Taqwacore: The birth

of Punk Islam

It is not often that fictional books result in social transformations. Harvard graduate, writer, and Muslim convert Michael Muhammad Knight did just that with his controversial 2005 book, 'The Taqwacores'. Set in New York, the book is about a fictional group of Muslims all living together in a house which includes homosexuals, alcoholics, adulterers, a burqa-clad girl with a colourful tongue, and even a character that longs for the traditional practice of Islam in the house. By marrying the Islamic concept of taqwa – the individual’s spiritual connection with God – with the hardcore punk scene that reverberated across America in the 1970s, Knight coined the portmanteau term ‘Taqwacore.’

In modern-day America, the Muslim youth find it hard to reconcile their faith with the progressive and secular demands of American culture. But Knight also felt disillusioned with Islam after finding he wasn’t made to feel equal, accepted, or even welcome by fellow mainstream Sunnis who were only too happy to point out his flaws and tell him what he ought to do. 'The Taqwacores' was thus originally meant to be Knight’s swansong to Islam. But he soon discovered there could be no parting of ways: he could never walk away from Islam or, to be specific, his understanding and experience of Islam.

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