Healing Through Music

As a new addition to the Queens College faculty, Pakistan native and Junoon band member Salman Ahmed has been working to promote co-existence and building bridges between cultures.
As a child, Ahmed moved to the United States but his family moved back to Pakistan following his high school years. Growing up, Ahmed was in a garage band and dreamed of becoming a rock star. However, due to his parents influence, when he went back to Pakistan he attended medical school.
“I thought that was the end of my musical dreams,” Ahmed said. “While I was in medical school, I was secretly getting bands together. From word of mouth, that movement of secret gigs just mushroomed.”
After graduating, Ahmed decided to pursue music for a year, and said that year has yet to end. He went on to become a famous rock star in Pakistan with the band Junoon, which has sold more than 25 million albums throughout the world.
In 2002, Ahmed moved back to the United States and now lives in Rockland County. Last year, while speaking at a panel discussion for the Clinton Global Initiative, Ahmed met Queens College history professor Mark Rosenblum, who invited Ahmed to come to campus.
“(I) just fell in love with the college and the people and next thing you know I’m teaching here,” Ahmed said, adding that he enjoys teaching a class that is like a “mini United Nations.” He added, “When you see a class of 43 students who can all come together because of that music, it’s heaven. You’re blessed.”
Along with teaching at Queens College, Ahmed has also become involved with its “The Middle East and America: Clash of Civilizations or Meeting of the Minds” program, which was created by Rosenblum. As part of it, he has performed during several “Common Chords” concerts.
Ahmed is also involved with the United Nations, working as a goodwill ambassador for HIV/AIDS. He was involved with the first ever rock concert to be held at the General Assembly. Also, Ahmed made the video “Alvida,” which means farewell, to promote HIV/AIDS awareness and women’s empowerment.
Recently, Ahmed was part of the Green Pease recording “Go Green.” For it, he worked with people such as Annie Lennox, Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Imbruglia and Nadirah, a Jamaican rapper. He also has produced the song and video “Ghoom Tana” to help promote peace between India and Pakistan.
“There’s a healer inside of me,” Ahmad said of his motivation to help others. “I might not be practicing medicine, but I’m using healing through music.”
With Rosenblum, Ahmed visited Forest Hills High School and said meeting with the students was an “uplifting experience.” He said that he will be doing more outreach to local schools in the future.
“You’ve got to figure out what your purpose is,” said Ahmed, whose most recent solo album is “Infiniti.” “I think I figured out that music is my passion and doing service actually is the other passion.”
For more information on Ahmad, visit www.junoon.com.