The Taqwacores

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The Taqwacores

Author	Michael Muhammad Knight
Cover artist	Cover design by Ben Meyers Cover Photograph by Mellissa Secore
Country	United States, United Kingdom, Italy
Language	English, Italian
Genre(s)	Novel
Publisher	Autonomedia(US) Telegram (UK), Newton Compton (Italy)
Publication date	2003 (self-published); 2004 Autonomedia; 2007 Telegram, Newton Compton
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	254 p. add i(paperback edition)
ISBN	ISBN 978-1-57027-167-0 (paperback edition)

The Taqwacores by Michael Muhammad Knight is the author's debut novel, depicting a fictitious Islamic punk rock scene. The title is a portmanteau of taqwa, an Islamic concept of love and fear for Allah, and Hardcore, the punk rock subgenre. Taqwacore thus refers to a genre of Muslim punk rock, existing only in the novel at the time of its writing, but since emerging as an actual genre, inspiring taqwacore bands such as the Kominas and Secret Trial Five. The novel has also been credited by Asra Nomani as first presenting her the idea for woman-led prayer, leading to a historic woman-led congregation on March 18, 2005.

Knight originally self-published The Taqwacores in DIY zine format, giving copies away for free until finding distribution with Alternative Tentacles, the punk record label founded by Jello Biafra. After receiving an endorsement from Peter Lamborn Wilson (aka Hakim Bey), the novel was published by radical press Autonomedia. A UK version is published by Telegram Books. In its Italian translation, the novel is retitled Islampunk.

The narrator of The Taqwacores, Yusuf Ali, is a Pakistani American engineering student from Syracuse, New York who lives off campus with a diverse group of Muslims in their house in Buffalo. Besides being their home, the house serves as a place to have punk parties and a place for Muslims not comfortable with the Muslim Student Association or local mosques to have Friday prayer.