Faraz Anwar, social change

The Bombs of Dhamma
By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

I have a new article at the Daily Standard, co-written with my colleague Nick Grace, about two musicians who hope to create social change in Pakistan. Singer-songwriter Imran Raza and guitarist Faraz Anwar hope that their music and the tolerant spirituality that undergirds it can provide an alternative to the extremism that has gripped the country -- and they are taking personal risks in advancing this message. An excerpt:

http://counterterrorismblog.org/

http://tinyurl.com/e64k5

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So where is this song?

"I believe in enlightened moderation, the beauty of knowing who you are." It calls for "Bombs of purity and bombs of joy / Bombs of peace and bombs of love / Bombs of harmony and bombs of compassion / The bombs of dhamma."

On reading this, Anwar exclaimed in Urdu, "Finally someone has come my way who is on my level!" The two musicians began recording Raza's songs. The first one they tackled was "Fly with Us," which mixes South Asian flutes and classical Sufi singing with classic rock. Speaking of the need for "a real reformation," the song contrasts religious intolerance with the fresh spirit of classic rock, inviting listeners to spurn extremism and "fly with" Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and the Beatles.

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his web site:

Gerald