User:Daynamarie/Michael Muhammad Knight

Michael Muhammad Knight (1977 - ) is an American novelist, writer, and journalist. A white Muslim, Michael Muhammad Knight was raised Roman Catholic and converted to Islam at 16 after reading The Autobiography of Malcom X. As a teen, Michael studied Islam for two months in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Michael is a well-known figure to those familiar with Progressive Islam. He is a frequent contributor to the most popular Muslim American magazine on the internet Muslim WakeUp. Once a member of the Progressive Muslim Union, Michael left the organization in 2005.[1]

The Taqwacores, Michael's third novel infuses Islam and punk rock with a fictitious group of young Muslims living in Buffalo, New York. The Taqwacores was a catalyst in the formation of groups such as the punk band The Kominas and though initially fictitious, Taqwacore is now a recognized subgenre of punk rock.

The Taqwacores influenced author Asra Q. Nomani to organize the Wadud Prayer - a mixed gender prayer in support of Women as imams held March 18, 2004, in New York. [2]

An excerpt from Michael's forthcoming work about The Nation of Gods and Earths is featured on Rap Artist Lord Jamar's album "The 5% Album". [3]

Novels

• Where Mullahs Fear to Tread
• The Furious Cock (2002)
• The Taqwacores (2004)
• Blue-Eyed Devil (forthcoming, 2006)

External links

• Michael Muhammad Knight's blog: http://www.knight.progressiveislam.org
• Muslim WakeUp: http://www.muslimwakeup.org