Abstract
This article examines the connection between shortwave radio technology and the rise of "Islamic nationalism" through the experiences of Taqī al-Dīn al-Hilālī (1894-1987). A Moroccan exile in Nazi Germany, al-Hilālī wrote extensively about shortwave broadcasting in the Egyptian press and became one of the first Arab speakers on Radio Berlin. He left behind a body of evidence that provides a rare window into the political and religious thought of an avid radio listener turned on-air commentator. A close study of this material reveals that radio technology paved the way for al-Hilālī's articulation of Islamic nationalism, a concept that only came of age in the 1930s. Inspired by the new medium and its capacity to reach a mass audience in real time, al-Hilālī envisioned the umma as a modern "nation" that could be mobilized to defeat colonialism. The article thus argues that radio, like print, was an agent of ideological change.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 6-33 |
Number of pages | 28 |
Journal | Welt des Islams |
Volume | 56 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2016 |
Keywords
- Islam
- Radio Berlin
- Taqī al-Dīn al-Hilālī
- nationalism
- shortwave radio
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cultural Studies
- History
- Religious studies
- Literature and Literary Theory