Salman Ahmad, one of South Asia’s most influential cultural figures, is a musician, physician and United Nations goodwill ambassador. With his wife, Samina, he launched an NGO called the Salman & Samina Global Wellness Initiative, focused on interfaith and cross-cultural dialogue, global health and wellness, and music education.

Ahmad popularized a blend of Western rock music and Eastern/Islamic music which has been called “Sufi rock” and hailed as a cultural bridge within South Asia and between the East and West. Junoon’s sweeping melodies, bhangra rock rhythms and driving guitars led it to become known as "the U2 of South Asia.”

Ahmad founded South Asia's biggest rock band, Junoon, in 1990. The band faced death threats and harassment from religious extremists and government forces in its early years, and again in 2008 when they performed in the valley of Kashmir - the first rock concert to be held in Srinagar.

Born in Lahore, Pakistan, Ahmad spent his teenage years in New York before returning to Lahore to train as a medical doctor.

Ahmad is also a professor at Queens college (CUNY) where he teaches music and poetry from Muslim culture.