Cast: Bobby Naderi, Noureen Dewulf, Dominic Rains, Nav Mann, Ian Tran
The Taqwacores is an adaptation of the scene-defining Muslim punk novel by American Muslim author Michael Muhammad Knight. The story follows Yusef, a bookish engineering student who arrives in Buffalo, New York eager to study, but finds himself living in a squat house filled with bizarre, transgressive rebels and wasters with one thing in common… they are all Muslim. The group hold Friday prayer and take their religion seriously, but by night their crumbling abode is transformed into a makeshift hangout for the town’s punk scene. As Yusef comes to terms with this dichotomy, he learns an enormous amount about himself, his history, and most importantly his future.
This is an interesting insight into a generation of Western Muslims who have truly fallen through the cracks. They are outcast by the American Dream and vilified by their own religious communities who consider them to be broken and poisonous sinners; but, which is worse, they are also shunned by the supposed antithesis of the American Dream – the great subculture of punks and transgressives that the enfranchised middle classes are powerless to eradicate – for being dark-skinned terrorists. Without any subculture to fall back on, they are forced to make things up as they go along, borrowing from punks, hippies, rock n’ roll, Muslim thinkers, etc. There is only one rule for the group: all are welcome. The only way they can prevent their group becoming a sect is to remain open to all. The rule is there is no rule. But when the gang decide to put on a concert and invite all the Muslim punk bands from across the country, their determination to welcome groups with conflicting interests leads to a tragic and destructive end.
The book has been referred to as a Muslim ‘The Catcher in the Rye’, but any similarity here can only refer to the novels’ social importance. In terms of narrative, this is more like a Mulsim ‘The Great Gatsby’, as Yusef is a quiet and empty vessel through whose eyes we witness the captivating mystery of Jehangir, the amazing Ayyub, Dee Dee Ali, and many more.
A pertinent film reference would be ‘My Private Idaho’, a film who’s faded colours and barren locales play host to a rambunctious and fascinating crowd of hopeful misfits. Some of the acting is questionable, and some of the ideas handled in a fairly brusque manner, but surely that is the whole point of ‘punk’? This film is not trying to be poetic or moving, it is a testament to the ruthless energy of the punk aesthetic and the cinema of transgression. Nick Zedd would be proud.
The Taqwacores is an adaptation of the scene-defining Muslim punk novel by American Muslim author Michael Muhammad Knight. The story follows Yusef, a bookish engineering student who arrives in Buffalo, New York eager to study, but finds himself living in a squat house filled with bizarre, transgressive rebels and wasters with one thing in common… they are all Muslim. The group hold Friday prayer and take their religion seriously, but by night their crumbling abode is transformed into a makeshift hangout for the town’s punk scene. As Yusef comes to terms with this dichotomy, he learns an enormous amount about himself, his history, and most importantly his future.
This is an interesting insight into a generation of Western Muslims who have truly fallen through the cracks. They are outcast by the American Dream and vilified by their own religious communities who consider them to be broken and poisonous sinners; but, which is worse, they are also shunned by the supposed antithesis of the American Dream – the great subculture of punks and transgressives that the enfranchised middle classes are powerless to eradicate – for being dark-skinned terrorists. Without any subculture to fall back on, they are forced to make things up as they go along, borrowing from punks, hippies, rock n’ roll, Muslim thinkers, etc. There is only one rule for the group: all are welcome. The only way they can prevent their group becoming a sect is to remain open to all. The rule is there is no rule. But when the gang decide to put on a concert and invite all the Muslim punk bands from across the country, their determination to welcome groups with conflicting interests leads to a tragic and destructive end.
The book has been referred to as a Muslim ‘The Catcher in the Rye’, but any similarity here can only refer to the novels’ social importance. In terms of narrative, this is more like a Mulsim ‘The Great Gatsby’, as Yusef is a quiet and empty vessel through whose eyes we witness the captivating mystery of Jehangir, the amazing Ayyub, Dee Dee Ali, and many more.
A pertinent film reference would be ‘My Private Idaho’, a film who’s faded colours and barren locales play host to a rambunctious and fascinating crowd of hopeful misfits. Some of the acting is questionable, and some of the ideas handled in a fairly brusque manner, but surely that is the whole point of ‘punk’? This film is not trying to be poetic or moving, it is a testament to the ruthless energy of the punk aesthetic and the cinema of transgression. Nick Zedd would be proud.
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