Analyzing Data How the life of the community with the ideology in The Taqwacores

thesis. I select the important about the idea of Islamic Liberalism toward the characters in The Taqwacores. The important information that I must get are texts that related to the topic. The related books that concern to the subject matter being analyzed are used as the source of idea to support the analysis of this thesis and also to give additional information and statement that can be drawn for this thesis, the important and the relevant information from these books are marked and underlined so that it can be used to support the analysis of this thesis, these books finally also used as the references for this thesis. Some data from the internet also used as the supporting references that related to the subject matter of this thesis.

3.2. Selecting Data

When all the data and information that related to the topic of this thesis are collected, then the data will be selected and used in the process of finishing this thesis. In this step, the characteristics of Islamic Liberalism which reflected from the characters of the novel as the primary data for this thesis are narrowed in order to focus the discussion matter to the analysis, so the discussion will not going too far from the topic. Meanwhile, the data and information found from the related books will be drawn to this thesis in order to support the analysis in this thesis.

3.3. Analyzing Data

In analyzing data, I use the descriptive method. Descriptive method is a method of analysis by describing and analyzing the data and then giving interpretation and explanation. All the collected and selected data which related to the topic are analyzed to achieve what has been planed in the objective of this thesis. I make the interpretation based on the data which has been already taken and finally make the conclusion.

3.4. Data and Source of Data

For this step, I use The Taqwacores by Michael Muhammad Knight as the main source of data. The novel was published in 2003 by Publishers Soft Skull Press. It consists of 10 chapters and 254 pages. And the data of this analysis is the text itself that I quote which is related to the topic. CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS After reading the novel, the writer got that the novel tells a story about a young Muslim American man living in a punk house in New York. He is surrounded by a variety of individuals, from a hardcore straightedge Sunni, to a burqa-clad riotgirl, Sufi drunken, Shi’a skinhead, and a gay Muslim. Maneuvering through college life, the main character questions Islam, what it means to be a Muslim in America, and how Muslim punk rock can exist in the United States. The novel is written from the perspective of Yusef, who is someone of an outsider in the punk house where he lives, deep in run down Buffalo. He shares the house with several other Muslim punks, all with their unique takes on Islam. Umar is straightedge, and more of a religious hardliner than his housemates. He is festooned in halal tattoos based on his perspective: a black X on each hand; star and crescent on one forearm; salallaho alayhe wa salaam, the name of Muhammad, on the other; across his neck, in green, 2:219. Rabeya, the sole female occupant of the house, wears a burqa, and has never been seen by most of her friends. She is also an ardent feminist and a fan of Propagandhi. Amazing Ayyub, is an Shia skinhead, shirtless, and tattooed KARBALA in his chest. Muzammil is a gay Muslims. Fasiq is a stoner or hashishiyyun and, aside from Yusef, is perhaps the most quiet and reclusive member of the household. He can often be found on the roof of the house, Quran and joint in hand. His usual companion is Jehangir, who tells drunken tales of the taqwacores out West and punk Islamic philosophy to anyone who’ll listen. Through the use of familiar punk stereotypes, Knight is able to bring their wildly different perspectives to their religion, filtering the religion through these recognizable cultural stereotypes. This allows the characters to argue and fight over issues such as pre-marital sex, drug use, alcohol, tattoos, female sexuality and the Quran. They may not be as devout as some, but they take their religion seriously while breaking all the rules. Yusef is largely an observer in this community, mostly conservative with no subcultural capital to speak of, but it is precisely this blankness that let him be influenced by both sides of the cultures. He is transformed by the powerful ideas he finds in Islam, and questioning of authority he sees in the music and subculture of punk. The Taqwacores examination of issues in contemporary Islam at times reads like a manifesto, but never an indoctrinate one. The conflict and philosophies of the novel are more simply defined as inclusiveness versus exclusiveness. Umar, Yusef, Bilal’s Boulder, and the more traditional values they espouse, reject what they see as characteristic of kufr an unbelieveratheist or liberalist, be it homosexuality, drink, drugs, sex, failure to observe certain traditions, and so on. They demand a specific adherence to Islamic teachings. In this chapter the writer will discuss the characteristics of Islamic Liberalism which reflected in the characters, and continued to analyze the lives of the community with the ideology in Michael Muhammad Knight’s The Taqwacores. In the analysis phase, the discussion will be arranged into several sections which then in each section will be attached quotations in accordance with the theory as well as the elaboration of these quotations. Based on six characteristics of Islamic Liberalism that explained in the chapter two, the writer will only analyze two, they are : Believing that truth is relative, open for interpretations and plural and Believing in the freedom to practice religious beliefs. I would like to analyze the real evidence that showed the characters of The Taqwacores covered Islamic Liberalism in their play, even though the Islamic Liberalism was not shown clearly. 4.1. Characteristics Of Islamic Liberalism In The Taqwacores 4.1.1. Believing that truth is relative, open for interpretations and plural. The Islamic Liberalism which have been explained in Chapter II will be analyzed in connection with Michael Muhammad Knight’s novel, The Taqwacores. One of the characteristics of Islamic Liberalism is believing that truth is relative, open for interpretations and plural. In other words, Islamic Liberalism is based on the notion of “truth” in religious interpretation as relative, open and plural. Relative, since an interpretation is “human activity” which is shackled in a certain context; open, since each form of interpretation contains an erroneous possibility, instead of a correct one; and plural, since each religious interpretation, in one way or other, is a reflection of any interpreter’s need in a climate of incessant change of time and place. www.islamlib.com One of the characters in the novel, Rude Dawud, Skinny Sudanese guy in sharp black suit, tie, shades and pork-pie hat, and a dreadlocked in red, yellow, and green shirt. Rude Dawud is the first one in the novel who gave his interpretation about whether you say Allah or you say Jah, what does it matter ?. He talked to Fasiq Abasa, the mohawked Indonesian, molded into four or five long orange points and Yusef Ali, an orthodox Sunni from Pakistan who are diligent in prayer five times a day, very simple, and very polite. Yusef is the main character in the novel. Rude Dawud and Fasiq are talked while smoking ganja in their hand. As Fasiq stood up, Yusef noticed he had a Quran with him. Rude Dawud : ...I was just saying to brother Fasiq here, brother, you know ? Whether you say Allah or if you say Jah what does it matter ? We are all brothers, right ? Fasiq : Right. Rude Dawud : We all come from single pair, right ? Yusef : SubhanaAllah I said smiling. Rude Dawud : Yes, brother Subhana Jah Its same, right? Fasiq : Were all brothers, said Fasiq. Rude Dawud : Brother, we all come from the Earth, you know? We all come the Earth, and we all go back to the Earth… p: 31 Based on the dialogue, Rude Dawud states that it doesnt matter how the way to call the name of God. Based on his religious interpretation, its the same way whether you say Allah or Jah, because we all are coming from the same Earth and will going back to the same Earth. It proves that Rude Dawud is plural Yusef is a mostly neutral figure. He faces his own personal issues and does grow over the course of the novel, particularly sexually. Yusef himself, meanwhile, is attracted to Lynn, a sexy semi-convert. Lynn believes that truth is relative and plural. The following dialogue between Yusef and Lynn will show her beliefs. ...Im a spiritual person, she said. I believe in Allah, you know, though I dont always call It Allah and I pray the way I want to pray. Sometimes I just look out the stars and this love-fear thing comes over me, you know ? And sometimes I might sit in a Christian church listening to them talk about Isa with a book of Hafiz in my hands instead of the hymnal. And you know what, Yusef ? Sometimes, every once in a while, I get out my old rug and I pray like Muhammad prayed. I never learned the shit in Arabic and my knees are uncovered, but if Allah has a problem with that then what kind of Allah do we believe in ? I dont know... Yusef replied. p: 44 Lynn thinks about that no matter how the way she prayed and called the name of God, God will surely accept it. She thinks it is not problem for her to pray with her knees is uncovered. It’s really big problem for her to pray like that. It’s crucial think for woman Muslim to cover her “aurat” to pray. It proves that Lynn is breaking the rules as woman Muslim. Its clearly showed that Lynn believes the truth is relative and plural. Yusef searched for a new meaning for their faith in a contemporary America. Jehangir is Yusef’s guide through the unknown world of punk subcultures and this form of Islam so different from his parents. Jehangir is the mohawked Sufis, a Muslim who diligently pray and gets drunk and does free sex. Jehangir provides his interpretation to Yusef about Islam in America. “...And another thing; were the minority. We dont have the numbers to go runnin around demanding the implementation of sharia or any of that nonsense. Nobodys getting their hand chopped off and we wont be stoning fornicators or tossing homosexuals off minarets like Ali said to do. And sure as shit theres no marrying nine -years-old here, bro. And no religious police cruising the streets to make youre praying.” “MashAllah” “No killing apostates,” he added. “That’s a big one too.” “Yeah, Yusef. We have a chance here to do something great.” p: 73-74 Based on the dialogue above, Jehangir stated that they live in America, so they dont need Islamic law. He considers it is a chance for him to do something great. Jehangir earnestly believed it, though Yusef knew, with his beer and sex and punk rock he had corrupted Islam as much as anyone anywhere else. Yusef thinks the roundabout dream of Jehangir might have been that American Islam would forever stay that way, freely shapeless like water. In the living room of their house, Yusef got strange experiences as a Muslim, wherein a woman giving a khutbah and lead them all to pray. The woman is Rabeya, the sole female occupant of the house, wears a burqa, and has never been seen by most of her friends. She is also an ardent feminist and a fan of Propagandhi. Rabeya gave a story about the marriage of Muhammad SAW and his wife Ayesha. Imagine this girl, and she was no woman, she was only a girl, thirteen years old. Think about that: thirteen years old, with all the prestige and responsibility and burdens of being married to the PROPHET OF ALLAH- THIRTEEN YEARS OLD, THIRTEEN YEARS OLD Thirteen years old in a time and place that gave no voice to women, and here was this little girl standing up strong to the Prophet... peace and blessings be upon him... and Ayesha looked Muhammad dead in the eyes as she told her mother I shall not thank him and laud him, but Allah alone who has vindicated my honor. Think about that, brothers and sisters. You think you can not criticize Muhammad or it makes you kafr. You think we cant do anything to improve or evolve islam. But little Ayesha, thirteen years old in seventh- century arabia, did it right in Muhammads face. Al-hamdulillahi RabbilAlameen. p: 82 At this point in the story, they really felt the emotion coming up through Rabeya’s trembling vocal folds. Rabeya provides her own religious interpretation in khutbah about ‘do anything to improve or evolve Islam’ by criticizing and describing Muhammad SAW and His wife Ayesha. Ayesha was a bitch though, p :82. Whispered Amazing Ayyub on Yusefs immediate right while listening to Rabeyas khutbah. Amazing Ayyub provoked by Rabeya’s khutbah and directly gave his interpretation that Ayesha was a bitch, but Yusef ignored him and just looked down where his forehead would soon go in sudjah. After the khutbah and pray, the jamaat broke up into sunna prayers, duas, and quiet socializing. In the steady stream of Muslims making their way to the door, Yusef bumped into Lynn. Then, they talked about Rabeyas khutbah. Lynn : ...Im not sure how Muslim all these Muslims are, though. Yusef : Why do you say that ? Lynn : Well, I mean... from the traditional standpoint... I guess... with women leading the prayers, it could be seen as... I dont know, an innovation... and sometimes the messages of the khutbahs might- Personally, Im not big on the whole Islam is this one way, always has been and always must be and any deviation from the norm puts you in the hellfire approach. I think religion is supposed to be ours to do with what we want. Imams arent God, and alims arent God, and like Rabeya kind of said in her khutbah, Prophet Muhammad isnt even God. Thats what got me into Islam in the first place, the fact that we dont have things coming between us and Allah like in Christianity. Then I found out that we do, we really do, or they do, I guess I should say.” p : 83-84 Based on the dialogue, Lynn actually knows that there is something different with Rabeya who can provide the khutbah to jamaat and led the prayers. But Lynn considers its an innovation. And Lynn states her religious interpretation that Imams arent God, alims arent God, and Prophet Muhammad isnt even God. So, religion supposed to be ours to do what we want. It proves Lynn wanted to be a Liberal Muslim. When the first time Yusef and Lynn dating, the kiss came of its volition without asking for help and from either of them. Likewise, it continued and demanded more of them, like tongues and hands. Then Lynns shirt was off and they cascaded onto Yusefs mattress. Suddenly, Yusef realized that what he did was wrong. And Lynn asked to Yusef sarcastically. Lynn : Wheres the romance in Islam ? Yusef : Romance ? Lynn : Passion. Yusef : Passion ? Yusef had to think about it. Well, you know, you date after youre married. Lynn : Huh ? Yusef : You know, you have a Western background, it might be hard to understand because you were raised to. Lynn : So youre saying I cant understand Islam because I wasnt born in the right hemisphere ? Yusef : Well, from a certain... Lynn : I thought Islam was universal. I thought it was for everyone. I thought it applied to every society at every corner of the earth. Yusef : Right, but.. Lynn : But shit. She snapped. p :96-97 Lynn expressed his frustration sarcastically by asking for romance in Islam. Indirectly, Lynn says she doesnt agree with the way of “date after youre married” that described by Yusef. Yusef tells, it because Lynn has a Western background. But, Lynn rejected the explanation that only based on cultural differences. Lynn thought Islam was universal and she found that she was wrong. It proves that Lynn cant accept the true Islamic teaching. So, she gave a criticism based on her own religious interpretation. The next day, Yusef meets Jehangir and theyre playing a throwing-ball. Minutes went without either of them saying a word, the casual pat-sound of their hands stopping football flights becoming all the more apparent. Then Jehangir finally talk. The ball went back and forth almost rhythmically as they talked, becoming in its beats and pauses a part of conversation. Jehangir : ...you know what, Yusef Ali ? Yusef : What ? Jehangir : I dont believe in hell. Yusef : You dont ? Jehangir : Nope Yusef : I think thats fairly pivotal to being a Muslim Jehangir : Probably so. Yusef : What does that mean ? Jehangir : I dont think it means anything. Yusef : You dont ? You dont think it means anything whether or not youre a Muslim? Jehangir : Maybe. Maybe not, Yusef…” Yusef : “How can you—“ Jehangir : “Because La ilaha illa Allah, that’s how. I’m so Muslim, fuck Islam.” p :104-105 Fuck islam danced out his lips with the same romanticism as his deep drunken spiels. “I’m so Muslim, fiqh is worthless. No madrassa of imperfect human beings can claim ownership of my deen. Allah’s not entrusting the alims with shit. Let them give their jerk-off fatwas about how long a man’s beard should be, fuck all of ‘em.”p :106 From the dialogue above, it shows that Jehangir has his own religious interpretation as being Muslim. He doesnt believe in hell. He just believe in Allah, because based on his interpretation about la ilaha illa Allah. But, in the true islamic teaching, based on Al-Quran Al-Baqarah: 39 had mentioned about hell. “And those who disbelieve and deny Our signs - those will be companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.” Al-Baqarah: 39 He said that fiqh Islamic Jurisprudence is worthless. It proves that he ignored the true Islamic teaching. And adhere the faith based on his own religious interpretation.

4.1.2. Believing in the freedom to practice religious beliefs.

The explanation from part two which Islamic Liberalism deals with believing in the freedom to practice religious beliefs is concerned that there should not be any persecution against whomsoever based on his or her opinions or religions. Belief in God which is personal nature cannot be forced because it is a choice that develops based on truth received by someone. At this play, for the first time Yusef wanted to make a Fajr prayer in his new messy house, Yusef were surprised by the place he would pray. ...I went back down the hall and into the living room. Noted the pizza box that had been a prayer rug, the praying kid was gone and the sky outside those windows was just light enough for me to see fully all the filth and ruin the room, including the living ruin on the couches. The scene was enclosed in walls covered with punk posters, 8 12 x 11 flyers for local shows, stains, scuffs and around the smashed-in mihrab, various plaques and posters of Arabic caligraphy: Quranic ayats, 99 Name of Allah, a green Saudi flag wearing anarchy symbol in black spray paint and so on... p: 9 In this situation, Yusef just keeps his prayer. Because, theres no place is cleaner than their living room to get prays in the house. The condition of filthy house illustrates how carelessly they are. Came back in the afternoon and collapsed in a smelly beat-up recliner on the front porch. Yusef meets Umar. Yusef frozen in the recliner as Umar walked up the steps. Then they both startled by a shrill whine whose source was unknowable because its sudden volume consumed the whole world. ...sounding like some outer-space animal as the pitch climbed until our ears hurt and kept going, kept going, reaching higher still until finally descending in a familiar melody. It was an electric-guitar adhan. With the second Allahu Akbar, I realized it came from the roof... p: 12 Yusef went inside and upstairs on a mission. Yusef climbed out the window onto the roof where Jehangir stood with guitar hanging off and Fasiq who sat close to the roofs edge with a ganja in hand and the Quran in his lap. Umar stood leaning on the bathroom windowsill and said that what Jehanagir did is bidah. And Jehangir replied. “Okay, so its bidah.” “You know, its only Muslims who use term innovation to mean something bad” p: 14 It shows how Jehangir starts to do his own religious exploration in Islam. Jehangir improves adhan with the electric guitar. Jehangir thought its an innovation. It is a lack of Islamic morality of a person who use the term innovation to changes the true Islamic teaching. On the friday, Yusef shocked by the house is also a place of Jumma friday prayer. They are holding jumaa in the living room. And they also had girls who didnt cover their hair as mumins the believers. “On the friday the living room doubled as a masjid, mostly for kids from the campus who couldnt identify with MSA. They were nowhere near being ersatz mumins of Fasiqs level, but you still had girls who didnt cover their hair, guys who went to clubs down on Chippewa and so forth...” p: 18-19 It’s ironic for men and women Muslims together pray ‘Jumma’ in living room without seeing the rules to held the ‘Jumma’. Friday prayer is compulsory for all except a few. A very clear hadith on this matter was given. It was reported from Tariq bin Shihab from the Rasulullah SAW, that He said: “The Friday prayer in congregation is an obligation on every single Muslim, except for four: an owned slave, a woman, a child and a sick person.” Hadith No. 1067, Book of Salat, Sunan Abu Dawud, Vol. 1 It took awhile for Yusef to really adjust to that atmosphere in the house. At the beginning, Yusef is interested with a khutbah which given by Rabeya, the girl who lead the jumma. “Rabeyas khutbahs, though lacking the gleaming punk melodrama promise of Jehangirs, hit me with the feeling that we had done a great deal for Islam just by sitting there to hear her.” p: 19 “But I felt like there was nowhere else in the world that she could give a khutbah to men, and for that maybe we would be the vanguard of something new.” p: 19 From the quotation above, it indicates their freedom to practice their religious belief. Yusef began to be affected by the lifestyle of the house. Yusef knows there are something differences between the Islamic teaching in the house and the true Islamic teaching which he know. But he indicates it was something new. The following week, the Jumma was held again in living room with Fasiq as Khateeb the deliver of khutbah. Fasiq stood by the hole in the wall in which the direction of kiblah in the house. His khutbah, only a few minutes long, revolved around ayats 19 and 20 from Suratul- Hijr. Allah sent suitable things to grow on the earth and with Him were treasures of everything in the world and He only sent them down in a known measure. p: 37 To Fasiq this meant that all things from nature were a blessing from Allah and He only gave us what we could handle. Though Fasiqs talk gave no specific mention of marijuana. It proves that Fasiq has his own interpretation about Marijuana based on ayats 19-20 Suratul-Hijr. Indirectly, Fasiq said that Marijuana is not one of khamr. As usual, strangeness Khateeb is not much different with his jamaat. The jamaat was full of Liberal Muslims. The jamaat was an almost silly mish-mash of people: Rude dawuds pork- pie hat poking up here, a jalab-and-turban type there, Jehangirs big mohawk rising from a sea of kufis, Amazing Ayyub still with no shirt, girls scatterd throughout-some in hejab, some not and Rabeya in punk-patched burqa doing her thing. But in its randomness it was gorgeous... p: 37 It shows how they practice their religion freely. Allowing women with hejab and no hejab and Amazing Ayyub was shirtless join to pray Jummaa is something wrong in true Islamic teaching. It looks like they don’t have the rules for doing the pray or they think is not a problem to pray like that. They are just praying like what they want to pray In another day, Yusef saw Fasiq sitting on the roof and Quran in his hand. Then Umars adhan filled the house. They lined up in front of the hole in the wall, Saudis spray-painted flag and Imam Rabeya. Umar gave iqamah. With a look down at his feet, Yusef wondered why in all his sholat he would pray behind a woman. Jehangir stood on Yusefs left. On Umars right stood Amazing Ayyub. On Jehangirs left was Fasiq Abasa. On Ayyubs right stood Rude Dawud. “Allahu Akbar” said Rabeya, hands to covered ears. Then came a brief silence, followed by Fatiha and al-Kauthar, shortest sura in the whole Quran. p: 67 It looks like the men dont know about the rules in Islam that prohibiting woman as Imam. According to Al-Quran An-Nisa: 34 explains that the leader must the man. “Men are in charge of women by [right of] what Allah has given one over the other and what they spend [for maintenance] from their wealth. So righteous women are devoutly obedient, guarding in [the husbands] absence what Allah would have them guard. But those [wives] from whom you fear arrogance - [first] advise them; [then if they persist], forsake them in bed; and [finally], strike them. But if they obey you [once more], seek no means against them. Indeed, Allah is ever Exalted and Grand.” An-Nisa: 34 But based on their religious, ethnic, and culture backgrounds they live it is impossible not to know about it. They just let freedom for anyone who is able to become Imam without seeing the basic rules of Islamic teaching. In addition to being a place to live, a place of prayer, and a party at night, Jehangir wants to hold a Muslim punk show in the house. Jehangir invites all Muslim punk bands in the whole America to appear on his event. The event is “The Taqwacores”. All the bands that will perform stayed and lived together in the house. And made sholat together. Someday they want to make a sholat together, they made wudhu in the kitchen sink and then moved the table to pray right there because it was the only part of the house with any space left on the floor. There were only nine or ten of them to the jamaat. Jehangir was there, and Dee Dee Ali, and the others from various bands. Jehangir and Dee Dee Ali politely bickered, each tried to get the other to lead before Jehangir finally announced a brilliant solution. How bout we both lead ? How the fuck would we do that ? asked Dee Dee Ali We both stand up in front, and we both do all the Allahu Akbars p: 225 Dee Dee Ali shook his head, put his arm around Jehangir and together they walked to where the imam would stand. The two imams looked at each other unsure and gave a roughly synchronized Allahu Akbar. It was a clumsy prayer: Jehangir and Dee Dee Ali stood feet-to-feet, the rest of us feet-to-feet behind them as they darted looks at each other to stay together. For the friendship it might looks good. But, in true Islamic teaching its looks like a clumsy thing to lead prayers with two imams. However, prayers only to be led by one person. It shows the freedom of their practice religion clearly. When they get in Asr time, they also made Asr prayer with another imam. The imam is a riot girl had a tattoo of angel wings on her shoulder blades in a little top with her black bra straps showed.. Yusef joined into Asr prayer as makmum congregation. But, Yusef prayed in a state of impurity from his earlier ejaculation. “One of the taqwacore riot girls had a tattoo of angel wings on her shoulder blades. I noticed them when she led our Asr in a little top with her black bra straps showing. During the prayer I noted that we hadnt made Zuhr. I also realized that I prayed in a state of ritual impurity from my earlier ejaculation.” p: 231 Another woman becomes a Imam for their prayers again. This woman looks different from the previous women priests. She led the Asr prayer with her little top that showed her black bra straps and a tattoo of angel wings on her shoulder. She was being a priest for men by showing her private parts. And Yusef as one of guys who became a makmum that prayed in a state of impurity. It looks like legitimate for them to made such Asr prayer. Finally, the event Muslim punk show titled “The Taqwacores” is occurred. And Jehangirs dream came true. A line of Muslims and punks started at the door and wrapped around the block. The bands were all backstage, including Bilals Boulder, the ultra-fundamentalist muslims. The Muslims and punks paid their four dollars, poured in, circulated, socialized, ordered drinks and took their places. Then, Bilals Boulder came out. All the bands pretty much got same reaction when they first appeared on stage. The Bilals Boulder guys looked scary. Their jalabs and turbans were gone. Their heads were shaved. They went shirtless, their arms covered in tattooed Quranic ayats. They wore green suspenders and combat boots. They stated that it has entered Isha prayer time. Then, their drummer went up to microphone and made adhan. And they were all praying. “This is the proper qiblah, inshaAllah, he said, walking to the far wall. Everyone stood behind him. Make your lines straight. I dont think he knew how many kafrs were standing behind him, but they all joined the salaat like theyd been doing it for years. Half the Muslims were drunk anyway. But when he said Allahu Akbar each and every last soul in the room put his or her hands to their ears. We hadnt put any rugs down. The floor was cold and grimy and wet from snow melting off our feet. The stages lights switched up. Red, blue, yellow, green. When we sat up from our first sujdah I noticed Umar a couple of rows ahead. I was sure he loved these guys.” p: 238 The Bilals Boulder, ultra-fundamentalist Muslims became imam to lead the prayers. Another muslims, including women and kafrs stood on the same line behind him. They all made sholat on the cold and grimy floor without any rugs, while the stage lights switched up red, blue, yellow, and green. It illustrates how theyre just thinking about doing prayers without seeing the rules to do so.

4.2. How the life of the community with the ideology in The Taqwacores

Based on the previous problem, it is already noticeable how they live with the ideology. However, to clarify how their lives with the ideology of Islamic Liberalism, the writer will analyze it to show their lives clearly. From the previous chapter based on many references the writer had explained how the concept of ideology Islamic Liberalism. This community of friends has developed a trusting relationship in which to express their questions and conflicts toward Islam and Liberal what is. Important in this conceptualization of community, is that it exists not as a structure or organization, but rather as a symbolic construction that allows people to preserve their individual interpretations and meanings, while at the same time provides a unifying theme or concept. The ideology makes their lives free, especially in doing Islamic teaching. Yusef was basically the most straight characters became affected by his friends lifestyles in the house that they lived together. Especially on friday, during the day they made jumma with many congregation including women from their campus. And they made party punk show, drink all night long, and fornication during the night. “If friday afternoon meant jumma, friday nights meant my home would play host to stupid wasted kids from all walks of life. Everyone in the house would unload their CDs by the stereo and fight for turns at DJ.” p: 38 At the first time, Yusef was annoyed with people in the house. He felt uncomfortable with the state of the house like that. The house is full of strange Muslims. Those seem like living in a zoo. “It was so easy to imagine them, each in their standard costumes: spikes, mohawks, burqas, patches, tattoos, sunglasses, pork-pie hats, hoodies. And then there was me. What the hell was my place in that zoo ?” p: 45 Yusef began to be affected by the liberal lives in the house after he met Lynn and fell in love with her. Lynn is one of congregations that often come to the house to join Jumma. Lynn thought that the house was cool for holding Jumma at the day and party during the night. “...how on on friday afternoons youd have all these Muslims here listening to khutbahs and then at night all the punks come in for beer and ass. Its like two entirely different worlds in the same house.” p: 83 It is an ironic the house became a place to doing two different activities in different times every friday. It looks as if they want to balance the good deeds and bad deeds. Yusefs confusion continues to Rabeya which he thinks that she wears the burqa is not because Islamic teaching. Yusef asked about that to Fasiq while sitting in the roof with ganja hanging from his lips. “Well, she doesnt wear it for the notion that its sunna, we know that much... and she doesnt wear it because her family is really strict... and I dont think she wears it for some Islamo-Feminist gesture... so I dont know why.” p: 89 Fasiq said with a puff and then dramatic exhale, that sometimes there is a time where we do not want people to see us. Maybe thats what makes Rabeya wears the burqa. And when Yusef and Fasiq discussing about Rabeya on the roof, Umar is running down the stairs angrily and met Rabeya was sitting in living room. Umar anger is because he found Quran in bathroom. “What the shit is this ?” “Looks like a Quran,” Rabeya replied “Yeah, yeah it is. Its Quran. And you know where I found this Quran ?” “The Quran store ?” “Funny, sister. But no, I found this in bathroom, sitting right on the sink.” “And.....” “And whats it doing in there ? This is the Word of Allah Subhana Wa TaAla” “Fasiq probably left it there by mistake”. p: 89 Rabeya said that it was an accident. Fasiq uses bathroom window to get up on the roof. He probably climbed in through the window, set the Quran on the sink and then forgot about it. It shows how carelessly Fasiq is, though it was indicated as an accident. Islamic teaching in the house looks very different to the real Islam. Their unique prayer activities becomes something interesting to be described. They allow women to pray in same line with men. Menstruating woman and a stoned man can lead their prayers. Even imam wasnt Muslim. “When we did manage to pray, we prayed with men and women standing side by side, even with feet and shoulders touching. We prayed behind female imams and even menstruating female imams. We prayed behind a Shia when Amazing Ayyub led, and often behind a stoned hashishiyya higher than Ghurafs. This, however, went off the chart. I was praying behind an imam who wasnt even Muslim at all.” p: 123 Yusef knew it bothers him to pray behind a kafr. Yusef wanted to storm out the house and run down the street until coming across a Muslim who prayed right, ate right, dressed right and said things that made feel good about Islam, real Islam. Yusef had removed himself so far from everything. Yusef realized that what he was doing during live in the house has strayed from his culture. “And there I was in my living room, praying behind a kafr, next to a stupid punk-rocker, before us a green Saudi flag with its shahadah marred by a spray-painted anarchy-symbol. And qiblah distinguished by a hole in the wall smashed with a baseball bat.” p: 124 Yusef had gotten close, however, listening to Jehangir whose version of Islam was only a sell out to the seductions of Americanism. It appealed to him, sadly, because no matter how hard his parents tried to raise him right, he was still stuck in abode of kafr. “Were all doing something haram. Look at us. Were the ones that have always been fuckin excluded, ostracized, afraid to be ourselves around our fuckin brothers. They dont build masjids for us. We have to get our own. A fuckin fag mosque in Toronto, you know Im all for it. Female imams, God bless em.” p: 222 As a mukmin, Yusef was ruined. He lived in a kafr state where he had no fear of sharias penalty. And in another day, finally, Jehangir’s dream came true. Jehangir believe, they were ready to change the world. No matter how drunk and stupid everyone got, the pervading feeling was hope. Jehangir had succeeded in bringing his taqwacore from the West coast to East and there they all were filling the house with empty bottles and urinating in buckets or off the front porch because both bathrooms were constantly occupied. Then came the band with a few songs, and another and so on. After each group played its set they would just hop off the stage and join the pit. More than anything these guys were fans. In backstage Jehangir coordinating everything and telling bands when to go on and such. One of the bands, The infibulateds came out and its lead singer threw her shirt off, letting her breasts flop around. Everyone cheered. Maghrib time came and nobody noticed. It was strange to think that The Infibulated’s singer and a large portion of her audience was Muslim. Another band, Vote Hezbollah, the singer from the band pissed on a Quran. Everyone loved it. Then he picked up the kitab, shoke some drips off, carefully turned the trail wet pages and recited Ya Sin with absolute sincerity. Somehow the whole thing made sense. Noticeably wary of what could happen, Jehangir started up a fast hard song that had everyone slamming into each other. Hopefully the moment would be forgotten in a thrash-riot. It wasnt. The Bilals Boulder guys got mean hitting everyone around them with forearms and elbows and kicking their knees up high like the punk you sometimes see at shows. They were out to hurt people. One kid protested and found himself in a reverse chinlock. Jehangir saw it and yelled into microphone. Bilals Boulder kept going. And the pit became chaos. “People around the fight made nervous attempts to pull them off. And Jehangir flew off the stage right at them, plunging fast in a storm of punches, kicks, pulling and shoving, snarling teeth, eyes both angry and scared at once, mashes of people into each other with stray arms everywhere, nobody caring anymore who they actually hit.” p: 242 From the other side, Umar climbed onstage, ran over and jumped in the scene. Yusef felt as though he was watching them both drown, Jehangir and Umar, drowning in people, sinking fast under heavy boots and hands. That is the last time Yusef saw Jehangir. “The stage lights continued to rotate colors, they didnt know. Red, blue, yellow. Last time I ever saw Jehangir Tabari, he and those tearing him apart were all bathed in green. Then he was gone.” p: 242 It had been over a week and they still had Jehangirs ashes in their living room. Not so much ashes but little chips. Little chips of man. Nobody had a clue what he might have wanted for himself. “And that, in a jar, was Jehangir. Jehangir king of the shaheed stage dive. Jehangir who gave tafsirs to the drunken streets. Jehangir whos up there with the houris in hollowed pearl sixty miles wide. Jehangir the electric- guitar muezzin drunk and calling us all to stupor-prayer. Jehangir who took Islam to its perihelion climax.” p: 244 So there they have it. As a Muslim they dropped the ball. But theyre pretty sure that theyre still human being. CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 5.1. Conclusions 5.1.1. Characteristics Of Islamic Liberalism In The Taqwacores