The Taqwacores (film)
Encyclopedia
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 Buffalo, NY. It was filmed in Cleveland, OH.
Others include ever-shirtless skateboarding wild man Amazing Ayyub (Volkan Eryaman), spike-haired stoner Fasiq (Ian Tran) and brawny, glowering Umar (Nav Mann), the would-be moral enforcer in a houseful of rebels against Koranic strictures. Sole female in residence is Rabeya (Noureen DeWulf), who wears a head-to-toe burka yet is full of ideas that might be considered blasphemous.
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...
by 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...
. 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 Buffalo, NY. It was filmed in Cleveland, OH.
Plot
A sophomore majoring in engineering, Yusef (Bobby Naderi) seeks living quarters with fellow Muslims after a year in the godless dorms. He moves—rather improbably, given his conservative nature—into a building inhabited by various punky misfits (it's unclear whether they're also students) wrestling with their cultural and religious identity. Or, as red-mohawked guitarist Jehangir (Dominic Rains) puts it, their "mismatching of disenfranchised subcultures."Others include ever-shirtless skateboarding wild man Amazing Ayyub (Volkan Eryaman), spike-haired stoner Fasiq (Ian Tran) and brawny, glowering Umar (Nav Mann), the would-be moral enforcer in a houseful of rebels against Koranic strictures. Sole female in residence is Rabeya (Noureen DeWulf), who wears a head-to-toe burka yet is full of ideas that might be considered blasphemous.
Cast
(in alphabetical order)- Noureen DeWulfNoureen DeWulfNoureen 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:...
as Rabeya - Jim Dickson as Gas Station Bully
- Volkan Eryaman as Amazing Ayyub
- Denise George as Dee Dee Ali
- Marwan Kamel as Himself (Cameo)
- Anne Leighton as Lynn
- Nav Mann as Umar
- Rasika MathurRasika Mathur-Filmography and T.V.:#The Taqwacores ...Fatima#Nilam Auntie: An International Treasure ...Nilam Auntie/Laxmi & other roles#An Inconvenient Penguin ...Dr...
as Fatima - John Charles Meyer as Hamza
- Bobby Naderi as Yusef
- Dominic Rains as Jehangir Tabari
- Nicholas Riley as Harun
- Ara Thorose as Lead Singer of The Gilmans
- Ian Tran as Fasiq
- Tony Yalda as Muzzamil