Salman Ahmad

Salman Ahmad is a bonafide rock star in Pakistan, across South Asia and in émigré communities around the world.

As a Pakistani Muslim boy, he caught Led Zeppelin fever in America, came home with a dream of fusion rock-and-roll and world peace — and now argues with mullahs over whether Islam even permits music.

He’s been banned in Pakistan, gone nose-to-nose with the Taliban, been thronged by screaming fans, and now wants to bridge East and West. But it’s tough.

This hour, On Point: a Muslim rocker stands up for peace.

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Salman Ahmad joins us from New York. He's the co-founder and guitarist for the Pakistani rock band Junoon, which The New York Times has called "the U2 of Pakistan."  Salman's new book is "Rock & Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star's Revolution."  You can read an excerpt here.

More links:

Here's the video of the Junoon song "Ehtesaab," which was banned in Pakistan: