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 Salman Ahmed. Junoon. South Asia's biggest Rock band. These are only some of the reasons to explore this new venture titled ‘Rock & Roll Jihad.' With a controversial title and a catchy cover, the book is at once appealing and intriguing.
A far cry from his successful and popular celebrity status, Salman conveys to the reader, right from the very beginning, a strong sense of humility and curiosity. He is both personable and gripping as he describes experiences that many will readily be able to relate with. His passion for music is fiery, even at a young age and is transformed into complete obsession after attending his first Led Zeppelin concert, while growing up in New York. A common trait that is noticeable throughout his experiences, is Salman's interest and ability in joining underground bands and not only successfully performing to large crowds but also managing to coax the youth to open up and live life a little! This training proves useful when Salman finds himself back in Pakistan, this time under Zia's repressive rule where ‘nothing was normal.'
From there on starts his journey. Inspired by delirious Pakistanis at cricket matches, Salman realizes that behind the strict censorship enforced by Zia, Pakistanis were thirsty for entertainment. Diving into his passion, Salman develops a loose, underground network of musicians. A fateful ‘battle of the bands' leads him to the Vital Signs, which would soon become the biggest musical sensation Pakistan had seen yet; all against a backdrop of Zia's ruthless cultural purges. Salman describes his professional life and its ups and downs as very much a reflection of Pakistani politics and society. Under Benazir, who used the freedom of arts and culture to promote herself, Vital Signs gained overnight success. However, despite corporate sponsorship and the very successful ‘Dil Dil Pakistan', differences between Salman's direction towards music and the Vital Signs' vision forced Salman to leave. This would prove to be a major turning point in his life and he would consequently form his own band ‘Junoon.'
Title: Rock & Roll Jihad - A Muslim Rock Star's Revolution
Author: Salman Ahmad
Publisher: Free Press
Pages: 240
Price: $24.99
ISBN 13: 978-1416597674
Junoon became Salman's path to self-discovery. This book speaks about that journey. Fusing together inspiration from the West and his Eastern roots, Salman offered not just South Asia, but the world at large, a unique and different musical sound; one that he will undoubtedly leave behind as his legacy. This book however is not just about musical jargon and experiences. Written from an artist's point of view it certainly provides a fresh perspective at the political history of Pakistan ranging from the repressive nature of Zia's rule, to the power hungry battles between Bhutto and Sharif right down to the temporary freedom granted by General Musharraf. Both humorous and honest, Salman weaves a web and carefully guides his audience through stories of being banned in Pakistan, performing underground concerts, facing radical extremists, meeting celebrities, receiving corporate sponsorship, challenging corrupt political leaders and finally being the first ever Pakistani rock band to perform in the so-called ‘enemy country' - India!
Junoon introduced a new kind of ‘Sufi rock' to the world, filled with messages of peace, hope, change, contemplation and of course, revolution. Its fan base boasted celebrities like Imran Khan, Melissa Ethridge and Al Gore (to name a few) apart from the youth that constituted the majority. Though the road was rocky the final product was successful. Despite touring all over the world, an important effort that Salman highlights in his book is the peace initiative with India. Overwhelmed by the positive response Junoon received during Indian tours and award ceremonies, Salman embarked on an effort focusing on a cultural cross-border dialogue, which earned him both immense respect but also serious accusations of treason from the Pakistani government.
The author highlights crucial themes of uncertainty, determination, India-Pakistan relations, religious fanaticism, political history and of course, musical passion. However, one equally important aspect of this book focuses on the ‘soft image' of Islam. ‘ Claiming that post 9/11 ‘terrorists had hijacked his religion' Salman was adamant about presenting to the West a picture of the larger majority of moderate Muslims who were a far cry from the Wahhabi-cut Islam that the West had generalized to encompass all Muslims. Be it channeling activism through enormous music concerts, serving as a UN Goodwill Ambassador or speaking out in the media against radical and fanatic Islamists, Salman Ahmed beautifully presents a convincing case in favor of the softer and more moderate Islam, especially to his Western audience.
‘Rock & Roll Jihad' is then, in essence, the journey of a man through different cultures, countries and passions. With each page you get to know a little more of Salman and his social frustrations, his difficulties, his happiness and above all his unprecedented success. Salman Ahmed writes articulately and candidly, thereby gripping his reader immediately and introducing a world full of dirty politics, historical events, repression, fame, money and above all dreams. You will finish this book discovering one of the bravest artists in South Asian history. Maybe you will learn more about music and Pakistani politics. Maybe you will laugh. Maybe you will dream. But, most importantly, after finishing this book ...you will feel inspired.
Arsla Jawaid is Assistant Editor at SouthAsia Magazine. She holds a B.A in International Relations, with a focus on foreign policy and security studies, from Boston University.
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