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Junoon Story
By Dilshad D. Ali 07/12/2001
It was the last place you would expect to see a rock band. And it was a diplomatic session like none other. For one evening last month, the United Nation's General Assembly in lower Manhattan mercifully traded in its somber, stressed mood in wake of the September 11attacks for one loud, joyous evening of new-age rock - Pakistani style.
Suited U.N. workers loosened their ties and kicked off their high heels to enjoy the Sufi-inspired rhythms of Junoon, South Asia's biggest rock band and Pakistan's newest peace ambassadors.
Junoon, rocking Pakistan and the rest of South Asia for more than 10 years, recently blipped onto America's musical radar by being the first-ever band to receive an invitation to play at the United Nations. The three-member band - Ali Azmat, a Shiite Muslim (lead vocals); founder Salman Ahmad, a Sunni Muslim (guitar and vocals); and Brian O'Connell, an American and born-again Christian (bass) - has garnered a flash of media attention as they have stepped up their world image to preach against the bombing of Afghanistan.
But the band's real introduction to American musical audiences came by way of "Islamabad: Rock City," a half-hour documentary that aired last week on VH1. For Junoon, which means "passion" in Urdu, it was chance to show America that for better or for worse, Muslim bands can also perform rock music with a message.
Yet with its time limitation, the documentary (hosted by Susan Sarandon) also painted a somewhat flat picture of the band, focusing on provocative sound bytes that at times drew away from the power of Junoon's music. It interspersed footage of Junoon performances with interviews of music critics and pundits - including
Politically Incorrect host Bill Maher, rock star Gene Simmons and Time magazine's Chris Farley - and the band members themselves.
Though the interviews were interesting and helped shed some light on Junoon's passionate beliefs and rocky history, more analysis of their music style and impact was needed. For instance the band's history, which reads like a fascinating rags-to-riches story, could have been given more than the breezy five-minutes of airtime the show allocated. Additionally, the program poorly addressed a fundamental question reverberating in the minds of many fans: How do Ahmad and Azmat balance their Muslim identity with their rock star image and beliefs?
The one segment that tackled this issue of belief and religious practice showed footage of Salman praying and speaking of his strong faith ("My religion was hijacked" by the September 11th attacks, he said), then in the next scene performing in front of a mixed crowd of screaming boys and girls, some in skimpy clothing. ("These chicks are not about 'Oops I Did It Again,'" Ahmad glibly said.) So are they strict Muslims or rock stars? Or both? And can they be both?
Yet Junoon also earnestly spoke of how it performs for audiences in a more Islamic fashion. For example, the band often plays at women's colleges in Pakistan to completely female audiences, some wearing modest clothing and the full face veil.
Though treatment of the band's history and musical message was limited by time, the documentary did provide a neat, packaged introduction of Junoon's Sufi-inspired, lyrical, socially conscious music to a new Western audience.
But whether they make it in America or not, Junoon has a die-hard following in Pakistan and South Asia, though it was banned for seven years in its home country.
Ahmad first gained recognition when he won a national song-writing competition with "We Love Pakistan." With its '80s-pop-inspired sound and catchy Urdu lyrics, the song took the country by storm and became a huge hit.
"It was rock-based melody, but because it was a patriotic song, it went on television without the mullahs making a big fuss," Ahmad said in a
Newsweek interview. He then called on his old New York high school buddy, O'Connell to come to Pakistan and cut an album; and Junoon was born.
But the band faced early hardship with its first two albums. But the third album,
Inquilaab, or Revolt, proved to be Junoon's breakthrough in 1996. By then the band found its sound, mixing Sufi-style music with a Western pop beat and Urdu lyrics. The album featured a fiery song called "Jazbe-e-Junoon," or "The Spirit of Passion." The song became so popular that it was adopted as the anthem of Pakistan's World Cup cricket team.
Yet with its fourth album, Junoon was back in the hot seat. It released a video with its song, "Ehtesaab" (accountability) that juxtaposed shots of Pakistan's poverty and corruption problems with images of government officials. Immediately the band was banned from television and the airwaves. But when General Pervez Musharraf took control of Pakistan in Oct. 1999, Junoon was back on TV and began live performances again.
In October of this year the band, often referred to as the "U2 of Pakistan", came full circle by launching an "initiative for peace" with a series of concerts benefiting Afghan refugees. They also played a charity fundraiser for victims of the World Trade Center attacks.
Junoon walks a fine line between its condemnation of the war on Afghanistan and its criticism of "… not just violence, but religious extremism and intolerance in society," Ahmad said to
Newsweek.
On their official Web site, Ahmad urges his fans to "Stand up and be counted Junoonis. This is a time to be steadfast and truly human."
But when all is said and done, the crux of Junoon is its contradictory image of a Muslim rock band. Dancing and performing in front of audiences - mixed or not - are prohibited by Islam. For that matter, strict Muslims deem Junoon's music itself, like the music of any band, unacceptable. Yet the band is reaching various segments of the Muslim community and Western audiences with its message of peace. So the questions remain, and perhaps the answers are in the heart of the individual Muslim.
In another note, a feature-length film about Junoon, Banned in Pakistan, will be released in 2002. It is the product of producer Richard Murphy and co-producer Sameer Butt's three years of following and filming
Junoon.
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