Sakdiyah Ma’ruf: Stand-Up Comedy for Gender Equality and Religious Tolerance

Sakdiyah Ma’ruf is Indonesia’s first Muslim woman to become a world-renowned stand-up comic. Not only that, she was the only Indonesian on the 2018 BBC 100 Women list. The reason behind her influence is the fact that she bravely tackles subjects of gender equality, religious extremism, and religious tolerance in her routines. For her, “Comedy is not only about walking funny or making a funny face. It’s a medium where you can actually talk about the issues that you think are important to you.” This is why her stand-up comic routines are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Reduced Inequalities and Gender Equality.

Aside from her work as a comic, Sakdiyah has also been a professional interpreter with experience mediating disaster relief efforts, children’s rights organizations, and the Disability Justice Project. Her interpreting skills have undoubtedly helped her create easy-to-digest routines on heavy subjects.

In an interview with The Jakarta Post, she spoke about how her current courage to talk about difficult subjects publicly was not an overnight process. Born into a conservative Muslim family of Arab descent, Ma’ruf had initially opted to hide her stand-up career from a family out of fear of their judgment and stigma. However, when she eventually opened up to them, she found that they were more supportive than she had thought they would be. Her family did ask her to refrain from talking about Islam so much in her routines, but she thought, “Then what [should I] talk about? It’s part of [me].”

Ma’ruf’s stand-up comic routines are undeniably a reflection of her personal experiences. Indonesia lags back at number 85 on the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report, which is why, aside from talking about her experiences as a Muslim from a conservative community, she also speaks about her experiences as a woman. In an interview with Tatler Asia, Ma’ruf said that she believes that humour has the power to direct subtle attacks at those in positions of power. 

In the same interview, she also openly spoke about how, growing up, she witnessed her mother suffer through domestic violence at the hands of her own father. By engaging her audiences in a lighthearted dialogue about how the patriarchy oppresses women to the point of physical violence, Ma’ruf hopes that she can encourage women everywhere to start speaking up about their own experiences.

Sakdiyah Ma’ruf’s groundbreaking work as Indonesia’s first Muslim woman stand-up comic highlights her courageous approach to addressing gender equality, religious extremism, and religious tolerance through humour. Her routines, which are deeply rooted in her personal experiences and professional insights, have become a transformational tool in promoting interfaith understanding and sparking conversations around critical gender issues.

Find out more about stand-up comedy by Sakdiyah Ma’ruf and their other initiatives by checking their Instagram on @sakdiyah.maruf.