SBS Dateline | Punked

A group of young Muslims in the United States are gaining worldwide attention by rebelling against their conservative Islamic upbringing, and they’re using punk music to do it.

The Kominas, which means ‘scumbag’ in Punjabi, is a band made up of second generation Pakistani and Indian Americans from Boston.

They say they want to use their songs to challenge Islamic stereotypes, with titles like 'Wild Nights in Guantanamo Bay' and 'Suicide Bomb the GAP’.

They were inspired by a book about a fictional Islamic punk music scene called The Taqwacores, written by Muslim convert Michael Muhammad Knight. It’s also been made into a film, also called The Taqwacores.

Video journalist Sophie McNeill follows the band to London, Boston and New York to find out more about Taqwacore music and see the following they’re generating.

WATCH - See Sophie McNeill's story about The Kominas.

Photo: The Kominas