​Due to a computer error, Professor Salman Ahmad’s Fall 2013 course, “Islamic Music and Culture of South Asia,” Tuesday, 1:40 - 4:20 pm, Music Building 226, has only now become available for registration. Log-in to CUNYFirst to enroll by searching instructor name, “Ahmad,” and select either course number 8 (for first-time students only) or 123. Contact the Music School at (718) 997-3800 with any questions.

A diverse overview of contemporary and traditional Muslim cultural expression, "Islamic Music and Culture of South Asia" focuses on the role of Muslim composers, musicians, singers and poets throughout history. It presents a range of cultural influences indigenous to Muslim societies and also focuses on their natural intersection with Western and other non-Muslim cultures. Drawing on material from regions beyond the Middle East, particularly South Asia, the course also explores the relationship among religion, literature and the arts in Muslim societies within a variety of historical, political and cultural contexts. It assumes no prior knowledge of Muslim culture.

Salman Ahmad is a doctor by training and a rock musician by profession. He founded South Asia's biggest rock band, Junoon, which has sold over 25 million albums worldwide and has the distinction of being the first rock band to be invited to perform at the U.N. general assembly by Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2001. Ahmad, a Pakistani American, has been interviewed or quoted in media nationwide on the Muslim American community, and has worked post-9/11 to bridge the gap between Muslim and Western worlds. Together with his wife Samina, he founded the Salman and Samina Global Wellness Initiative (SSGWI), which promotes interfaith and cross-cultural dialogue; global health and wellness; and music education. He joined Queens College in 2007 as a professor in the Aaron Copland School of Music.