Salman Ahmad

Salman Ahmad - musician, founder of the band Junoon, author and professor at Queens College - has been called "the Bono of Pakistan." He discusses his current work in music and activism in Pakistan, where he's helping to get Polio vaccines to rural areas. Ahmad performs this weekend as part of the Louis Armstrong International Music Festival.

Pakistan’s floods are producing some mind-boggling numbers: 3.5 million children are at risk of disease, and roughly one-fifth of the country is under water. 20 million people have been displaced from their homes by the ongoing deluge.   

And some more disturbing numbers: the UN has asked for $460 million in emergency aid. To date, donor nations have only pledged 35 percent of that amount. A little less than half the donations - roughly $76 million - has come from the United States.

Salman Ahmad tells the story of his groundbreaking career in music, bringing Western-style rock and pop to Pakistani teenagers for the first time. His book Rock & Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star's Revolution explains how his band Junoon became the U2 of Asia at a time when mullahs ...

Salman Ahmad reveals the last great book he read after appearing on The Leonard Lopate Show.