| From
Tehelka Magazine, Vol 7, Issue 16, Dated April 24, 2010 |
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A Punk Prophecy
Islamic rebellion has become infinitely cooler with THE KOMINAS, says Nishita Jha
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| A revelation The Kominas stir up a heady cocktail of Islam and rock. |
TWELVE YEARS
ago, 14-yearolds
Shahjehan
Khan and
Basim Usmani
bunked a class at the neighbourhood
madrassa in Massachusetts
together. A
friendship was born out of
mutual heresy. Their spirit of
rebellion would eventually
become the new voice of Islamic
anger. Using guitars
instead of bombs and misquoted
philosophies, their
repertoire includes composing
the music for a film based
on American-Muslim author
Michael Muhammad
Knight’s book The Taqwacores
(a term derived from taqwa, Urdu for devotion to
god, and ‘hardcore’). Along
with composing tracks for
upcoming Pakistani film Slackistan, the boys are
thrilled about starring in a
documentary based on the
taqwacore movement — a
sub-culture that blends
Islam with punk.
Post 9/11, Khan walked in
to Amherst to find the students
seated according to
ethnicity. Two days later, his
floormate burst out “You
Muslims are all that is wrong
with the world!”
Confused at the sudden
alienation, Khan went on a
two-month long drug binge
and dropped out of university.
Returning home, he ran
into Usmani and shared his
angst. His childhood friend
handed him a copy of The
Taqwacores.
The story of Yusuf Ali, a
student living with a diverse
group of Muslims in Buffalo,
struck a familiar chord.
Knight provided the voice
of a young Muslim trapped
between the stereotype of
the fundamentalist and the
orthodox beliefs of his community
members.
The fierce individuality of
punk had much in common
with Islam — Prophet
Muhammed encouraged his
followers to reject conformity.
Usmani found this paradigm
made it inconsequential
whether you liked drugs,
booze or sex — even the
Prophet faced slander for
following his heart.
Usmani and Khan formed
‘The Kominas’ (from kamina, a Punjabi/Urdu
term for scumbag). Along
with Pakistani-American
drummer Imran Malik (25)
and Arjun Ray (25), a Bengali-
American guitarist, the band's
music is inspired by rockers
like The Dead Kennedys.
Their sound is a medley of
Bollywood, sufi and Punjabi
folk — combining guitars
with dhols and glass bottles.
The Kominas exploded in
the US and Pakistan post the
release of their first album —
Wild Nights at Guantanamo
Bay. In an email interview,
Usmani recalls a bizarre gig
for the Islamic Society of
North America, when the
hijab-clad organisers forced
them to shut down. The reason
— they were about to
perform with another band
that featured a hijab-clad
vocalist.
The Kominas sneer at the
predictable way the media
plays up their lyrics. Yet curiosity
about the band does
hinge on their songwriting.
{“I am an Islamist / I am
the Antichrist / Most
squares don’t make the
wanted list / But my my!
How I stay in style / Cops
chased me out of my
mother’s womb / My crib
was in state pen before age
two / The cops had bugged
my red toy phone / So I devised
a plan for heads to
roll...” (from the song Sharia
Law in the USA).}
WHILE THE lyrics
grab attention,
the message goes
deeper than just showing the
middle-finger. It comments
on all religions, including the
most jealous god of all —
capitalist America. Usmani
agrees, “You’ve hit the nail
on the head. Non-conformity
is important — because
religion becomes a form of
coercion. Punk has become
an artefact of history in the
English-speaking world.
While the ideas in our music
are ancient, they’ve gained
eyes and limbs to remain infectious.
Free your mind and
your ass will follow.”
Slated to tour the UK in
June, The Kominas are on a
high from their recent nomination
for Best Boston Punk
Band. Does this mean their
message is finally becoming
mainstream? “Our message
keeps spiralling out of control
like a rickshaw on jet fuel. We
began as a group influenced
by Islam and punk, but we’ve
mutated all our influences beyond
recognition. Wait for
the next album to find out!”
WRITER’S EMAIL
nishita@tehelka.com
I read in a couple of your interviews that you feel that the media tends too focus too exclusively on the politically volatile nature of your lyrics, rather than on the music itself - don't you feel that this is an important selling point? In a sense, the essence of your band is non-conformity, rebellion and questioning false ideals. Punk is more the medium that you choose to express this through - or am I way off the mark?
Ergo - what does the 'philosophy of punk' to loosely use a phrase, mean to you in relation or contrast to Islam?
Wow - you hit the nail on the head. Non-conformity is very important - because religion becomes a form of coercion. Punk has become an artifact of history in the English speaking world. Ideas have to mutate to survive. This is apparent in the actual music, which isn't 100% new. Some of the ideas are ancient, they've just gained eyes and limbs to remain infectious. Free your mind and your ass will follow.
To locate the phenomenon of Islamic punk rock - what are some of the places you guys have performed at outside of the US? Any fans from unlikely places?
As Taqwacore groups, our band Noble Drew performed in Lahore twice and Islamabad once, as well as Montreal and Toronto - which are the Islamabad and Lahore of Canada respectively. We get most of our foreign fan requests from Indonesia and Malaysia - where it seems punk never died. Malaysia is a hot bed of punk, with old bands like A.C.A.B and Roots & Boots getting love on both sides of the pacific ocean.
What have been some of the most bizarre responses you have received to your music? Violent / affectionate/ downright weird etc.
We played at the Islamic Society of North America's open mic and chicago and the hijabi shut our set down when she say that we had scheduled a band to play with us that had a female singer! Some people refer to us as 'that Hindu band' or 'those indians' hahaha. That's not too bizzare unless most of you are pakistani
What can we expect next from you? What are you currently working on? Could you tell me a bit about what its been like doing the music for The Taqwacores and Slackistan?
We are working on material for our next disc currently, which should be ready in time for our UK tour that kicks off at the Meltdown Festival this June. We're excited about connecting with our fellow diaspora on the other side of the Atlantic. Maybe we'll wear obnoxious Boston sports memorabilia and be yankee stereotypes. Re: Taqwacores and Slackistan, our music was already written and released by the time those movies came out. You should ask Taqwacores' director Eyad Zahra about what he thought about it - he's Syrian and devestatingly handsome.
How have The Kominas changed over time since the inception of the band? I.e. the line up, the music, the message.
The Kominas are Arjun Ray, Shahjehan Khan, Imran Malik and Basim Usmani. This is a mutated line up. Our message keeps sprialling out of control like a Rickshaw on jet fuel. Stagnancy is all we're worried about, we're much more worried about it than cohesian. We began as a group more influenced by Islam and Punk, but now, we've mutated all our influences (hopefully) beyond recognition. Wait for the next album. |
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