If you haven’t heard the name Fathiya Saleh, then you’re about to. The London-based stand-up comedian, writer and actor erupted onto the comedy scene six years ago and her refreshing, relatable and cheeky humour sees her joke about what it’s like growing up in a Somali-Yemeni household, her receding hairline as a hijab-wearing woman and her struggles to find the one.

Since entering the comedy circuit, she has performed on stages around the world, including in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Sweden. She has also been featured on line-ups for BBC Asian Network, Latitude Festival and more. Recently, she was listed in Dua Lipa’s Service95 magazine as one of ‘5 Artists Bringing a Fresh Perspective to the Comedy Scene’ as they described her as “one of the most underrated yet exciting performers.” Once you’ve seen her live, you’ll understand why.

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Alongside her day job as a youth worker, where she educates and empowers young people in London, she’s performed to thousands and regularly has her audiences in fits of laughter. As a visibly Muslim woman, she provides audiences – Muslim and non-Muslim – with a fun space to learn, laugh and be thoroughly entertained. Amaliah caught up with Fathiya to discuss her first foray into comedy, what it’s really like as a visibly Muslim comedian and her hopes for the future.

Salaams, Fathiya! Tell us about how you were first introduced to comedy?

Growing up, everyone in our home was very funny, and because I was the youngest, I got bullied by my siblings. We would roast each other and nothing was off limits. If someone was a bit chubby, there would be fat jokes or we’d call each other stinky if someone had had a poo. No one held back! Then, my brothers watched a lot of Dave Chappelle and Bernie Mac, which I’d watch with them, even though I was probably way too young.

What was your first foray into performing comedy live?

My first time picking up a microphone to perform comedy was during my Master’s at Goldsmiths University around seven years ago. It was at my university’s student union, where I met their comedy society and thought, “Why not?” I was thinking about potentially doing comedy, but no opportunity ever arose, and then when that came, I felt like it was like a sign.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in the industry so far?

Juggling performing comedy with my full-time job and family responsibilities. There’s a bit of a glass ceiling in terms of race and gender as I’m a visible Muslim. But, if you put in the work then you will see results. Sometimes, I’m lazy as I just think “Yawm Al Qiyamah (the Day of Judgement) is coming!”  but I’m also trying to tie my camel and plan for the future.

Also, I sometimes get online trolls, and it makes me wonder why we’re not softer with each other as an Ummah. If you are genuinely someone who practices Islam and wants to be a good person, you would show that in your character and actions. We should be nicer to each other as we’re going to be held to account for what we say to each other.

On the positive side, what are some of your favourite reactions to your comedy performances?

I really like it when people come up to me at the end of a performance and say things like, “I’ve been having a really bad day and that really cheered me up,” or “I really relate to that thing you said.” 

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Definitely my mom. She’s absolutely hilarious. She’s insane, though, but I do love her. She’s very funny and doesn’t hold back. Like, if your breath stinks then she’ll tell you. It’s actually quite toxic, but in a funny way. I think it’s a Somali thing, there’s no filter. For jokes, I have a very funny group of friends.

What is your joke-writing process?

If something happens to me that I find funny, I’ll make a note of it. Sometimes, it might not become a joke but I’ll go back to them and try to make a punchline or funny story. I don’t practice with people, but when I crack a joke with my friends that goes down well, I might use that. I get writers’ block all the time, but it’s just a wave that you have to ride out.

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What are some of your most exciting moments of your comedy career so far?

I have got to travel abroad, which has been really fun. I was able to go to Saudi Arabia, which is crazy, and I got to take my mum on Umrah. I’ve performed in Cairo, too, and I went on tour around the country. It was called ‘Muslim Comedy Queens,’ organised by Twenty6, with people like Ola Labib – who just released ‘Pharmacy’ on Channel 4 – Shazia Mirza, Zain Comedy and Yasmin Elhady – who just released her series ‘Muslim Matchmaker’ and is killing it. We even sold out the O2 Indigo – not the big one, I don’t want to sound prestige but insha Allah, we’ll sell out the big one day!

Do you feel like you still come against barriers as a visibly Muslim, Black woman in comedy?

Things have definitely come a long way, but if you compare how many Muslims there are on the circuit in comparison to our white or non-Muslim counterparts, there’s still a bit of a way to go. But, I definitely think that it’s come far!

What are you excited for next?

I’m excited to create some more comedy content and skits for social media and to go on tour again. I haven’t used social media to my advantage much and find it hard to create content consistently, but it helps build your audience. It depends on how visible you want to be online, and you can be booked and busy with or without social media. I’d love to do an hour-long show and I want to do more writing. I got to work on Jack Whitehall’s ‘Bad Education’ last year, which was a lot of fun so I’m excited to do more of that.

What advice do you have for other Muslim women wanting to get into comedy?

You just have to go and do it. You might be bad the first time, the second time, the third time, but you learn and go from there. So, you kind of have to be a bit fearless even though it is a bit scary and anxiety-inducing. But, once you find your rhythm and your flow, then it gets easier. Just try a trial and error approach and it’s never that deep. If you go on stage and people don’t laugh, you just say “suck your mom.” I’m joking!

Anything else to add?

God is great. That’s it. God is always great, and He’s got a plan for you. You just have to trust in the process.