The Taqwacores: A Novel [Paperback]

Michael Muhammad Knight (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1570271674 | ISBN-13: 978-1570271670 | Publication Date: April 10, 2005

Set in a Muslim punk-house in Buffalo, New York, this novel explores the twin identities of punk and Islam in their many varieties and degrees of orthodoxy. The story here is primarily with the characters — Umar, the straight-edge Sunni; Rabeya, the burqa-clad riot grrl; Jehangir, the dope-smoking mohawked Sufi (who plays rooftop calls-to-prayer on his electric guitar) — and their collective articulation of a heresy-friendly, pluralist Islam. Full of punk references (real and invented) and enough Arabic phrases to fully deck out your skateboard, The Taqwacores is a great introduction to the cracks in the surface of mainstream Islam with a peculiarly American face.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An absolutely fascinating book . . . Michael Muhammad Knight has bravely written what could well become an essential text." --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Michael Muhammed Knight converted to Islam at sixteen after reading Malcolm X's biography, and spent two months at Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan. He later left orthodox Islam. His writing regularly appears in progressive Islamic venues. He lives in Western New York State.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Autonomedia (April 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570271674
• ISBN-13: 978-1570271670
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,308,541 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Could have been much more..., April 30, 2009

By 

Sithara Batcha "Sithara" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Taqwacores (Paperback)

I really wanted to like this book, but just couldn't. I guess I had higher expectations - these characters were just typical college students who just wanted to party and behave irresponsibly, just give in to their desires, and didn't want to follow any 'rules' - Islamic or otherwise.

There were plenty of complaints about the Qu'ran, the Prophet (s), hadiths, hell and heaven, ICNA conferences, imam and mosques and MSAs, Islam's treatment of women, etc. While I was sympathetic towards a good number of their complaints, reading the same angry rants over and over got very repetitive and tiresome - especially since I didn't find any of the characters appealing, or the plot interesting.

Now, maybe that's because I don't like punk music.

I was expecting much more of a political slant - how about throwing rotten sandwiches at the gleaming car of that corporate executive? How about spitting in the face of that slimy politician, or harassing that military recruiter? Where were the complaints about the unfairness of the global economy? Where was the concern for human rights? And the anger against lies and hypocrisy we are fed on a daily basis by the media?

Na, these kids were totally focused on themselves, which is why they won't cause any real change - within Islam or without. Most likely, they'll grow out of their 'punk' state and become responsible citizens (horror of horrors!!). If not, they will just waste away in irrelevance.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars way beyond brilliant!!, November 3, 2005

By 

Sabah Al-Noor - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Taqwacores: A Novel (Paperback)

WOW. This is one of the most brilliant books i've ever read! Who would have thought that two things like Islam and Punk rock could ever overlap, let alone be combined in such a genius way. From the radical feminist in full burqa(her burqa is covered with band patches!), to the straightedge punk with Qur'an verses tattooed on him, to the mohawked drunk punk who plays the call to prayer on electric guitar from the roof of the house...this book is just genius in every detail! The only problem i can imagine is that he uses A LOT of arabic terms and Islamic references which may be hard to understand if you don't have background knowledge about Islam. But READ IT ANYWAY! Find somebody you can ask if you need the terms defined for you. This book is worth the time! (p.s.the word "fasiq" means "pervert") Not exactly for the conservative thinker...BEWARE, you will need to think outside the box on this one. Though the end result is something that is unexplainably...blasphemously reverent, dogma-smashingly righteous...what can one say?...allahu akbar!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another world right next door, August 28, 2009

By 

jonbodhi (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Taqwacores (Paperback)

This book wasn't my first exposure to punk (I highly recommend 'Please Kill Me') or my first exposure to Islam, but I had a lot of curiosity about how such seemingly incompatible cultures could blend.

Having read it, I'm still not sure they do. I can't imagine American punks bringing any aspect of Christian practice into their music as many in this book are determined to do, but I'd guess a lot of that has to do with being a minority in a larger culture which sometimes barely tolerates it.

In the end, I'm not any more drawn to punk or Islam than I was at the beginning. Both have elements embedding within them that just don't appeal to me, but I found myself liking most of the Muslim punks I met in these pages, and while I wouldn't join them, I can sympathize a bit more with them, and I think I have a clearer view of Islam. I wish luck to those who want to innovate, no matter what their brothers and sisters think.