
Sakdiyah Ma’ruf is a stand-up comedian from Indonesia whose comic routine advocates for individual rights and challenges Islamic fundamentalism. She grew up watching US.-based comedians and decided to use the same medium to talk about issues plaguing her own country. In the face of rising extremism and violence, Ma’ruf is using stand-up comedy as a platform to speak up for free expression and the rights of women. Television producers have asked her to censor her jokes, but she has refused to be silenced. For Ma’ruf, comedy mirrors a culture’s hypocrisy, and she is constantly striving for truth in heracts by speaking up against growing fundamentalism in Indonesia.