Shabana Rehman
Encyclopedia
Shabana Rehman Gaarder (born 14 July 1976 in Karachi
, Pakistan
) is a Norwegian
stand-up
comedian
, writer and columnist
.
1993–1997. She detailed the relationship in an article called "The First Blow" for the Norwegian women's magazine HENNE ("Her") where she was one of three guest editors of a special issue, "HENNE mot vold" ("HENNE Against Violence"). The article which she dedicated to the victims of abuse focuses on the feelings of shame
and guilt
which accompany such experiences of victimization. Although some people knew about the abuse, at the time she had told nobody about the full extent of it. Rehman did not express bitterness towards her former abuser, which she considers as much a victim as she was. At the time she was living in a juvenile home.
In August 2008 Shabana Rehman announced that she was writing a book about this ordeal, to be published later in the year. The title of the book is going to be Blåveis, which is a Norwegian
word with double meaning, both the name of a beautiful spring flower, hepatica
as well as the colloquial term for a black eye
.
listed the couple among the country's most influential opinion shapers. After two years of marriage the couple split up as Rehman was moving to the United States for studies. Then in August 2007 the couple announced that they were divorcing though still remaining friends.
In 2008 she married Martin Gaarder, a journalist in the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation.
Rehman started her career as a columnist in VG
in 1996, her debut as a stand-up comedian came in 1999. She later started working as a columnist for Dagbladet
in 2000 and now regularly writes for newspapers and magazines.
Rehman has received international publicity and has been interviewed by Time Magazine and the New York Times. Her shows have played for full houses in Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands. She is fluent in Norwegian, Urdu and English, and has performed in German.
In 2006 Shabana joined the American Comedy Institute in New York
.
it is referred to as the "Shabana debate". She has police protection.
Anthropologist Marianne Gullestad accused Rehman of reinforcing stereotypes about Muslims, and making Norwegians think it's ok to discriminate against immigrants.
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
) is a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
stand-up
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, writer and columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
.
Brutalized by adolescence boyfriend
In June 2007 Rehman told about an abusive relationship which she had been in through her three years of secondary schoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
1993–1997. She detailed the relationship in an article called "The First Blow" for the Norwegian women's magazine HENNE ("Her") where she was one of three guest editors of a special issue, "HENNE mot vold" ("HENNE Against Violence"). The article which she dedicated to the victims of abuse focuses on the feelings of shame
Shame
Shame is, variously, an affect, emotion, cognition, state, or condition. The roots of the word shame are thought to derive from an older word meaning to cover; as such, covering oneself, literally or figuratively, is a natural expression of shame....
and guilt
Guilt
Guilt is the state of being responsible for the commission of an offense. It is also a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes or believes—accurately or not—that he or she has violated a moral standard, and bears significant responsibility for that...
which accompany such experiences of victimization. Although some people knew about the abuse, at the time she had told nobody about the full extent of it. Rehman did not express bitterness towards her former abuser, which she considers as much a victim as she was. At the time she was living in a juvenile home.
In August 2008 Shabana Rehman announced that she was writing a book about this ordeal, to be published later in the year. The title of the book is going to be Blåveis, which is a Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
word with double meaning, both the name of a beautiful spring flower, hepatica
Hepatica
Hepatica is a genus of herbaceous perennials in the buttercup family, native to central and northern Europe, Asia and eastern North America...
as well as the colloquial term for a black eye
Black eye
A black eye , or or 'shiner', is bruising around the eye commonly due to an injury to the face rather than eye injury. The name is given due to the color of bruising. The so-called black eye is caused by bleeding beneath the skin and around the eye...
.
Marriage
She married writer Dagfinn Nordbø in 2003, the two having initially met on the stand-up circuit in 1999. Tabloid newspaper DagbladetDagbladet
Dagbladet is Norway's second largest tabloid newspaper, and the third largest newspaper overall with a circulation of 105,255 copies in 2009, 18,128 papers less than in 2008. The editor in chief is Lars Helle....
listed the couple among the country's most influential opinion shapers. After two years of marriage the couple split up as Rehman was moving to the United States for studies. Then in August 2007 the couple announced that they were divorcing though still remaining friends.
In 2008 she married Martin Gaarder, a journalist in the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation.
Professional career
She is active in several arenas and is devoted to breaking taboos and creating more openness.Rehman started her career as a columnist in VG
Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang , generally known under the abbreviation VG, is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper...
in 1996, her debut as a stand-up comedian came in 1999. She later started working as a columnist for Dagbladet
Dagbladet
Dagbladet is Norway's second largest tabloid newspaper, and the third largest newspaper overall with a circulation of 105,255 copies in 2009, 18,128 papers less than in 2008. The editor in chief is Lars Helle....
in 2000 and now regularly writes for newspapers and magazines.
Rehman has received international publicity and has been interviewed by Time Magazine and the New York Times. Her shows have played for full houses in Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands. She is fluent in Norwegian, Urdu and English, and has performed in German.
In 2006 Shabana joined the American Comedy Institute in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Debate
These are some of the events that have created debate around her persona. In ScandinaviaScandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
it is referred to as the "Shabana debate". She has police protection.
Anthropologist Marianne Gullestad accused Rehman of reinforcing stereotypes about Muslims, and making Norwegians think it's ok to discriminate against immigrants.
- 25 August 2005 - Shots were fired at a restaurant owned by Rehman's sister.
- 21 August 2005 - Rehman was invited to the opening of the Norwegian International Film FestivalNorwegian International Film FestivalThe Norwegian International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in Haugesund, Norway. The festival goes back to 1973.In 1985, the Amanda award was instituted. The Amanda is awarded every year at the festival in different movie categories...
and was granted huge press attention after kissing the then cultural minister of Norway Valgerd Svarstad HauglandValgerd Svarstad HauglandValgerd Svarstad Haugland is a former Minister of Culture and Church Affairs and former leader of the Christian Democratic Party in Norway between 1995 and 2004, to which also former Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik belongs....
(Haugland represents the Christian Democrats (KrF) of Norway and has worked extensively towards gay rights). She also flashed her naked bottom saying "I want to show that in Norway, you can do such things without being lynched or arrested." - 19 March 2005 - In a commentaryPolitical criticismPolitical criticism is criticism that is specific of or relevant to politics, including policies, politicians, political parties, and types of government.-Controversy:...
in DagbladetDagbladetDagbladet is Norway's second largest tabloid newspaper, and the third largest newspaper overall with a circulation of 105,255 copies in 2009, 18,128 papers less than in 2008. The editor in chief is Lars Helle....
, Fødemaskinens fødselsarv (Translated: The birth heritage of the breeding machine) she talked openly about her own abortion. - 27 April 2004 - Rehman was granted enormous publicity both in national and international press after lifting Mullah KrekarMullah KrekarMullah Krekar , is a Kurdish Sunni Islamist terrorist who came to Norway as a refugee from northern Iraq in 1991. His wife and four children have Norwegian citizenship, but not Krekar himself. He speaks Kurdish, Arabic, Norwegian and English...
. The event resulted in a complaint to the police but was later closed with the reasoning: 'there is currently no reasonable ground for the public to search for perpetrations that the public should persecute'. Her own reason for doing this stunt was: -A person that can be lifted is not that dangerous. - 2000 - Posed nude on the cover of Dagbladet with the Norwegian flag painted on her, saying "I take my clothes off to provoke the authoritarians in order to expose them."
Prizes
- 2001 - Lions Clubs InternationalLions Clubs InternationalLions Clubs International is a secular service organization with over 44,500 clubs and more than 1,368,683 members in 191 countries around the world founded by Melvin Jones Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States, the organization aims to meet the needs of communities on a local and...
award - 2002 - Fritt Ord AwardFritt Ord AwardThe organization Fritt Ord awards two prizes to support freedom of speech; the Fritt Ord Award and the Fritt Ord Honorary Award .-Fritt Ord Award:These are the laureates of the Fritt Ord Award:*1976 : Johan Vogt*1977 : Henrik Groth...
(Free Word Award) - 2006 - Danish Free Press Society's Freedom of Print award (shared with Roy W BrownRoy W BrownRoy W. Brown is a British-born engineer, humanist and human rights activist. He was president of the International Humanist and Ethical Union from 2003 to 2006 and is main representative of IHEU at the United Nations, Geneva.-Early years:...
)
Further reading
- "Skien Journal; Where East Meets West Warily, She Makes Them Laugh", New York Times, 14 November 2003
External links
- Shabana's homepage
- Biography at NRK (Norwegian)