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THE ROCK STAR AND THE MULLAH SALMAN AHMAD IS NO STRANGER TO CONTROVERSY. HIS ROCK BAND JUNOON, IS ONE OF PAKISTAN’S LEADING CULTURAL EXPORTS AND ITS UNIQUE BRAND OF SPIRITUAL ROCK DRAWS ON SOUTH ASIAN ISLAM’S RICH SUFI TRADITION. HE IS AN OUTSPOKEN CRITIC OF PAKISTAN’S POLITICALLY POWERFUL MULLAHS, YET SUPPORTS THE PRESIDENCY OF GENERAL MUSHARRAF. IN A FRANK CONVERSATION WITH Q-NEWS, SALMAN SPEAKS ABOUT HIS MUSIC, CULTURAL REVIVAL AND THE FUTURE OF THE UMMAH. What does Junoon represent in the musical scene in Pakistan? There is a Sufi aspect to our music, which I take responsibility for because I was deeply influenced by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. I learned from him for many years during the late 80s and early 90s. He opened my eyes to the fact that modernity and Islam aren’t at odds. Qawwali is a spiritual art form but was relegated into a genre of music sung at weddings. Nusrat, through his voice and personality, brought it to the world stage with collaborations with Western artists like Peter Gabriel. This inspired me to look at music differently. Junoon has an instrumental song called Heer, inspired by a song by Nusrat, which was a spiritual metaphor for Heer and Ranja. I have always been drawn to the spirit. I searched hard and long during the early part of my career. I wrote a song called Saeein in 1995, which was the first ever Pakistani spiritual rock song. People were amazed, because Junoon was pushing the boundaries of what is culturally acceptable in Islam. Music comes from the spirit and the spirit knows no boundaries. People from different cultural backgrounds can come together and share their cultures through music. I understood western culture when I listened to Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and Pink Floyd. What we have done in the Islamic world is hijacked our own culture. We do not share. We are insulated and isolated.
What kind of people show up at your concerts? In the early 90s we played to an urban Pakistani audience. After the success of
Sayonee, which was No 1 on MTV Asia and after winning the best international group in an Indian awards ceremony, we were thrust into the international limelight. In 1998 we did a tribute concert for Nusrat in New York’s Central Park and 20,000 people came. These people were not only from the Asian diaspora but also Hispanics, Jews, Christians and secular Americans.
What about your Pakistani audience? 50% of Pakistanis are under 25. That is a huge youth force which can be inspired either towards creative endeavours or towards militancy. It all depends on what cultural visions a nation has.
What were you trying to do with The Rock Star and the Mullah? I was initially just asking questions. I wanted to find out what Pakistan felt about music and Islam. You see, when I became a musician, I faced immense opposition. Being a musician isn’t generally accepted like a career in finance or medicine, although I am a qualified doctor and so is my wife. This social resistance intensified when Junoon gained nationally renown. A few years before The Rock Star and the Mullah, I received a message from Islamic scholar Farhat Hashmi. She sent me a parcel through a group of women associated with her. They told my wife that as a responsible Muslim wife she should play her part in ‘guiding me’. After a brief argument, my wife took the package, which contained some CDs and a letter from Farhat. In the letter, it said ‘Salman you have veered from the true path and you are
heading towards damnation. What is worse is that you have influence on young people and you are basically like the Pied Piper leading them astray’. I was disappointed by her narrow vision of what a musician stood for. She had no idea about my music and what I do. That provoked my quest for the truth about the relationship between music and Islam. In the CDs she sent, it stated that music in Islam is haraam. Now, I am a practicing Muslim and I have read the Quran and there is no mention of music being haraam. I had to find out why people believed this. I met scholars around the country. It appeares that there was never an edict against music being haraam. It has somehow just become common knowledge that one shouldn’t listen to music. What really annoyed me was that the lead singer of Vital Signs, the band with which I first launched my career, had a similar episode with Tablighi Jamaat and as a result, he stopped listening to music. Junaid Jamshed is one of my closest friends but I was shocked by his change. I told him he had gone out of his mind. It is illogical to allow a guilt-trip to get the better of you. Some people think his change is a sign from God.
Do you think Muslims will ever reach a consensus over music? This is not just a Muslim conflict but a universal one. Many Christians believe rap music is the devil’s music. In the 12th century, Amir Khosro spread spirituality through music and dance. He invented Qawali music and the sitar. He used music as a vehicle for spiritual connection. Baba Bullhe Shah, a 17th century Sufi, faced Q - NEWS
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