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:

Raza began looking for a musical collaborator. The search took four years, but was finally successful. Faraz Anwar, 30, had won Pakistan's national music competition at the age of 11, and had become a full-time musician at 14, touring as a guitarist with top-tier acts. Counting his recordings as a session musician, Anwar has sold over 30 million albums -- no small feat in a country where music piracy is rampant. Although popular performers had tried to form bands with Anwar, he had always turned them down.

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