Composing Master Mind of Omar Fadel
It’s hard to believe that The Taqwacores feature film Sundance Film Festival debut was back in January. So much has happened since the adventures in the Taqx punk house in the snowy valley of Park City. It was in the house that I first met the illustrious Omar Fadel. Poised and soft spoken, it was … Read more
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
Ramadan Mubarak, Punk
Confession. I don’t know in what direction to place the prayer mat. It hit me with extreme sadness this evening as I came to that realization. I had been fasting all day for Ramadan and had just broken my fast with a date by myself in the kitchen and I didn’t know what to do … Read more
DarthNader & the Intifada
At last night’s open mic to support Los Angeles divest from Israel’s water issues, I finally met up with a Taqwacore punk – Nader, otherwise known as DarthNader on the twitterverse. I’d been following his tweets for some time, but even though we live in the same region and have attended the same rallies, 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
Taqwacore: An Ismaili Perspective
by Sadiya Abjani I am a hated breed. By day one way, by night another. When the sun rises, I put on clothes after morning ablutions and prayer, and make my way to a college campus littered with my kind. I feel entirely alone, but show nothing but a loquacious vibrancy. I employ the day … Read more
PORK RINDS: Do Me a Favor
The other day, I was happily working away at my computer, writing words that will one day prevent me from running for city council, when a G chat conversation with my colleague and mentor Evan Kessler began to stray from our usual ramblings and became a series of questions from him eliciting a series of … Read more
PORK RINDS: For Whom the Bell Tolls
Somewhere in Somalia right now, a school teacher is staring at his watch and banging his hands on his desk to signal the end of class. Though it’s a pain in the ass to keep an eye on the clock while trying to drive a lesson home in the last seconds of class, he’s got … Read more
Stop the…Stop the HATE
cross posted from www.taqwacore.com It’s been six months that TAQWACORE: The Birth of Punk Islam has been touring festivals and theatres across the globe, and people keep asking me the same damn question. “Have you received a fatwa?” or “How do Muslims react to your film?” I’ve been happy to defy stereotypes by grinning and … Read more
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