Shaista Aziz
Encyclopedia
Shaista Aziz is a British
journalist
, writer
, stand-up
comedian
, and former international aid
worker.
, United Kingdom
. She studied BA
in English Literature
and Women’s Studies
at university.
Her father arrived in Great Britain from Kashmir
, Pakistan
, when he was 16 years old. She is the only daughter of her parents.
journalist for Al Jazeera
’s English news website in Doha
, Qatar
, a broadcast journalist
and producer for the BBC
and written for New Internationalist magazine
. As well as media specialist for Oxfam
,Amnesty International
, Save the Children
and Islamic Relief
. She has travelled and worked all over the world from Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Gaza and Yemen to, Haiti, Tajikistan, Burma, Russia, Pakistan and Indonesia. She is a commentator on international current affairs, and writes for The Guardian
newspaper, is a regular panel guest on BBC Radio
, has appeared as a guest on BBC Radio 4
’s Woman's Hour
, written a series of scripts for BBC Radio 2
’s Pause for Thought, and appeared on Channel 4
’s 4.Thought TV.
in August 2010, the Hong Kong International Comedy Festival and the Global Peace and Unity Event
in October 2010.
Black Members Council.
In May 2010, she reached the final of the Liverpool Comedy Festival Best Newcomer Awards and won the "King Gong" open mic competition at the Manchester Comedy Store. In September 2010, she reached the semi-finals of the Funny Women
competition.
and orthopedic
surgeon
in a nikah
ceremony in Jordan. In March 2010, she and her husband left London and moved to Manchester.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, 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...
, and former international aid
Aid
In international relations, aid is a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another, given at least partly with the objective of benefiting the recipient country....
worker.
Background and education
Shaista Aziz was born and raised in OxfordOxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. She studied BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
and Women’s Studies
Women's studies
Women's studies, also known as feminist studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field which explores politics, society and history from an intersectional, multicultural women's perspective...
at university.
Her father arrived in Great Britain from Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
, 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...
, when he was 16 years old. She is the only daughter of her parents.
Journalism career
Aziz has worked as a newsroomNewsroom
A newsroom is the place where journalists—reporters, editors, and producers, along with other staffers—work to gather news to be published in a newspaper or magazine or broadcast on television, cable or radio...
journalist for Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
’s English news website in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, a broadcast journalist
Broadcast journalism
Broadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are "broadcast", that is, published by electrical methods, instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. Broadcast methods include radio , television , and, especially recently, the Internet generally...
and producer for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and written for New Internationalist magazine
New Internationalist
New Internationalist is a magazine from New Internationalist Publications, a co-operative-run publisher based in Oxford, England. It has editorial and sales offices in Toronto, Canada; Adelaide, Australia; Christchurch, New Zealand; and New York, USA....
. As well as media specialist for Oxfam
Oxfam
Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...
,Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, Save the Children
Save the Children
Save the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...
and Islamic Relief
Islamic Relief
Islamic Relief Worldwide is a Muslim international relief and development organization consisting of a family of 15 aid agencies that aims to alleviate the suffering of the world’s poorest people...
. She has travelled and worked all over the world from Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Gaza and Yemen to, Haiti, Tajikistan, Burma, Russia, Pakistan and Indonesia. She is a commentator on international current affairs, and writes for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper, is a regular panel guest on BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
, has appeared as a guest on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
’s Woman's Hour
Woman's Hour
Woman's Hour is a radio magazine programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom.-History:Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by Alan Ivimey the programme was first broadcast on 7 October 1946 on the BBC's Light Programme . It was transferred to its current home in 1973...
, written a series of scripts for BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
’s Pause for Thought, and appeared on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
’s 4.Thought TV.
Comedy career
Aziz has performed stand up across the UK, including at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with the Laughing CowsLaughing cows comedy
Laughing Cows Comedy Night was set up in 1998 after a London comedy promoter inadvertently threw down the proverbial gauntlet."We were discussing female comics and I asked why there's never more than one female comedian on the bill and he said, oh we wouldn't take that risk," she explains...
in August 2010, the Hong Kong International Comedy Festival and the Global Peace and Unity Event
Global Peace and Unity
The Global Peace and Unity event is an annual two-day conference held at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in Royal Victoria Dock, London and organized by the Islam Channel. It is the largest Muslim, interfaith and multicultural event of its kind in Europe, having attracted over 55,000 visitors from...
in October 2010.
Awards, nominations and recognition
In 2006, Aziz was elected to the National Union of JournalistsNational Union of Journalists
The National Union of Journalists is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and has 38,000 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists .-Structure:...
Black Members Council.
In May 2010, she reached the final of the Liverpool Comedy Festival Best Newcomer Awards and won the "King Gong" open mic competition at the Manchester Comedy Store. In September 2010, she reached the semi-finals of the Funny Women
Funny Women
Funny Women is a stand-up comedy competition in the UK entirely devoted to women. It is the only UK Comedy competition that is Pay to Play charging performers to take part. It was founded in 2003, with the sole intention of honouring female comedians in a generally male-dominated profession...
competition.
Personal life
In 2007, Aziz married an Iraqi traumaTrauma surgery
Trauma surgery is a surgical specialty involved in the invasive treatment of physical injuries, typically in an emergency setting. Trauma surgeons generally complete residency training in general surgery and often fellowship training in trauma or surgical critical care...
and orthopedic
Orthopedic surgery
Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system...
surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
in a nikah
Nikah
Marriage in Islam is an Islamic prenuptial contract between a man and woman to live as husband and wife. It is a formal, binding contract considered integral to a religiously valid Islamic marriage, and outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom and bride involved in marriage proceedings...
ceremony in Jordan. In March 2010, she and her husband left London and moved to Manchester.
See also
- British Pakistanis
- Islamic humourIslamic humourIslamic humour is the long tradition of humour in Islam, dating as far back as the Prophet Muhammad.-Islamic restrictions on humour:In accordance with Islam, Muslims generally abide by some basic rules on making jokes, such as humour being within the limits of Islamic tolerance, and not going...
- List of British comedians
- List of British Pakistanis
External links
- Profile. Shaista Aziz. guardian.co.ukGuardian.co.ukguardian.co.uk, formerly known as Guardian Unlimited, is a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. Georgina Henry is the editor...
- How I became a Terror Tourist. Shaista Aziz. Media Monitors Network. July 22, 2002
- Viewpoint: Why I decided to wear the veil. Shaista Aziz. BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
. Friday, 12 September 2003