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Pakistani band rocks for
peace
May 5, 2002
University of Minnesota
In the eyes of idealistic music fans, however, tonight's so- called Peace
Concert is enormous for two reasons. First of all, it features the biggest rock
band out of South Asia, a Pakistani trio called Junoon. The group sells out in
Asia, has been profiled on VH1 and written about in the New York Times and
Billboard, and its guitarist even appeared on ABC-TV's "Politically Incorrect"
earlier this week.
Text (TD) But even if the Front Porch Swingin' Liquor Pigs were tonight's
headliners, organizers believe that promoting equal participation from the local
Pakistani and Indian communities at one event sets a good example.
"Yes, those of us of different [nationalities] who live here show other
countries that we can live together in peace," said Zeeshan Baig, a Pakistan
native whose organization InfusiQ (International Fusion of Musiq) is putting on
the concert. "With an event like this, we're showing that we can even interact
together and enjoy the same things."
InfusiQ features an ethnic hodgepodge of team members, including some from India
and the Middle East. After recruiting Junoon for its first major event, the
group made sure to also include Indian performers (the Nachda Punjab Dance Group
is on tap) and invite speakers from both communities, including state Sen.
Satveer Chaudhary, DFL-Fridley.
Junoon alone might have been enough to bring the different ethnic groups
together. The decade-old band draws well in both Pakistan and India. It relied
most heavily on Indian crowds when it was banned from its native country off and
on during the 1990s because of its political messages.
"Junoon's lyrics have a lot of power and meaning to people living in the
subcontinent," said Muhktar Thakur, host of a Monday-night Asian-American-music
program on KFAI (90.3 or 106.1 FM). He described tonight's concert as "a
much-needed step in bringing our local Hindu and Muslim populations together."
Since Sept. 11, Junoon has broadened its message of tolerance in religion. The
Led Zeppelin- and John Lennon-inspired members include one American-born
Christian and two Pakistanis of different Muslim backgrounds.
"An entire religion was also hijacked by the terrorists," Junoon guitarist
Salman Ahmad recently told CNN. "In Islam, you can't kill innocent civilians;
it's murder. In Islam, suicide is prohibited, and the prophet Mohammad said that
the ink of a scholar is far more precious than the blood of a martyr."
It seems that people halfway around the world aren't the only ones who can learn
from this concert.
- Chris Riemenschneider is at chrisr@startribune.com.
IF YOU GO
Peace Concert
When: 8 p.m. today.
With: Pakistani band Junoon, Indian dancers the Nachda Punjab Group, plus
speakers.
Where: Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 S. 4th St., University of Minnesota West
Bank, Mpls.
Tickets: $20-$65. 612-735-4793.
Star-Tribune Newspaper of the Twin Cities Mpls.-St. Paul
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