U.S. & British governments have enlisted Salman Ahmad to speak against extremism

The British and American governments’ latest weapon in the fight against Al-Qaeda isn’t a missle or an intricate piece of technology, but a long-haired Sufi rocker named Salman Ahmad.
Alarmed at the success that extremist clerics have had in recruiting western Muslims to violence, from Times Square to Fort Hood, both the U.S. and British governments have enlisted Salman Ahmad’s help to speak and perform on college campuses.
Salman Ahmad has been using music to urge students to choose electric guitars over extremism. The concept is loosely defined by Salman as a way of using music to stand up to the violent rhetoric of Islamic terrorists. As his songs provide an alternative outlet to young Muslims who are
angry and rail against perceived injustices in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine.
“It’s actually harder to build something from the ground up, help society. It’s much easier to blow yourself up,” he told ABC News’, while discussing how to help give a voice to that anger.
“When I was 18-19 years old, when I couldn’t make sense of the world, it was movies, music and storytelling which gave me answers, so that’s what I am going to do on my own,” Salman said.
In the fight against extremism, the guitar, Salman said, is mightier than the sword.
[via ABC News]