Michael Muhammad Knight, author of "Taqwacores"
I’m a writer. Not a paid writer, but a writer who someday hopes to get paid.
At the same time, I wonder whether I have enough overlap with general mainstream tastes and values. I’m not a big fan of Chang-Rae Lee and Ha Jin, which is the kind of stuff that most Asian Americanists and non-Asian people like to read (and buy!). It’s not that I dislike Lee or Ha’s messages or think they’re poor writers; I just find their stories somewhat insignificant to my own view of the way things are or should be. Their use of language is fine, but there isn’t much that one can build upon their stories when it comes to self-conceptualization or self-actualization or empowerment. I finish their stories and think to myself, “what’s the point?” I’m more of a Gish Jen, Leonard Chang, Wayson Choy, or Terry Woo fan. (I won’t mention Frank Chin because you ALL know I’m his biggest fan when it comes to essays!)
Anyway, I saw this article in the Times yesterday. It’s about an underground book called “the Taqwacores,” which was written by a young American guy who converted to Islam. Apparently, an entire punk rock subculture of young Muslims is developing because of this book. The book is helping not only to spur the creative instincts of these young people, but it’s helping them to conceptualize their identity as young Muslims and people.
The novel is “The Catcher in the Rye” for young Muslims, said Carl W. Ernst, a professor of Islamic studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Springing from the imagination of Michael Muhammad Knight, it inspired disaffected young Muslims in the United States to form real Muslim punk bands and build their own subculture.
I’ve been a news junkie ever since college, and I’m guessing that this movement will rise and pass. In other words, I’m predicting it’s a fad. Still, I think it’s pretty cool that this movement is taking place, and I think it’s awesome that the movement comes from a book.
Back to me. 
I always thought of myself as a literary fiction type. After all, I’ve read and enjoyed all the writers whom artsy people use to name-drop, and I don’t read much pop culture fiction. However, I’ve always had the greatest admiration for those who shake up society with literature or writing. Harriet Beecher Stowe, for example, isn’t Shakespeare, but there’s no doubting the impact that her printed words left. Same deal with Alex Haley. Of course you also have your literary fiction writers like Zora Neale Hurston and Albert Camus who are both literary and activist, but my main point is that the coolest writers for me are those whose writings shake up society.
In other words, I like activist writers, and I wish there were more of them, especially more Asian American activist writers. If any of my readers know of good Asian American activist writers, please share. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels that there is a huge vacuum in this category.
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Ha Jin ain’t no slouch to admire! However, man Asian American writers are activists by the very nature of expressing the diaspora of AA voices. Without them, we’d still be a silent sub-culture of America (not saying we’re out of the woods yet).
Also, isn’t the act of writing anything political? After all, the greatest political ability we all have is voicing our opinion. Keep writing, you’re living it, even if you’re not getting paid.
I read this story a few days ago as well. As for your question about underground literary folks, I’d probably tell you Henry Miller. His books were censored for a long time here in these corrupted states before they became readily available. Tropic of Cancer is one of his best. There’s also Tropic of Capricorn. That’s if you like raw, in your face, used-to-be controversial obscenity that couldn’t be accepted in the mainstream until maybe the 60′s.
As for AA’s, I really couldn’t think of an undeground author with a loyal folowing. Maybe it’s the way to go?? I dunno.
papa2hapa:
I’d agree that writing anything is political. Thanks so much for the encouragement too! It means a lot. I see too from your blog that you’re into lit too. Awesome stuff.
It might be easiest to express what I was thinking through an example.
I invited an Asian American writer to Thymos, our activist group. I told him that it would help his writing since we always talk about politics, the interplay of race in society, and questions of the writer’s role in society. He joined, but after a couple of months, he quit. He said he wasn’t interested in politics or the questions we raised. He didn’t have a problem with it, but he just wasn’t interested in political or intellectual discussions.
There are writers who don’t ask these kinds of questions. They tend to focus more on words than on society, and therefore their writing seems to me to be a bit apolitical. Some of them are decent writers, but the focus is different. With this former Thymos dude, he would always focus on words. He’d send me examples of writing that he felt evoked amazing feelings through the usage of alliteration or word choice.
I agreed with him in just about all the examples he sent me, but the best moments in literature for me are scenes or occurrences, rather than words. I’m more interested in what they say about individuals or societies, rather than how they say it. (although how they say it is also sometimes cool!)
TMM:
I’m going to check out Henry Miller–once I can get out of this snow!
TMM and papa2hapa:
Also, I wouldn’t mind being underground. Getting paid is cool, but I’d rather be a Frank Chin than a mainstreamer who’s not telling it like it is!