Rock and Roll Jihad

Salman Ahmed, the leader of the once-banned Pakistani sufi-rock band Junoon, recently published his autobiography, Rock And Roll Jihad. The book is essentially about the struggles of a rock musician against close-minded Islamic society. It’s about man who fights for his rights to free speech and thought, while Pakistan goes through tempestuous political times during the doomed reigns of General Zia, Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and General Musharaf. Salman practices a benevolent, open-minded form of Islam that he believes is the “real” Islam. Through his music he attempts to remind the world of the values that “true” Islam stands for at a time when most of the world has stereotyped Muslims as trigger-happy jihadis. At the end of the book you respect the man for standing up for what he believes in, and for walking his talk and music. Through grilled and derided on an American TV show, just after 9/11, Salman continues to remind us than only a few Muslims are terrorists, and most Muslims are peace-loving people.