Secret Trial Five is a Canadian five-piece political punk rock band formed in 2006 in Vancouver.
Origins Sena Hussain formed Secret Trial Five with four friends following 9/11, when she became interested in making music with political messages.A Muslim Meld of Punk and Piety. The Globe and Mail, December 28, 2007. Accessed January 8, 2007. Secret Trial Five takes its name from a group of Muslims suspected of terrorism currently held without charge in Canada.On Tour with the Taqwacores. BBC, October 2, 2007. Accessed January 8, 2007.Security Certificates and Secret Evidence. CBC, February 23, 2007. Accessed January 8, 2008.
History In fall 2007, Secret Trial Five toured the United States with Vote Hezbollah, The Kominas, Al-Thawra, and Diacritical on the Taqwatour. Early in September, Secret Trial Five were prevented from finishing their set at a Chicago show hosted by the Islamic Society of North America; some news agencies have reported that it was because the ISNA did not approve of women singing in public,Allah, Amps and Anarchy. Rolling Stone, October 1, 2007. Accessed January 8, 2008.Muhammad Rocked the Casbah . The Texas Observer, December 14, 2007. Accessed January 8, 2008.Documentary Brings Rising Muslim Punk Scene to Campus . The Ithacan Online, November 29, 2007. Accessed January 8, 2008. while others have reported that the audience began quickly leaving during the band's first song.
Taqwacore controversy Though initially identifying with taqwacore and participating in Omar Majeed's Taqwacore documentary, the band later rejected affiliation with the scene, announcing "We're not taqwacore!" on their website, due to their preference for political ideologies focusing on communities with which they more closely identify.
Music Among the group's most referenced songs are "Hey Hey Guantanamo Bay" and "Emo-Hurram", the latter a pun on the first month of the Islamic calendar.The Guide's Annual Awards. The Guardian, December 15, 2007. Accessed January 8, 2008. Other notable songs include Middle Eastern Zombies, We're Not Taqwacore, and Colonizer, a parody of Britney Spears' Womanizer. The band has vocalized their support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and has been censored on numerous occasions. The group names taqwacore band The Kominas as one of its chief influences.Islamic Street Preachers. The Guardian, April 28, 2007. Accessed January 8, 2008. Hussain, the lead singer, is openly gay.
Members Sena Hussain – Vocals Nat Ess – Guitar Sidra Mahmood – Guitar Gabi Rodriguez – Bass Karim Elawar – Drums
References
External links Secret Trial Five at MySpace (defunct page) Secret Trial Five at Facebook (last updated 2016) Secret Trial Five at Reverbnation (one song available) Sena Hussain materials in the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA)