Taqwacore
Taqwacore is the name given to Punk music that deals with Islam and its culture. The name derived from Michael Muhammad Knight's 2003 novel, The Taqwacores. Michael Muhammad Knight is a white convert to Islam. His novel depicts a fictitious Islamic Punk Rock scene and was influential in the growth of a contemporary North American Punk movement. Below is Michael Muhammad Knight's song Mohammad was a Punk Rocker.
Wikipedia: Taqwacore
Taqwacore Webzine
Wikipedia: Taqwacore (novel)
Michael Muhammad Knight MySpace
Wikipedia: Taqwacore
Taqwacore Webzine
Wikipedia: Taqwacore (novel)
Michael Muhammad Knight MySpace
Taqwacore is also the name of a documentary film directed by Omar Majeed. The film is titled Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam and follows a number of Taqwacore bands while the tour the U.S. and Pakistan. The documentary was filmed during 2007 to 2009 and premiered at the SXSW Film Festival on March 14th & 19th, 2010. A trailer for the documentary is below.
Wikipedia: Taqwacore (documentary)
Taqwacore Official Site
Some Taqwacore bands:
The Kominas - Punk band from Boston, MA. They are featured in the Taqwacore documentary. In 2007, these guys crashed the Islamic Society of North America's annual meeting in Chicago along with Secret Trial Five, causing a riot to ensue. Below are their songs Sharia Law in the USA, Chaku, and Blow Shit Up.
Wikipedia
Official Site
MySpace
Last.fm
iLike
Al-Thawra - Crust Punk band from Chicago, IL. Featured in the Taqwacore documentary.
Official Site
MySpace
Last.fm
Diacritical - Taqwacore band from Washington, D.C. They were active from 2004 to 2007. Their songs touched on social issues like racism, war, and immigration reform. They are featured in the Taqwacore documentary.
MySpace
Last.fm
Sarmust - Solo project by Omar Waqar, who was the singer/guitarist for Diacritical.
MySpace
Vote Hezbollah - Formed in 2004 after reading The Taqwacores novel. Their MySpace says that they promote peace, unity, and truth. Featured in the Taqwacore documentary.
MySpace
Secret Trial Five - An interesting Punk band. They are an all-female Canadian Punk Rock band formed in 2006. The lead singer is Sena Hussain, a Pakistani Canadian drag king from Vancouver. The band's name comes from the name given to five Muslim men, who in 2006, were detained using 'secret evidence', spending most of their time in solitary confinement in Canadian prisons without charge. They were featured in the Taqwacore documentary, but they now actively reject the association. Their MySpace claims that the association with Taqwacore "not only limits them, but also, Taqwacore has caused a racist, Islamophobic and sensationalist media frenzy." They also deny claims that the band was inspired by Michael Muhammad Knight's novel. Below is their song Middle Eastern Zombies.
Wikipedia
MySpace
iLike