Islamic Nationalism through the Airwaves: Taqī al-Dīn al-Hilālī’s Encounter with Shortwave Radio, 1937–39
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...
Published in: | Die Welt des Islams |
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Main Author: | |
Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Brill
2016
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In: |
Die Welt des Islams
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Further subjects: | B
Islam
nationalism
Taqī al-Dīn al-Hilālī
shortwave radio
Radio Berlin
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Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
Summary: | 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.
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ISSN: | 1570-0607 |
Contains: | In: Die Welt des Islams
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15700607-00561p03 |