Fuck Muslim Punk

This evening the set went The Kominas first, Filmstrip next, and finally Al Thawra. I found Arjun right before his set. He was the resident Hindu and played guitar for The Kominas. He was wearing a black shirt that in white said, “Fuck Muslim Punk.”

“Nice shirt,” I said to him. “Did you make it yourself?” He wide toothed smiled back and nodded his head. He had lost his voice earlier in the week. He motioned that he had used white out to paint the letters on.

I found him later front and center during Al-Thawra’s set wearing a classic Al-Thawra shirt. It’s the one that Jehangir wears in The Taqwacores movie and Mike Knight wears in the Taqwacore documentary. I didn’t have one yet, but really wanted to get one.“You changed your shirt?” I asked Arjun.

He nodded his head no. He then lifted his shirt to show me the inside. It was the same shirt that said “Fuck Muslim Punk”, but only inside out. He had used the inside of his Al-Thawra shirt for his subversive messaging. Ironic. And totally Arjun.