Taqwacore
Encyclopedia
Taqwacore is a subgenre of punk music
dealing with Islam
, its culture, and interpretation, originally conceived in Michael Muhammad Knight
's 2003 novel, The Taqwacores
. The name is a portmanteau of hardcore
and the Arabic word Taqwa
, which is usually translated as "piety" or the quality of being "God-fearing", and thus roughly denotes fear and love of the divine. The scene is composed mainly of young Muslim artists living in the US and other western countries, many of whom openly reject traditionalist interpretations of Islam, and thus live their own lifestyle within the religion or without.
,, Fearless Iranians from Hell are one of the earliest Muslim Punk bands from the United States, hailing from San Antonio Texas. In the 90's, Nation Records act Fun-Da-Mental
and Asian Dub Foundation
emerged solidifying the first examples of US Muslim generated punk. In an interview, Aki Nawaz
, founder of Nation Records, stated that "Islam for me was more punk than punk" Knight's novel was instrumental in encouraging the growth of a contemporary North American Muslim punk movement, and many bands who used the term taqwacore were ones that traveled with Knight on the ISNA tour featured in the documentary. Thus, the taqwacore community is almost inseparable with Knight and his literature.
The first bands to use the term taqwacore are The Kominas
, Vote Hezbollah and the Sagg Taqwacore Syndicate. Other bands on the scene include Diacritical, Secret Trial Five
, Noble Drew, Fedayeen
, Sarmust and other bands under SG-Records.
When Kourosh Poursalehi first read The Taqwacores, he took it to be a true account of real Muslims in the United States. He composed a song to Michael Muhammad Knights poem "Muhammad was a Punk Rocker", and sent it to Knight in New York. Knight was extremely happy with what he heard, knowing that his book had reached real Muslims similar to himself, and he played the song on repeat over and over. They ended up meeting in Boston where with Basim Usmani, the Kominas were formed, and the seeds of their tour were planted.
Pourlaselhi was heavily influenced by the Fearless Iranians from Hell, as he was from the San Antonio area, and the band was also from Texas. He later went on to form the band Vote Hezbollah
A group of self identified taqwacore bands traveled in a caravan style tour around the United States as a sort of self re-creation of Michael Muhammad Knights original novel in 2007. This was the basis of the documentary on the movement. Bands that appeared in the film are as follows:
Secret Trial Five, however, recently stated that they do not associate with being taqwacore:
There is not a definitive "taqwacore sound", and the scene is much more diverse now (2011) than the fictional one portrayed in Knight's novel, with artists incorporating various styles, ranging from punk
to hip-hop, and musical traditions from the Muslim world
; the Kominas describe their sound as "Bollywood
punk", Sagg Taqwacore Syndicate are rap and techno
inspired music while Al-Thawra
uses the term "raicore
", based on North African Arabic Raï
music. The genre of music is much more specific to topics of consideration, self-labeling, political framework, and ideology.
After gaining international popularity, a Documentary
was produced by Omar Majeed
following Michael Muhammad Knight and a group of taqwacore bands on their tour across the United State, and eventually Pakistan. A film
by Eyad Zahra was released in 2010 under the same title. The film stared famous actress Noureen DeWulf
.
The Kominas appeared in the film Slackistan
, which was later banned in Pakistan.
is about punk Islam where Michael Muhammad Knight imagined a community of Muslim radicals: mohawked Sufis, riot grrrl
s in burqa
s with band patches, skinhead Shi’as, but didn't limit the term taqwacore to only these groups.
The concept of an individual's Islam is historically popular with Sufism
and was solidified in a new American style with the publication of Michael Muhammad Knight's novel. The novel focus's on a household of individual "punk" characters who live their lives according to their own interpretation of Islam.
One fictitious character in the novel named Fasiq, an Indonesian Muslim, openly smokes cannabis while reading the Quran. His personal interpretation of Surat Al-Hijr is that the smoking of cannabis is permissible in Islam. Ayats 19 and 20 state:
In the novel, Fasiq determines that since Allah sent down everything that is well ballanced, and that humans can use them, cannabis is well balanced and permissible.
Many band members in the recent documentary "Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam
" can be seen smoking hashish while in Pakistan.
The disenchantment and desire to reach a conclusion or catharsis of creating a personal Islam for Michael Muhammad Knight started with his Taqwacore project. The extreme nature of his fictional characters spoke to young Muslims around the world, and sparked a movement of "Taqwacore" labeled bands. Although some bands were happy to be labeled as such, and others did reluctantly, the labeling of a punk band led to problems, much like any labeling can lead to problems.
The Kominas, while still labeled taqwacore, have expressed discontent with their reviews focusing on the Muslim aspect of their music instead of aesthetics or politics
The all girl punk band Secret Trial Five wrote a song dedicated to their hate of the term Taqwacore, titled "We're not Taqwacore" and can be heard on stage at one performance calling Taqwacore "bullshit", although many of their messages are consistent with the Taqwacore movement. . Their lyrics read:
After Knight's novel that experimented in his self-beheading, his discontent was not an end for his exploration in individualistic Islam
Knight's personal disenchantment came to a catharsis in his latest book Why I am a Five Percenter. In a public lecture at the University of Texas, he spoke of how his personal research in the community of the Five Percenter's led him to become a part of their community. This history of the Five Percenters allows him to feel empowered in his personal interpretation of Islam. He writes about his "conversion" and experiences in the community in his book
. Many of the members of Taqwacore bands are Muslims, through their own interpretations of the religion. Some members, however, are not Muslim. The overarching theme of individual interpretation, as well as a break from Imams, Mainstream Islam, and Classical interpretations of the Qur'an are very prevalent in the music, yet some bands have bent or broken this initial tie with the overarching theme of Taqwacore, as their music deals with more issues than simply Islamic interpretation. Much of Taqwacore is rooted in the spirit of Punk: that of rebellion, political commentary, and activism.
The Kominas are one of the most famous taqwacore bands, and they have reached the digital ears of people all over the world, and have become interests of many academic articles and press.
Wendy Hsu writes that "Over-emphasizing the band members as “Muslim”, the press has overlooked the non-Islamic sides of the band’s music, image, and membership."
She also writes that taqwacore is not limited to music but is "forming a network of friends, artists, bloggers, filmmakers, and other enthusiasts around the self-identified label of taqwacore."
The bands political messages are also linked with cultural questions, multiculturalism, and the interaction of the east and the west. Al-Thawra initially labeled themselves as "raicore", yet another portmanteau combining North African and Algerian rai
music and hardcore. He talks about his music and its cultural considerations, linking the ways in which Algerian Chaabi music can be considered rebel music, much like punk itself.
Fun-Da-Mental are an explicitly political and controversial band with an outspoken concern with social justice (particularly in regard to Britain's treatment of its Asian and Afro-Caribbean citizens) and have been described as "articulat(ing) eclectically a kind of militant Islamic-influenced, pro-Black anti-racist identity politics."
"Vote Hezbollah does not promote violence or support any violent organizations. Peace, unity, and truth are our only strengths.”
), heretical attitudes, embrace of the Nation of Islam
and Nation of Gods and Earths and often rebellious treatment of the Prophet Muhammad
.
Knight developed a reputation for his Muslim WakeUp! articles, particularly accounts of the Islamic Society of North America
's annual convention, in which he wrote of giving a "stink palm" to famous imam Siraj Wahhaj and Cat Stevens
and engaging in a romantic encounter with a young Muslim woman.
At the 2005 convention of the Islamic Society of North America
, Knight and the Kominas
fraudulently obtained media passes and sneaked into the press conference of Karen Hughes
, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in the U.S. Department of State. They were taken outside and questioned by a State Department agent, but allowed back in by ISNA officials. It was later learned that the ISNA staff was concerned over Knight's jacket bearing the Alternative Tentacles
logo.
During the Taqwacore tour that is featured in the documentary film, the group ended at the annual ISNA convention in Chicago. They played on stage using forged media passes at an open mic event. When viewed in the film, many of the younger audience cheered at first were confused, but later cheered for the bands. When the all girl band Secret Trial Five played on stage, security was called and the group was forced off stage. This was due to the ISNA convention rules of "no-female singers". The ragged group gathered outside of the building and broke a guitar on the pavement.
The taqwacore groups also dealt with discrimination on the road of their tour. Other drivers flipped them off, or cursed at them. One driver held a "Fuck Allah" sign up to his window.
The taqwacore groups thus responded to their discrimination, both from the Muslim community and from without. The Kominas performed songs with controversial lyrics such as "suicide bomb the gap," and "Rumi was a homo" These were comments on social issues that spread through both the muslim community and outside of the community in America. The latter was a commentary on an Anti-Gay Imam from Brooklyn. The musicians also started a joke band named "Box Cutter Surprise", referencing the knives used to hijack planes on September 11th. Marwan Kamel, from a band on tour called Al-Thawra, Arabic for "revolution," said that the members created the group to shock audiences. These sentiments were also fueled by Knights original desire to "find what people are pissed about and talk about it"
Michael Muhammad Knight also gives public lectures from time to time on the varying subjects of his books, most recently (2011) on his book that deals with the history of the Five Percenters. A lecture at the University o Texas at Austin
Many academic articles, dissertations and masters theses have been written on the topic.
In Heavy metal Islam: rock, resistance, and the struggle for the soul of Islam
, Mark Levine writes about the relationship of heavy metal and Islam and its history. While not the same specific genre of music, the book covers a wide variety of topics and talks about crowds at shows "dressed in strange combinations of metal, hip-hop, and punk attire." His book addresses the issues that arise with the combination of two seemingly separate cultures, in vivid imagery. He says that "one can see a teenager with green spiky hair and baggy hip-hop style clothing standing next to one in goth makeup, and a few feet away yet another in a black metal T-shirt who’s watching the show with his mother or aunt who may be dressed in a black, full-length abaya." An abaya
is a traditional cloak, or over garment worn in the arab world by women for modesty , and also worn in different styles.
Another paper written by a number of masters students at the Roskilde Univeristy write in Looking for Cultural Space Discourses of Identity Formation on the case of Taqwacore
, on populations, groups, and individuals belonging in society. They write about a sense of belonging and how identity is formed in relation to the taqwacore movement, stating that "the questions of social inclusion or exclusion have raised new lines of connection within societies" and that this happens more often when individuals "sense of belonging transcends national borders linking to other cultural and social geographies and groupings", which is an essential theme in taqwacore music and the taqwacore movement. Many ideas of belonging to more than one culture is presented in taqwacore music through satire or dark humor.
In Abraham Ibrahim's work on the Queer community of Muslims, “Sodomized by Religion”: Fictional Representations of Queer Muslims in the West
, he explores different representations of characters that have been systematically oppressed by the orthodox Islamic community.He writes about a few different works, including Michael Muhammad Knight's work "Bilal's Bread" and a film titled "A Touch of Pink"
he writes that "the security concerns about Muslims in the West are remarkably similar to the suspicions about homosexuals: they are not “true” members of the community,and they are quite possibly in league with foreign subversives"
Francis Stewart explores the role of punk in spiritual life in her article “Punk Rock Is My Religion” An Exploration of Straight Edge punk as a Surrogate of Religion.
She questions the role of the Straight Edge
music ideology in individuals lives, and how it potentially may relate to the taqwacore movement. As one fictional character in the novel was a Straight Edge rocker, many of the real life musicians involved in the taqwacore scene are as well. She writes about the differences between their lifestyle and traditionally proscribed Islamic lifestyles staying that "as with many within hardcore and Straight Edge the religion that is practiced or found amongst individuals within Taqwacore is not that proscribed by or expected within Islamic dogma." Their lifestyles are personalized, "touring bands do not perform salat five times day and although shows will open with a communal prayer, it is men and women praying together so constitutes haram." Their actions are often the opposite of orthodox Islam. Some may be straight edge, which may be in accordance with traditional Islam, but some "will drink and smoke" and perform other acts that may be considered forbidden or "haram" in Islam, "Yet they still consider themselves Muslim’s and some would even describe themselves as religious Muslims."
In Abdou Mohamad's masters thesis for Queen's Univserity titled "ANARCA-ISLAM"
, he explores what he consideres to be a close knit relationship between Islam, Islamic law, and Anarchism. Anarchism has historically been associated with the punk movement, and is a reoccurring slogan in many punk rock, hardcore, and metal songs. Abdou ovserves that "as taken from academic texts by non- Muslims, is the recognition that resonances exist between Islam and anarchism." He considers the two as "not identical, but neither are they necessarily incompatible."
John Hutnyk writes more specifically about the band that is consiered to be taqwacore by some Fun-Da-Men-Tal in "THE DIALECTICS OF EUROPEAN HIP-HOP: Fun^da^mental and the deathening silence."
In his article, Hutnyk writes about the role of hip-hop and Islam in a political agenda within the musical world. He writes that "The politics of Fun^da^mental is the politics of hip-hop, crossed with a punk Islam" and that the messages that are presented in their music encapsulate many different issues. These include "interventions around race and representation", the historic and recent deciding factor that started "the war of ‘terror’", as well as what he calls "a radical version of human rights activism."
Amil Khan addresses similar issues, but on a wider spectrum in his book titled "The Long Struggle: The Seeds of the Muslim World's Frustration."
In his book, he writes, similar to other authors, about the Converstaion and relationship between orthodox Islam, westernization, and the results of such. He comments on the orthodox community, arguing that "Even within the most orthodox communities, groups are taking up differing positions on various points, like the use of violence or the interaction between Muslims and non-Muslims", showing that a conversation exists even in what many view as a succinct group. He shows that what some Muslims call the Ummah
, or the unified Muslim world, is in fact extremely divided. He says that when Muslims gather at different events, "the audience at any of these events includes the most obviously observant in traditional robes, city workers in neat trim beards, punk rock Muslim teenagers and the merely curious", showing the multitude of lifestyles amongst Muslims.
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
dealing with Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, its culture, and interpretation, originally conceived in Michael Muhammad Knight
Michael Muhammad Knight
Michael Muhammad Knight is an American Muslim novelist, journalist, and performance artist. His writings are popular among American Muslim youth...
's 2003 novel, The Taqwacores
The Taqwacores
Knight originally self-published The Taqwacores in DIY zine format, giving copies away for free until finding distribution with Alternative Tentacles, the punk record label founded by Jello Biafra. After receiving an endorsement from Peter Lamborn Wilson , the novel was published by radical press...
. The name is a portmanteau of hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
and the Arabic word Taqwa
Taqwa
Taqwá is the Islamic concept of the fear of God.-Etymology:The term taqwá comes from the Arabic root W-Q-Y from the 8th stem verb, ittaqá "be wary, Godfearing."...
, which is usually translated as "piety" or the quality of being "God-fearing", and thus roughly denotes fear and love of the divine. The scene is composed mainly of young Muslim artists living in the US and other western countries, many of whom openly reject traditionalist interpretations of Islam, and thus live their own lifestyle within the religion or without.
History
Although Muslim punk music dates at least to the 1979 founding of British band Alien KultureAlien Kulture
Alien Kulture was a British punk band active from 1979 through 1981, founded by Ausaf Abbas, Azhar Rana, Pervez Bilgrami, and self-described "token white" Huw Jones...
,, Fearless Iranians from Hell are one of the earliest Muslim Punk bands from the United States, hailing from San Antonio Texas. In the 90's, Nation Records act Fun-Da-Mental
Fun-Da-Mental
Fun-Da-Mental is a British-based multi-ethnic hip-hop–ethno-techno–world fusion music group formed in 1991. The group is notable for its energetic fusion of Eastern and Western musical forms, for its outspoken political stance, and for its strong Islamic affiliation and advocacy. Fun-Da-Mental's...
and Asian Dub Foundation
Asian Dub Foundation
Asian Dub Foundation are a British electronica band that plays a mix of rapcore, dub, dancehall and ragga, also using rock instruments, acknowledging a punk influence...
emerged solidifying the first examples of US Muslim generated punk. In an interview, Aki Nawaz
Aki Nawaz
Aki Nawaz also known as Aki-Stani, Righteous Preacher and Propa-Gandhi, is a British singer and musician and part of the band Fun-Da-Mental. He is best known for his controversial lyrics.-Profile:...
, founder of Nation Records, stated that "Islam for me was more punk than punk" Knight's novel was instrumental in encouraging the growth of a contemporary North American Muslim punk movement, and many bands who used the term taqwacore were ones that traveled with Knight on the ISNA tour featured in the documentary. Thus, the taqwacore community is almost inseparable with Knight and his literature.
The first bands to use the term taqwacore are The Kominas
The Kominas
The Kominas are a Pakistani-American Desi punk rock band from New York City. The band currently includes Basim Usmani , Imran Ali Malik , Hassan Ali Malik and Abdullah Saeed .- History :...
, Vote Hezbollah and the Sagg Taqwacore Syndicate. Other bands on the scene include Diacritical, Secret Trial Five
Secret Trial Five
-Origins:Sena Hussain formed Secret Trial Five with four friends following 9/11, when she became interested in making music with political messages. Secret Trial Five takes its name from a group of Muslims suspected of terrorism currently held without charge in Canada.-History:In fall 2007, Secret...
, Noble Drew, Fedayeen
Fedayeen (band)
Fedayeen is an American punk band, composed of Abu Taha al-Amriki, Raheem Vukas, Hajirah D. and Taha Husayn. They identify themselves with the Taqwacore Movement, a Muslim punk based sub-culture known for challenging extremism, homophobia, sexism, and violence.-History:Fedayeen formed in 2009...
, Sarmust and other bands under SG-Records.
When Kourosh Poursalehi first read The Taqwacores, he took it to be a true account of real Muslims in the United States. He composed a song to Michael Muhammad Knights poem "Muhammad was a Punk Rocker", and sent it to Knight in New York. Knight was extremely happy with what he heard, knowing that his book had reached real Muslims similar to himself, and he played the song on repeat over and over. They ended up meeting in Boston where with Basim Usmani, the Kominas were formed, and the seeds of their tour were planted.
Pourlaselhi was heavily influenced by the Fearless Iranians from Hell, as he was from the San Antonio area, and the band was also from Texas. He later went on to form the band Vote Hezbollah
A group of self identified taqwacore bands traveled in a caravan style tour around the United States as a sort of self re-creation of Michael Muhammad Knights original novel in 2007. This was the basis of the documentary on the movement. Bands that appeared in the film are as follows:
- The KominasThe KominasThe Kominas are a Pakistani-American Desi punk rock band from New York City. The band currently includes Basim Usmani , Imran Ali Malik , Hassan Ali Malik and Abdullah Saeed .- History :...
members. The Kominas is a Pakistani punk band from the suburbs of BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. The members include Basim Usmani (bassBass (instrument)Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
and vocals), Shahjehan Khan (guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and vocals), Arjun Ray (guitar and vocals), and Imran Malik (drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
).
- Al-ThawraAl-ThawraAl-Thawra is an experimental crust punk band from Chicago, Illinois. Current members are Marwan Kamel , Micah Bezold , and Mario Salazar .Marwan Kamel once quoted Cesar Chavez, saying that "Revolution starts with one person at a time, talking to...
, a heavy metal Arab band from ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
featuring Marwan - Diacritical
- Vote Hezbollah, fronted by Kourosh, an Iranian from San Antonio
- Secret Trial FiveSecret Trial Five-Origins:Sena Hussain formed Secret Trial Five with four friends following 9/11, when she became interested in making music with political messages. Secret Trial Five takes its name from a group of Muslims suspected of terrorism currently held without charge in Canada.-History:In fall 2007, Secret...
an all-female CanadianCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
punk rockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band fronted by Sena, a Pakistani lesbian from VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
Secret Trial Five, however, recently stated that they do not associate with being taqwacore:
There is not a definitive "taqwacore sound", and the scene is much more diverse now (2011) than the fictional one portrayed in Knight's novel, with artists incorporating various styles, ranging from punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
to hip-hop, and musical traditions from the Muslim world
Muslim world
The term Muslim world has several meanings. In a religious sense, it refers to those who adhere to the teachings of Islam, referred to as Muslims. In a cultural sense, it refers to Islamic civilization, inclusive of non-Muslims living in that civilization...
; the Kominas describe their sound as "Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
punk", Sagg Taqwacore Syndicate are rap and techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
inspired music while Al-Thawra
Al-Thawra
Al-Thawra is an experimental crust punk band from Chicago, Illinois. Current members are Marwan Kamel , Micah Bezold , and Mario Salazar .Marwan Kamel once quoted Cesar Chavez, saying that "Revolution starts with one person at a time, talking to...
uses the term "raicore
Raicore
Raicore is a music form based on North African Raï music and hardcore punk music. The name is a portmanteau of Raï and hardcore and considered part of the general taqwacore music movement....
", based on North African Arabic Raï
Raï
Raï is a form of folk music that originated in Oran, Algeria from Bedouin shepherds, mixed with Spanish, French, African and Arabic musical forms, which dates back to the 1930s....
music. The genre of music is much more specific to topics of consideration, self-labeling, political framework, and ideology.
In Popular Culture
The Taqwacore genre was popularized through different forms of media, starting with Michael Muhammad Nights novel The Taqwacores, which extended through his other works as well as different bands, films adaptations, and events. Michael Muhammad Knight continued his penmanship through his other novels including Blue Eyed Devil, The Five Percenters, Osama Van Halen, Impossible Man, Journey to the End of Islam, Why I am a Five Percenter, and his future book titled William S. Burroughs vs. the Qur'an.After gaining international popularity, a Documentary
Taqwacore (film)
The documentary Taqwacore is one of two films based on on Michael Muhammad Knight's book The Taqwacores. In 2008, the book had been made into a feature film by director Eyad Zahra starring actress Noureen DeWulf as Rabeya, actress Rasika Mathur as Fatima, and actor Bobby Naderi as Yusef.The film...
was produced by Omar Majeed
Omar Majeed
Omar Majeed is a Pakistani Canadian film director and producer who studied cinema at York University Film School and later on studied editing at the International Academy of Design in Toronto. He is the son of Musarrat Nazir. He went on to work as producer Toronto's CityTV and won a Gemini Award...
following Michael Muhammad Knight and a group of taqwacore bands on their tour across the United State, and eventually Pakistan. A film
The Taqwacores (film)
The Taqwacores is a 2010 film adaptation of the 2003 novel The Taqwacores by Michael Muhammad Knight. The film was directed by Eyad Zahra and stars Bobby Naderi, Dominic Rains, and Noureen Dewulf. The film imagines a fictitious Islamic Punk Rock scene through characters living in a punk house in...
by Eyad Zahra was released in 2010 under the same title. The film stared famous actress Noureen DeWulf
Noureen DeWulf
Noureen DeWulf is an Indian American actress. She is best known for her roles in films like West Bank Story, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, and The Back-Up Plan.-Early life:...
.
The Kominas appeared in the film Slackistan
Slackistan
Slackistan is an independent film directed by London-based filmmaker, Hammad Khan. The film stars Shahbaz Hamid Shigri, Aisha Linnea Akthar, Ali Rehman Khan, Shahana Khan Khalil, Osman Khalid Butt, Khalid Saeed and Rafey Alam. The film is distributed by Big Upstairs Films...
, which was later banned in Pakistan.
Links to the Novels
The TaqwacoresThe Taqwacores
Knight originally self-published The Taqwacores in DIY zine format, giving copies away for free until finding distribution with Alternative Tentacles, the punk record label founded by Jello Biafra. After receiving an endorsement from Peter Lamborn Wilson , the novel was published by radical press...
is about punk Islam where Michael Muhammad Knight imagined a community of Muslim radicals: mohawked Sufis, riot grrrl
Riot grrrl
Riot grrrl was an underground feminist punk movement based in Washington, DC, Olympia, Washington, Portland, Oregon, and the greater Pacific Northwest which existed in the early to mid-1990s, and it is often associated with third-wave feminism...
s in burqa
Burqa
A burqa is an enveloping outer garment worn by women in some Islamic religion to cover their bodies in public places. The burqa is usually understood to be the woman's loose body-covering , plus the head-covering , plus the face-veil .-Etymology:A speculative and unattested etymology...
s with band patches, skinhead Shi’as, but didn't limit the term taqwacore to only these groups.
The concept of an individual's Islam is historically popular with Sufism
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
and was solidified in a new American style with the publication of Michael Muhammad Knight's novel. The novel focus's on a household of individual "punk" characters who live their lives according to their own interpretation of Islam.
One fictitious character in the novel named Fasiq, an Indonesian Muslim, openly smokes cannabis while reading the Quran. His personal interpretation of Surat Al-Hijr is that the smoking of cannabis is permissible in Islam. Ayats 19 and 20 state:
In the novel, Fasiq determines that since Allah sent down everything that is well ballanced, and that humans can use them, cannabis is well balanced and permissible.
Many band members in the recent documentary "Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam
Taqwacore (film)
The documentary Taqwacore is one of two films based on on Michael Muhammad Knight's book The Taqwacores. In 2008, the book had been made into a feature film by director Eyad Zahra starring actress Noureen DeWulf as Rabeya, actress Rasika Mathur as Fatima, and actor Bobby Naderi as Yusef.The film...
" can be seen smoking hashish while in Pakistan.
Disenchantment
With bands reporting disenchantment with the role of taqwacore in their lives, the author himself wrote of confusion and self disenchantment in his book titled "Osama Van Halen" where he writes himself as a fictional character.- "Michael Muhammad Knight then looked at Amazing Ayyub and immediately, clearly, understood him to be the last lonely survivor of an extinct race"
- "Amazing Ayyub made his niyya, read Ya Sin, and vanished. Beyond its function as an invisibility spell, Ya Sin doubled as a prayer for the dead and dying."
The disenchantment and desire to reach a conclusion or catharsis of creating a personal Islam for Michael Muhammad Knight started with his Taqwacore project. The extreme nature of his fictional characters spoke to young Muslims around the world, and sparked a movement of "Taqwacore" labeled bands. Although some bands were happy to be labeled as such, and others did reluctantly, the labeling of a punk band led to problems, much like any labeling can lead to problems.
The Kominas, while still labeled taqwacore, have expressed discontent with their reviews focusing on the Muslim aspect of their music instead of aesthetics or politics
The all girl punk band Secret Trial Five wrote a song dedicated to their hate of the term Taqwacore, titled "We're not Taqwacore" and can be heard on stage at one performance calling Taqwacore "bullshit", although many of their messages are consistent with the Taqwacore movement. . Their lyrics read:
- rather hang with taliban
- than dick around with drunks
- muhammad wasn't white
- and neither is this fight
- and we weren't birthed
- by michael knight
After Knight's novel that experimented in his self-beheading, his discontent was not an end for his exploration in individualistic Islam
Knight's personal disenchantment came to a catharsis in his latest book Why I am a Five Percenter. In a public lecture at the University of Texas, he spoke of how his personal research in the community of the Five Percenter's led him to become a part of their community. This history of the Five Percenters allows him to feel empowered in his personal interpretation of Islam. He writes about his "conversion" and experiences in the community in his book
Themes
Taqwacore as coined had a definite bond with Islam, Progressive Islam and Islam and AnarchismIslam and anarchism
Islamic anarchism is based on an interpretation of Islam as "submission to God" which either prohibits or is highly critical of the role of human authority.-Historical anarchist tendencies in Islam:...
. Many of the members of Taqwacore bands are Muslims, through their own interpretations of the religion. Some members, however, are not Muslim. The overarching theme of individual interpretation, as well as a break from Imams, Mainstream Islam, and Classical interpretations of the Qur'an are very prevalent in the music, yet some bands have bent or broken this initial tie with the overarching theme of Taqwacore, as their music deals with more issues than simply Islamic interpretation. Much of Taqwacore is rooted in the spirit of Punk: that of rebellion, political commentary, and activism.
The Kominas are one of the most famous taqwacore bands, and they have reached the digital ears of people all over the world, and have become interests of many academic articles and press.
Wendy Hsu writes that "Over-emphasizing the band members as “Muslim”, the press has overlooked the non-Islamic sides of the band’s music, image, and membership."
She also writes that taqwacore is not limited to music but is "forming a network of friends, artists, bloggers, filmmakers, and other enthusiasts around the self-identified label of taqwacore."
The bands political messages are also linked with cultural questions, multiculturalism, and the interaction of the east and the west. Al-Thawra initially labeled themselves as "raicore", yet another portmanteau combining North African and Algerian rai
Rai
Rai may refer to:Acronyms*RAI, radioactive iodine, in the medical context of the treatment of thyroid problems*RAI, Radiotelevisione Italiana, Italian public broadcasting*Praia International Airport in Cape Verde, IATA airport code...
music and hardcore. He talks about his music and its cultural considerations, linking the ways in which Algerian Chaabi music can be considered rebel music, much like punk itself.
Fun-Da-Mental are an explicitly political and controversial band with an outspoken concern with social justice (particularly in regard to Britain's treatment of its Asian and Afro-Caribbean citizens) and have been described as "articulat(ing) eclectically a kind of militant Islamic-influenced, pro-Black anti-racist identity politics."
"Vote Hezbollah does not promote violence or support any violent organizations. Peace, unity, and truth are our only strengths.”
Controversy
Knight is criticized for his participation in woman-led prayer, provocative articles, disrespectful attitude toward leaders of the American Muslim community, open admission of past apostasy (chronicled in his essay "Forget what is and is not Islam" in Leaving Islam: Apostates Speak OutLeaving Islam: Apostates Speak Out
Leaving Islam: Apostates Speak Out is a book, authored and edited by secularist Ibn Warraq that researches and documents cases of apostasy in Islam.-Synopsis:...
), heretical attitudes, embrace of the Nation of Islam
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
and Nation of Gods and Earths and often rebellious treatment of the Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
.
Knight developed a reputation for his Muslim WakeUp! articles, particularly accounts of the Islamic Society of North America
Islamic Society of North America
The Islamic Society of North America , based in Plainfield, Indiana, USA, is a Muslim umbrella group. It has been described in the media as the largest Muslim organization in North America.-History:...
's annual convention, in which he wrote of giving a "stink palm" to famous imam Siraj Wahhaj and Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
and engaging in a romantic encounter with a young Muslim woman.
At the 2005 convention of the Islamic Society of North America
Islamic Society of North America
The Islamic Society of North America , based in Plainfield, Indiana, USA, is a Muslim umbrella group. It has been described in the media as the largest Muslim organization in North America.-History:...
, Knight and the Kominas
The Kominas
The Kominas are a Pakistani-American Desi punk rock band from New York City. The band currently includes Basim Usmani , Imran Ali Malik , Hassan Ali Malik and Abdullah Saeed .- History :...
fraudulently obtained media passes and sneaked into the press conference of Karen Hughes
Karen Hughes
Karen Parfitt Hughes is the Global Vice Chair of Burson-Marsteller. She served as the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in the U.S. Department of State with the rank of ambassador. She resides in Austin, Texas.-Early life:Born in Paris, France, she is the daughter...
, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in the U.S. Department of State. They were taken outside and questioned by a State Department agent, but allowed back in by ISNA officials. It was later learned that the ISNA staff was concerned over Knight's jacket bearing the Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label originally based in San Francisco, California and was established in 1979. It was originally used as the label name by the Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles", and after realizing the potential for an independent...
logo.
During the Taqwacore tour that is featured in the documentary film, the group ended at the annual ISNA convention in Chicago. They played on stage using forged media passes at an open mic event. When viewed in the film, many of the younger audience cheered at first were confused, but later cheered for the bands. When the all girl band Secret Trial Five played on stage, security was called and the group was forced off stage. This was due to the ISNA convention rules of "no-female singers". The ragged group gathered outside of the building and broke a guitar on the pavement.
The taqwacore groups also dealt with discrimination on the road of their tour. Other drivers flipped them off, or cursed at them. One driver held a "Fuck Allah" sign up to his window.
The taqwacore groups thus responded to their discrimination, both from the Muslim community and from without. The Kominas performed songs with controversial lyrics such as "suicide bomb the gap," and "Rumi was a homo" These were comments on social issues that spread through both the muslim community and outside of the community in America. The latter was a commentary on an Anti-Gay Imam from Brooklyn. The musicians also started a joke band named "Box Cutter Surprise", referencing the knives used to hijack planes on September 11th. Marwan Kamel, from a band on tour called Al-Thawra, Arabic for "revolution," said that the members created the group to shock audiences. These sentiments were also fueled by Knights original desire to "find what people are pissed about and talk about it"
In Academia
The social movement linked with Knights novels as well as the musical subculture raised great interest in the academic world. Along with punk, the subgenre has been a subject of cultural studies, religious studies, and more. The novel has allegedly been taught at a number of university courses.Michael Muhammad Knight also gives public lectures from time to time on the varying subjects of his books, most recently (2011) on his book that deals with the history of the Five Percenters. A lecture at the University o Texas at Austin
Many academic articles, dissertations and masters theses have been written on the topic.
In Heavy metal Islam: rock, resistance, and the struggle for the soul of Islam
, Mark Levine writes about the relationship of heavy metal and Islam and its history. While not the same specific genre of music, the book covers a wide variety of topics and talks about crowds at shows "dressed in strange combinations of metal, hip-hop, and punk attire." His book addresses the issues that arise with the combination of two seemingly separate cultures, in vivid imagery. He says that "one can see a teenager with green spiky hair and baggy hip-hop style clothing standing next to one in goth makeup, and a few feet away yet another in a black metal T-shirt who’s watching the show with his mother or aunt who may be dressed in a black, full-length abaya." An abaya
Abaya
The abaya "cloak" , sometimes also called an aba, is a simple, loose over-garment, essentially a robe-like dress, worn by some women in parts of the Islamic world including in Turkey, North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula....
is a traditional cloak, or over garment worn in the arab world by women for modesty , and also worn in different styles.
Another paper written by a number of masters students at the Roskilde Univeristy write in Looking for Cultural Space Discourses of Identity Formation on the case of Taqwacore
, on populations, groups, and individuals belonging in society. They write about a sense of belonging and how identity is formed in relation to the taqwacore movement, stating that "the questions of social inclusion or exclusion have raised new lines of connection within societies" and that this happens more often when individuals "sense of belonging transcends national borders linking to other cultural and social geographies and groupings", which is an essential theme in taqwacore music and the taqwacore movement. Many ideas of belonging to more than one culture is presented in taqwacore music through satire or dark humor.
In Abraham Ibrahim's work on the Queer community of Muslims, “Sodomized by Religion”: Fictional Representations of Queer Muslims in the West
, he explores different representations of characters that have been systematically oppressed by the orthodox Islamic community.He writes about a few different works, including Michael Muhammad Knight's work "Bilal's Bread" and a film titled "A Touch of Pink"
he writes that "the security concerns about Muslims in the West are remarkably similar to the suspicions about homosexuals: they are not “true” members of the community,and they are quite possibly in league with foreign subversives"
Francis Stewart explores the role of punk in spiritual life in her article “Punk Rock Is My Religion” An Exploration of Straight Edge punk as a Surrogate of Religion.
She questions the role of the Straight Edge
Straight edge
Straight edge is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs. It was a direct reaction to the sexual revolution, hedonism, and excess associated with punk rock. For some, this extends to not engaging in promiscuous sex, following a...
music ideology in individuals lives, and how it potentially may relate to the taqwacore movement. As one fictional character in the novel was a Straight Edge rocker, many of the real life musicians involved in the taqwacore scene are as well. She writes about the differences between their lifestyle and traditionally proscribed Islamic lifestyles staying that "as with many within hardcore and Straight Edge the religion that is practiced or found amongst individuals within Taqwacore is not that proscribed by or expected within Islamic dogma." Their lifestyles are personalized, "touring bands do not perform salat five times day and although shows will open with a communal prayer, it is men and women praying together so constitutes haram." Their actions are often the opposite of orthodox Islam. Some may be straight edge, which may be in accordance with traditional Islam, but some "will drink and smoke" and perform other acts that may be considered forbidden or "haram" in Islam, "Yet they still consider themselves Muslim’s and some would even describe themselves as religious Muslims."
In Abdou Mohamad's masters thesis for Queen's Univserity titled "ANARCA-ISLAM"
, he explores what he consideres to be a close knit relationship between Islam, Islamic law, and Anarchism. Anarchism has historically been associated with the punk movement, and is a reoccurring slogan in many punk rock, hardcore, and metal songs. Abdou ovserves that "as taken from academic texts by non- Muslims, is the recognition that resonances exist between Islam and anarchism." He considers the two as "not identical, but neither are they necessarily incompatible."
John Hutnyk writes more specifically about the band that is consiered to be taqwacore by some Fun-Da-Men-Tal in "THE DIALECTICS OF EUROPEAN HIP-HOP: Fun^da^mental and the deathening silence."
In his article, Hutnyk writes about the role of hip-hop and Islam in a political agenda within the musical world. He writes that "The politics of Fun^da^mental is the politics of hip-hop, crossed with a punk Islam" and that the messages that are presented in their music encapsulate many different issues. These include "interventions around race and representation", the historic and recent deciding factor that started "the war of ‘terror’", as well as what he calls "a radical version of human rights activism."
Amil Khan addresses similar issues, but on a wider spectrum in his book titled "The Long Struggle: The Seeds of the Muslim World's Frustration."
In his book, he writes, similar to other authors, about the Converstaion and relationship between orthodox Islam, westernization, and the results of such. He comments on the orthodox community, arguing that "Even within the most orthodox communities, groups are taking up differing positions on various points, like the use of violence or the interaction between Muslims and non-Muslims", showing that a conversation exists even in what many view as a succinct group. He shows that what some Muslims call the Ummah
Ummah
Ummah is an Arabic word meaning "community" or "nation." It is commonly used to mean either the collective nation of states, or the whole Arab world...
, or the unified Muslim world, is in fact extremely divided. He says that when Muslims gather at different events, "the audience at any of these events includes the most obviously observant in traditional robes, city workers in neat trim beards, punk rock Muslim teenagers and the merely curious", showing the multitude of lifestyles amongst Muslims.
See also
- TaqwaTaqwaTaqwá is the Islamic concept of the fear of God.-Etymology:The term taqwá comes from the Arabic root W-Q-Y from the 8th stem verb, ittaqá "be wary, Godfearing."...
- Punk RockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
- Al-ThawraAl-ThawraAl-Thawra is an experimental crust punk band from Chicago, Illinois. Current members are Marwan Kamel , Micah Bezold , and Mario Salazar .Marwan Kamel once quoted Cesar Chavez, saying that "Revolution starts with one person at a time, talking to...
- Alien KultureAlien KultureAlien Kulture was a British punk band active from 1979 through 1981, founded by Ausaf Abbas, Azhar Rana, Pervez Bilgrami, and self-described "token white" Huw Jones...
- Asian Dub FoundationAsian Dub FoundationAsian Dub Foundation are a British electronica band that plays a mix of rapcore, dub, dancehall and ragga, also using rock instruments, acknowledging a punk influence...
- Escape to Blackout BeachEscape to Blackout BeachEscape to Blackout Beach is the second release by The Kominas. It was recorded at New Alliance Studios in Allston, MA over three days in June, 2010. It was released digitally on June 15, 2010 from a special subsite of The Kominas' official website....
- FedayeenFedayeenFedayeen is a term used to describe several distinct militant groups and individuals in West Asia at different times in history. It is sometimes used colloquially to refer to suicide squads, especially those who are not bombers.-Overview:...
- Michael Muhammad KnightMichael Muhammad KnightMichael Muhammad Knight is an American Muslim novelist, journalist, and performance artist. His writings are popular among American Muslim youth...
- The KominasThe KominasThe Kominas are a Pakistani-American Desi punk rock band from New York City. The band currently includes Basim Usmani , Imran Ali Malik , Hassan Ali Malik and Abdullah Saeed .- History :...
- RaicoreRaicoreRaicore is a music form based on North African Raï music and hardcore punk music. The name is a portmanteau of Raï and hardcore and considered part of the general taqwacore music movement....
- Secret Trial FiveSecret Trial Five-Origins:Sena Hussain formed Secret Trial Five with four friends following 9/11, when she became interested in making music with political messages. Secret Trial Five takes its name from a group of Muslims suspected of terrorism currently held without charge in Canada.-History:In fall 2007, Secret...
External links
- Taqwacore Webzine
- "Young Muslims Build a Subculture on an Underground Book", New York Times, Dec 2008
- "Islamic Street Preachers: From Boston to Lahore & Beyond", Guardian, April 2007
- Photography by Kim Badawi on Taqwacore, Pangea Magazine
- The Taqwacores (book) webpage at Autonomedia
- "Muhammad Rocked the Casbah by Lydia Craft", "Texas Observer"
- Official Website
- Al Thawra Website
- / Review of the Documentary
- Sarmust Website