle, a constant challenge to get better and not get stale and find a fresh message.”

Though Merani doesn’t think standup will ever be a full-time job — the fine arts graduate has a career she loves, working in activism and communications for the Public Service Alliance of Canada — she’s still has goals for her comedy career.

“When I’m onstage, I’m wanting people to get past the fact that I’m Muslim,” she says. “I want them to get to the point where I’m just them. They are me and I am them. That’s what I’m trying to do.

“If people come up to me after, I don’t want them to say, ‘Oh, we learned something about Islam.’ I want them to say, ‘Oh, we learned something about you as a human being.’”

jill.wilson@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @dedaumier