Taqwacore: Punk Meets Islam

Growing up Muslim in post-9/11 America isn’t easy. Being Muslim can make you a target of discrimination every time you go to an airport. And the imams at mosques preach chastity and purity, when so much of growing up in America involves good old-fashioned sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Where can Muslim kids find a sense of belonging, and an outlet for their frustration? Enter the Islamic punk movement known as “taqwacore.”

Taqwacore bands like Boston's The Kominas (the name means “bastards” in Punjabi) poke fun at and play with Muslim stereotypes. Many of these bands were inspired by the 2003 novel The Taqwacores, which follows a rowdy gang of Islamic punk rockers in Buffalo, who stay up late, drink cheap beer, play loud basement concerts, and pray towards Mecca. The name comes from the words taqwa – meaning fear or reverence for God – and the fast-paced hardcore punk scene. The book has become the Bible of the Islamic punk movement, and has recently been reissued by Soft Skull Press. Its author is Michael Muhammad Knight. His forthcoming memoir is called Impossible Man, and he joins us now from Toronto.

New York Times: Young Muslims Build a Subculture on an Underground Book

The World's Global Hit: The Kominas

(Photo courtesy JacobEnos via Flickr/Creative Commons)