Muhammad Was a Punk Rocker: The Depiction of Islam in The Taqwacores by Michael Muhammad Knight

Abstract

This article aims to portray Islam as practiced by the members of the taqwacore movement that unites Muslim punk rock musicians. Contrary to the usual practice, in which actual events give rise to the creation of fiction, the taqwacore movement was initiated in the early 2000s as a result of the publication of Michael Muhammad Knight’s repeatedly censored and boycotted novel The Taqwacores 2003). This seems to be just the first instance of a reversed order that will be outlined. Various interpretations of the term “taqwacore” (a combination of the words “taqwa” and “hardcore”) serve as a point of departure to a discussion of other controversial juxtapositions present in the text in which is highlighted in an analysis of (pseudo)religious practices of the members of the movement. Two characters, Yusef and Jehangir, who represent two different attitudes towards Islam are the main point of focus. The former is an embodiment of orthodox Islam who temporarily changes his views during the course of the novel, whilst the latter is the leader of the taqwacore movement for whom freedom (understood in various ways) often prevails over principles of orthodox Islam. The presentation of different views on many important (not only religious) issues makes us reflect on whether the taqwacores are “Muslim[s]-gone-wrong” or “Islam-done-[them]-wrong”.