Oaklandistan
Blue skies, potholed streets in Oaklandistan – I was craving halal hot links as I drove by the halal market. It was Friday, and I was stealing some “me” time away from my job on the campaign trail. In my head though I was still working, thoughts preoccupied, stressed about finances and wondering if we … Read more
Taqwacore in the U.K.
[Insert Sex Pistol, The Clash, and all other Brit 70's punk reference here...] because our Taqwacore bands are taking the music overseas. Well at least across the Atlantic to colonizer central, the United Kingdom. Both Al-Thawra and The Kominas will be making their rounds in the U.K., and leaving in the next few days. This … Read more
Pass the Mic. To Riz MC.
Crossposted from Sepia Mutiny. I was first blown away by Riz Ahmed when I saw him perform on Britz. It was only after seeing him perform on The Taqwacore documentary, that I realized that Riz wasn’t just an actor – he’s also known as Riz MC. Straight out of the U.K., his lyrics are dynamic … Read more
Showdown with Sunny Ali. AND The Kid.
There’s been some rumbling in them thar hills of a new band that’s rolled into town: Sunny Ali and the Kid. Who is this duo behind behind the quirky name and cowboy hat? I decided to find out. You may remember Hassan Ali Malik from being formerly of the Philly based POPO (he would be … Read more
Anarchy and Alchemy
As the Q&A progressed after the world premiere of The Taqwacores, I asked a question to the cast and crew on stage, a question ciphering in my mind all weekend — “For all the non-Muslims that participated in this film, what was your experience like? Why did you do it?” I asked this because to … Read more
Rasika Mathur Skates Into the Moshpit
Crossposted from Sepia Mutiny. Kick, kick, push…. went our Sector 9 skateboards along the coast of the beach of Santa Barbara; my board was painted with surf waves, and hers was appropriately painted with an image of Ganesh. I was skating with Rasika Mathur, comedian, actress, and funny person extraordinaire. When I found out that … Read more
The Deaf Muslim Anarchist Punk
She writes plays, directs and acts in comedy mime skits, moshes in punk pits and reads lips. Sabina England is a 20-something Midwest girl that fits no typecast. I stumbled across Sabina on twitter as the @DeafMuslim when all Taqwacore scenesters would retweet her plays and videos. I was already curious about the Deaf Desi … Read more
DIY Damascus: Interview with Syrian punk band, Mazhott.
Everything is more complicated in the Middle East, even playing punk rock. It’s difficult for us, punks in the First World, to really understand true love for punk. We’re spoiled. With somewhat cheap equipment, tons of places to play, and no one determining what you can say, starting a band in the US is relatively … Read more
Wild Nights Album Review by YAM BOY (AKA Nikesh Shukla)
The Kominas – ‘Wild Nights in Guantanemo Bay’ (2009) It’s two thousand and fucking nine people… Iran is imploding, the BNP is exploding and we’re all still doing the running man like it’s 1988. Who the fuck is Lady Gaga? Who the fuck are the Kominas? Cos they’ll poke—her——face… Anger, destruction, energy, synergy, polemic, ire, … Read more
CBC Interview with Mike Knight about The Taqwacores
This is a radio interview Michael Muhammad Knight, author of The Taqwacores, gave to the CBC about his book on March 29th, 2009. An in depth discussion about his motivations for writing the book and his personal thoughts and feelings about Islam
