SDSU Musical Celebration to Explore the Common Roots of Muslim and Jewish Music

Salman Ahmad of the Sufi rock group Junoon to perform with
SDSU Jewish Studies Artist-in-Residence Yale Strom

Contact:
Gina Speciale
Media Relations Specialist
San Diego State University
speciale@mail.sdsu.edu

SAN DIEGO (Wednesday, April 2, 2008) —The two religions are often times at odds with each other, but at San Diego State University’s Common Chords event next week, the Muslim and Jewish religions will come together in the name of music. 

Salman Ahmad, guitarist, Junoon

A musical celebration exploring the common roots of Muslim and Jewish music will feature Salman Ahmad and Samir Chatterjee of the internationally acclaimed Sufi rock group Junoon, as well as SDSU Jewish Studies Artist-in-Residence Yale Strom, the world’s leading artist-ethnographer of klezmer music. The concert will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 10 in Smith Recital Hall.

“Music is the common ground between these two generally misunderstood cultures,” Strom said.  “While conflict abounds elsewhere, the DNA of both Muslim and Jewish music is the same.”

Ahmad, the United Nations’ ambassador for Pakistan, performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony last year, when former Vice President Al Gore and U.N. climate scientists were honored for their work. 

The event is sponsored by SDSU’s Jewish Studies Program, the Center for Islamic and Arabic Studies, the Religious Studies Department-Many Paths Fund and the Cross-Cultural Center.

San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since it was founded in 1897, the university has grown to offer bachelor’s degrees in 81 areas, master’s degrees in 74 areas and doctorates in 16 areas. SDSU’s approximately 34,000 students participate in an academic curriculum distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.

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