Omar Waqar calls his Sufi-infused rock music “Sarmast.” As a Muslim born in California, he uses his cross-cultural upbringing to bridge the gap between East and West through music.
In this second part of Muslims' America's profile of “The Rock 'n' Roll Muslim,” VOA's Imran Siddiqui visits both Waqar's bandmate and his Ustad, or teacher.
As Muslims in America, both have had different experiences than Waqar. Yet the three men share remarkably similar views, not just on music, but also on society, culture, and the fault lines between religions. They agree, though, that these differences are relatively small, and that different people can coexist. According to Ustad Hamid Hussain, “Music makes a common ground, where all the religions can come together.”