Secret Trial Five | |
|---|---|
 Secret Trial Five (L to R, back row: Nat, Gabi; front row: Sena, Karim, Sidra) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Vancouver,British ColumbiaCanada; currentlyToronto,Canada |
| Genres | Punk rock |
| Years active | 2006 (2006)–present |
Secret Trial Five is a Canadian five-piece politicalpunk rock band formed in 2006 inVancouver.
Sena Hussain formed Secret Trial Five with four friends following9/11, when she became interested in making music with political messages.[1] Secret Trial Five takes its name from a group ofMuslims suspected ofterrorism currently held without charge inCanada.[2][3]
In fall 2007, Secret Trial Five toured the United States with Vote Hezbollah, The Kominas,Al-Thawra, and Diacritical on theTaqwatour. Early in September, Secret Trial Five were prevented from finishing their set at aChicago show hosted by theIslamic Society of North America; some news agencies have reported that it was because the ISNA did not approve of women singing in public,[4][5][6] while others have reported that the audience began quickly leaving during the band's first song.[1]
Though initially identifying withtaqwacore and participating in Omar Majeed'sTaqwacore 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.[citation needed]
Among the group's most referenced songs are "Hey Hey Guantanamo Bay" and "Emo-Hurram", the latter apun on thefirst month of theIslamic calendar.[7] Other notable songs include Middle Eastern Zombies, We're Not Taqwacore, and Colonizer, a parody ofBritney Spears'Womanizer. The band has vocalized their support for theBoycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and has been censored on numerous occasions. The group namestaqwacore bandThe Kominas as one of its chief influences.[8] Hussain, the lead singer, isopenly gay.[2]