TAQWACORE: THE BIRTH OF PUNK IN ISLAM (2009)
- Run Time: 80 min.
- Rating: 14A
- Director: Omar Majeed
Stills
Plot Summary
The word Taqwacore is taken from a novel by Michael Muhammad Knight, The Taqwacores, his book (combining “taqwa”, an Arabic word for God-consciousness, with “hardcore”), about a group of young Islamic punk rockers, received a lot of attention among young North American Muslims and inspired the creation of an actual Muslim punk scene.
The first half of Majeed’s documentary deals with this burgeoning scene as a group of bands travel together touring the American countryside. Young, disaffected and secular, these musicians are caught between two worlds – the Islamic culture they come from, and the
western culture in which they are coming of age.
In the second half, he changes settings to Pakistan, where the bands have traveled to perform. Author Michael Muhammad is along for the ride to observe and comment on the reality his writing has created. “Taqwacore is undeniably exciting.” — Al Kratine, The
Montreal Gazette
About the Director
Omar Majeed
Omar Majeed is a Pakistani Canadian film director and producer. Majeed has received a
Gemini award for his editing work in television, and his work has been shown at the Vancouver International Film Festival, Montreal’s Festival du Nouveau Cinéma and the Sheffield Doc/Fest. Taqwacore is his first feature-length documentary.