From Teen Vogue
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When Nadirah Pierre entered the world of Instagram, her natural ability to make people laugh was not a skill initially attributed to a future profession or a lane other Muslim girls who wear hijab could walkthrough. At 15, she was merely giving satirical truths from experiences of her identity as a young Black Muslim girl from Newark, New Jersey.
“Since the 7th grade, people have always been laughing at the things I’ve had to say and even if I was serious, somehow they’d still be laughing,” Nadirah tells Teen Vogue. “So, for me, once I began doing these videos on Instagram, I had to accept that I may actually be funny.”
Nadirah’s niche of miniature comedic sets on social media touches on polygamy, racism, mental health, body positivism, and more — opening up her humor to a wider audience, both Muslim and not. Now at 23 years old with over 80,0000 Instagram followers and multiple stand-up shows under her belt, Nadirah is taking her funny very seriously. Her work amplifies her own saying, “Nobody else wants to talk about it, so I have to talk about it.”
Growing up, comediennes like Monique and Luenell gave Nadirah a glimpse into owning who she was, unapologetically. Describing herself as growing up “hefty”, Nadirah found that although these women were big, bold, and proud, the missing link of identity that Nadirah could’ve gravitated toward much earlier in life was the existence of Black Muslim women in entertainment — namely those who wore a hijab (headscarf).
“As much as I knew that I was Muslim is as much as I knew that I was Black and I was big. So seeing other big Black women show up and show out was what gave me so much comfort,” Nadirah shares. “I was a pimple-faced, dark-skinned girl who was not seeing herself in any of those cute happy-ending movies and television shows. So watching these women, although I was probably too young, was an introduction to me knowing that I am capable and I am worthy.”
Stepping into her light as a comedienne, one thing Nadirah will never find funny is her battle for respect. At the intersection of her identity (a Black Muslim woman), she has often been met with microaggressions, unequal pay, misogynoir, and the systemic racism that continues to stifle Black voices. And now, in an era where people are publically critical, having to dismiss trolls who are often policing what Nadirah says and how she says it.
“For Muslim men, they’re given the license to do and say pretty much whatever they want but the expectation for Muslim women is that we have to be soft, quiet, and behind-the-scenes,” she says. “An organizer for an event once asked me to perform behind a literal curtain and I could say that I was appalled, but the expectation is that Muslim women don’t deserve a rightful space anywhere that isn’t in the house. And to be Black and Muslim makes you damn-near obsolete altogether.”
