Salman Ahmad is a singer, songwriter, film presenter, author, teacher, doctor, and social activist. He is also a professor at Queens College (CUNY) where he teaches music and poetry from the Muslim culture.
Ahmad grew up in New York and later trained as a medical doctor in Lahore,
Pakistan. A UN Goodwill Ambassador for HIV/AIDS, Ahmad founded South Asia's biggest rock band, Junoon. The band was called “the U2 of South Asia” because of its sweeping melodies, bhangra rock rhythms, and driving guitars. Known for blending a powerful, arena rock sound with the epic tranquility of Sufi love poetry, Junoon has sold over 25 million albums worldwide and shared the stage with artists such as Melissa
Etheridge, Alicia Keys, Sting, Earth Wind and Fire, and Wyclef Jean.
Ahmad has led Junoon to perform at diverse venues including the U.N. General
Assembly Hall—the first performance of its kind. In 2007, Junoon performed at the
Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, and in 2008, Junoon defied death threats from militants to perform in the ethereal valley of Kashmir.
Jon Pareles of the New York Times described Junoon as "South Asia's answer to
Santana" and the Wall Street Journal called Junoon's eclectic music "a powerful combination of Led Zeppelin and traditional South Asian percussion like tabla and dholak."
Ahmad is currently writing a memoir for Simon and Schuster entitled Rock and
Roll Jihad and has written op-eds for the Washington Post’s "On Faith" blog. He is also a member of the Brookings Institute's US-Islamic Arts and Culture Panel for Public
Diplomacy.
Ahmad has appeared on major TV networks and has been the subject of two documentary films: The Rockstar and The Mullahs and was featured in the PBS and BBC production, It’s My Country Too . He recently co-wrote and recorded a song with
Academy Award-winning artist Melissa Etheridge called “Ring The Bells.”