Music from the mosque

The Kominas mix religion with popular culture in their punk rock music.

Jeff Miranda

Issue date: 8/1/07 Section: The Inside

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Media Credit: Photo Courtesy/Kim Badawi

Muslim punk rockers The Kominas relax at a bar. The Kominas are Basim Usmani (center), Shahjehan Khan (right), Arjun Ray, Karna Ray and Dan Joyner (not pictured).

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly spelled names in the photo caption.

Shahjehan Khan is Muslim.

But while growing up in suburban Boxboro, Khan said his religion didn't define his identity. Many of his friends were white and he listened to musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Oasis and Green Day. He often skipped mosque on Sundays to go to Guitar Center.

"Before September 11, I was never really conscious of my color or my race," Khan said. "I was never really conscious of this place where I had to defend it."

When Khan, 23, reunited with high school friend, Basim Usmani, 24, at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, they founded The Kominas, a Cambridge-based punk rock outfit. Along with about a dozen other bands nationwide, they have been credited with spearheading a musical genre called "taqwacore." Mixing pounding guitar rhythms with lyrics that quote the Koran, taqwacore has tapped into a Muslim youth disillusioned with some of the religion's strict religious tenets.

According to Islamic fundamentalism, music, especially when performed with stringed instruments like the guitar, is considered "haram," or forbidden.

The band has faced criticism from traditional Muslim followers and conservative right wing critics for penning song titles like "Suicide Bomb The Gap," and "Wild Nights in Guantanamo Bay." One commentator referred to them as "jihadist rappers."

But Khan said The Kominas' intention was never molded on a political ideology. Their songs are not solely about religion, but also contain lyrics about Bollywood movies and idle suburban life.

Two of the band's members are Muslims: Khan and Usmani. Guitarist Arjun Ray and drummer Karna Ray were raised by an atheist father and a Hindu mother. Dan Joyner, the band's dhol player, identifies with Christianity. The mix in religious backgrounds surprises fans of the band based on its taqwacore label.

"I want listeners to walk away from our music with the notion to not take things at face value," Khan said. "I was Muslim on Sundays, but the rest of the days I was an American teenager tying to get laid."

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