Pakistani-born comedian Shabana, as famous as controversial

Shabana Rehman was a Norwegian of Pakistani origin. She made a name for herself in columnism, stand-up comedy, social activism, television sketches, satirical writing and outspokenness in public, so much so that Norway honored Shabana Rahman with a national award. What is goodbye? How did Shabana, a stand-up comedian who belonged to a minority immigrant group, become so important to Norway that Crown Prince Haakon of Norway attended a funeral in a government building?

There are many answers to this question as Shabana Rehman was and may always be a difficult question for the community of Pakistani background living in Norway. It was a sweet and bitter pill at the same time, hard to swallow but the impression of Shabana and her work cannot be denied. Shabana Rehman got as much love as she got from Norway, she got as much hate as she got fame for her brash style.

Shabana was born in Karachi, Pakistan and moved to Norway with her parents soon after birth. In the 1970s, Norway needed manpower for its industry and infrastructure, and this need was well fulfilled by Pakistani migrant workers. Shabana was also a part of such a community.

Shabana took a different path from her youth which was unimaginable in the nineties. The first target of his criticism was patriarchal social values. The Muslim especially the Pakistani community living in Norway used to follow them with great enthusiasm.

The Pakistani community was going through a period of gaining a foothold in Norway these days. This community had many threats from the Norwegian society, this community married their girls to relatives in Pakistan. Strict social control was maintained, there were incidents of domestic violence on some occasions, women’s higher education was favored by some and Some barely acknowledged. Shabana questioned the double standards of such a society.

When a girl speaks out against the patriarchy, when she openly says stop using religion to oppress women, when she is one of the immigrant community and takes her own people in her hands, who will be? Who will like it. Shabana was fighting several battles simultaneously. Her broadcast content is humorously criticized for seemingly trivial things, but this criticism shows a path for girls in Norway’s immigrant Muslim community.

In today’s Norwegian Pakistani Muslim community, you will find many girls who are not as fearless as Shabana, but who think in the same way, but when Shabana raised her voice on these issues, she was alone. used to laugh at the hollowness of

Although the tone of Shabana’s words was what any typical progressive Muslim Pakistani girl would think, her brash, brash manner obscured her message. Shabana Rehman carried controversial Norwegian-Iraqi-Islamic figure Mullah Kraker in her arms in a ceremony that also featured short videos. Shabana Rahman received threats after this public stunt, she came out more openly, she stood on the stage in an event and took off her underwear, the next day her lower body was aired on the media, she was criticized by her community. When she was insulted, she got the Norwegian flag painted all over her body and started to smile in front of the cameras by getting naked in an event.

These public stunts of Shabana Rehman were taken by heart in Norwegian circles, she was hot media news whose fame or notoriety as well as her identity as a Norwegian of Pakistani origin and her message went with her. That was the time when the Norwegian Pakistani community became indifferent to Shabana Rehman due to her boldness. He came to be called anti-Islam while some started hating him.

This hatred or indifference might not have been as evident in Shabana’s life as it was after her death. After the death of Shabana Rehman on social media, Pakistani Norwegians are expressing their opinions and they are criticizing Shabana Rehman’s misuse of freedom of expression. According to some, expressing regret over Shabana’s death is also a sin. Some see Shabana Rehman’s speaking against Muslim values ​​and eastern traditions as a game of money, which may have led Shabana to choose this path.

Shabana Rehman’s life was like a roller coaster, fast, dangerous but fearless. His personality is a hallmark of the Pakistani community in Norway which the community has never fully embraced.

Note: Opinions expressed in any DW Urdu blog, comment or column are the personal opinions of the author, with which DW does not necessarily agree.