( Shared by Nasik Elahi)
As a playwright, Aizzah Fatima knows she is pushing boundaries with the title of her one-woman show, “Dirty Paki Lingerie,” which will make its debut Saturday at the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre as part of the Midtown International Theatre Festival. But as an actress, Ms. Fatima is delighted to portray roles that transcend the traditional fare she is typically offered as a Pakistani Muslim actress. “‘Terrorist No. 2’s girlfriend’ is an actual title of a character I once auditioned for,” she said.
Ms. Fatima is the first Muslim playwright to have her work featured in the Midtown festival, which is in its 12th year, and the title of her comedic show about Muslim women reconciling their ethnic identities with their American lives has proved too controversial for some members of the Muslim community in New York. Many, she said, have asked her to change it to something less salty. “Several people have told me they have an issue with the word ‘lingerie’ in the title, and not so much the ‘dirty Paki,'” the 34-year-old said. “Conservative Muslim women in my social circles have suggested I change the title to ‘Dirty Paki Laundry’ to make it more politically correct.” Click link to read more.