Great first rock show! Finger tapping wizardry with Pete Townshend’s guitar smashing finial. Cheers. Agree with the comment about owning a good word.

Hi Tom,

This is my first time hearing about Salman Ahmad and I cannot tell you how excited I am. After having attended a lecture last evening given by Peter Galbraith who recently returned from Afghanistan, about the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, it is clear that there needs to be another approach.

I have told my kids for years that the arts are the only avenue through which peace will be found in the world. Salman’s music and the impact that it will have will make more difference than any amount of troops on the ground could ever hope to make. I believe he will be successful engaging young people and this is what we must do. Additionally, he will be able to reach those who are illiterate and this is a very big problem.

Artist such as Salman will save more lives than any physician could ever hope to. Please thank this young man for his vision and bravery. I hope that Salman’s parents understand that the path Salman has chosen could be what helps to dig us out of the misunderstandings and hate, which are in part what drives violence in the world. My respect. Jean Markey-Duncan, Burlington, Vermont

Jean Markey-Duncan

I think what this world needs are more young people like Salman Ahmad, his music and a peace movement (again).

It seems to me that Salman is mis-stating the case. There is still a LOT of western music played in Pakistan today. Much more than Pakistani music played in the “West”. Most Pakistanis listen to it and have no problems, he is just highlighting a few loonies. The fact is that the vast vast majority of Pakistanis are always listening of western music as well as the dozens of very very popular Pakistani rock bands.

Tom,
You forget conservative Christian response to rock and roll. It was the devil’s music and banned in many households. Music was banned in Christian groups. This is nothing new. I wish the best to your guest. Unfortunately reason aint got nothing to do with it.

Fantastic guest! Salman made a remark ‘like letting the KKK represent Christians’; we don’t let that happen. How has extreme Islam wrestled the Faith from mainstream, moderate, majority Muslims in many parts of the World? And what is being done to take the Faith “back”?
I’m a middle-aged rocker and SO pleased to hear you!

Old struggle… musician attracting a crowd that a preacher spends a life time trying to corral.

Late 1820s, can you imagine the trouble Paganini faced? Already able to impress/attracted a crowd with his musical powers with the violin, which may have been augmented due to being born with extra flexible tendons allowing for uncommon fingering/chords, skin pale white from mercury dosed to “cure” syphilis, long hair, taller than most, eyes redden from other “medicines”of the day, he probably freaked out most anyone.

I have always been curious to know more about, if it was, Queen Elizabeth’s court that decreed that Bards be arrested… if not worse.

I was surprised to learn that some of Led Zeppelin’s tunes are century old tunes brought into the rock world. NOt sure which ones.

Looking forward to listening to more albums from your studio.

From a biological perspective, in a world without books or static methods to pass forward information (culture), memory is assisted with singing. Try forcing a listener to memorize a story vs a tune, which one is easier. Employ that system which is easier to memorize and your culture will likely survive fragmentation…

I give this interview my highest radio-listening accolade: way more interesting than I expected.

I was sorry to hear Salman present Pakistan and Islam as if they are all intolerant people who hate music and hate poetry. He may be doing this to justify the failure of his own career. But that is not true at all. Music thrives in Pakistan and ISlamic world and some great music is being created all the time and the following of music and poetry is tremendous. Despite Salman’s attempts to taint his country and his religion by presenting Pakistanis and Muslims in such a negative light.

It may be true that at one point conservative Christians denounced rock but as Christian music has moved over the past two decades to being more modern and commercial evening alternative in certain incidents most Christians’ aversion to rock slipped away. I think there’s a beautiful culture analogy to be made between the way Christian musicians have helped bridge the gap between modernity and the way the guest is trying to bring aspects of the arab world into modern culture.

To claify a point made in one of the comments.
Salman founded JUNOON and inducted Ali Azmat as the lead singer.Ali is no longer a lead singer for JUNOON but Junoon remains headed by Salman Ahmad.
Ali was a good stage performer but initially with very basic singing qualities.He improved over a period of Time but then the best of friends part company….and that’s what happened.

Excellent!!
I completely salute anyone who can inspire this population of youth that it is much cooler to have a guitar slung over your shoulder rather than an AK-47.
Keep going Salman!!

Tom et al: This was not only a great show, it was an important show and you need to make sure that lots of people listen to it. I hope you’ll follow up and have Salman on again, maybe with another guest to discuss how American media (except NPR and PBS of course) is reducing these issues into black and white terms when in fact they’re much more complex.

Thanks “On Point” and Salman Ahmad for an entertaining show. Salman’s story is a good one made even better by the fact that the music is really good! Music and musicians have a way of helping to help shift views and held assumptions. We need to hear more from every day moderate Muslims to 1) share who they really are, and 2) denounce radical, fundamentalist Islamic rhetoric and actions.

FANTASTIC SHOW. WHAT SALMAN FIGHTS AGAINST( REGRESSIVE THINKING)
IS ALSO IN OTHER RELIGIONS INCLUDING CHRISTIANITY. WOMEN CAB NOT TEACH PREACH. DO ADMINISTRATION IN SOME CHURCHES. WE NEED SOME STRUGGLE
AGAINST IT IN OUR OWN COUNTRY.

I WOULD LIKE TO BUY CD IN WHICH HIS HIT SONG YOU PLAYED IS THERE.

THANKS.

ANIL

I love the story about trying to play Van Halen’s “eruption” only to have the fundamentalist running up on stage, taking the guitar and smashing it. It’s just such a perfect, striking image to illustrate the struggle that Salman faces. A bit ironic that the fundamentalist didn’t realize he was channeling Townshend.

Thanks Salman! Keep fighting peacefully for human dignity and justice!

Thanks Tom;

Wonderful show

Thanks Tom. Hope the Pulitzer is bestowed upon you. Please keep up the good work.

Thank you for the excellent interview. Salman Ahmad is very articulate, showing an inside view of Pakistan that few of us ever see. He also communicates through his music, using it to bring people together in the quest for peace. I’m looking forward to reading his book.

Thanks for the introduction to an intelligent man, a lovely mind, a great musician. I will buy his music.
Asad, au contraire, you might re-listen to his interview. Salman never once represented Pakistanis as a monolithic whole who “hated poetry and music” – rather the opposite, was my impression. Your comment surprised me.
And I loved it that he knew who Greg Mortensen was – check out Bill Moyers’ interview last night on the Journal. Just shows that Salman isn’t just a musician, but also quite up-to-date on the humanitarian front.

Please visit:

http://www.chowk.com/articles/salman-ahmad-pens-rock-and-roll-jihad-ras-siddiqui.htm

for a review of the book “Rock & Roll Jihad”

by Salman Ahmad.

http://chowk.com/ilogs/75971/30139

Blog: Rock n’ Rollin’ Sufi Wanna-be

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Mr Siddiqui:

Your article (Salman Ahmad Pens “Rock & Roll Jihad”) is not shocking at all. Allow me to shock you.

You cannot possibly know old ‘Sal’ better than I do. Goodwill ambassadors are chosen very carefully to serve a purpose and an agenda which we need not touch upon here.

I have seen a video of Sal mockingly proclaim from across a dinner table that ‘everyone says Islam is a religion of peace….its a very sexy religion’.

Then another video purporting to show his amazing talent at ‘composing’ Quranic verses! He used a pop song’s melody to ‘compose’ the Qur’anic dua (Rabbana aatinaa fiddunya hasana….azaabun naar).

You say ‘Salman (no relative of Rushdie)’ but he is related if you look carefully the next time you go fishing.

What is ‘Sufi rock’, what is this rock ‘n roll Jihad non-sense? The Way forward for a Muslim is not to ape the nude-protesting Yoko-loving John Lennon’s way.

The poor wandering singers at Karachi’s Boating Basin sound better than this pseudo-Sufi wanna-be who did not answer the last question I asked him (“Do you believe in the finality of Messenger Muhammad and do you admit MGAQ was a fake prophet?).

Do not glorify fools who think they can change the world with the six strings of a guitar.