Page 146 - Aesthetic Formations Media, religion, and the Sense

Islamic Renewal, Radio, and the Surface of Things 131

construed as condemnatory. The Tafsir transmission of last night did con-
tain such a reference. I am taking a very serious view of this . . . You are
perfectly aware of the delicate nature of this issue . . . I warn that personal
emotions must not be allowed to override the undertakings we have given to
the . . . sects” (my emphasis). 20
The difficulty arose from the strong identification between the new
professional media class and Gumi. Years later this attitude surfaced con-
stantly in my interviews. “What Gumi was saying wasn’t controversial,”
one said to me, “it was just the truth.” Another said, “He [Gumi] had no
point of view. What you must understand is that all he did was read the
21
Qur’an and interpret it. He gave no opinions.” Another referred scath-
ingly to pressure by politicians to give the tariqa the “semblance of equal
time” that was clearly seen by him as undue pressure. He continued, “I
believe his [Gumi’s] interpretations of Islamic jurisprudence” are completely
innocent and harmless “except for those who want to take offence.” All of
these were people working in Radio Kaduna at the height of the contro-
versy over tafsir and echo the general sensibility of the time. For these
professionals Gumi was shaping a more modern Islam, one tightly con-
nected to currents in international Islamic thought. They believed this
would move away from the parochialism of Nigerian Islam and lighten the
restrictive dead weight of aristocracy, poorly educated traders, and their
22
Sufi clients who were doing little except hold Nigeria back. Because of
the intensifying nature of the controversy, including attacks on the radio
stations and serious bomb threats and because of the attitude of his work-
force, Modibbo had to forcibly institute a new policy for tafsir that remains
today. Each tafsir is recorded a day ahead of time. The Manager of Programs
is then personally responsible for listening to the tape and editing out any
controversial comments. Any reference to any group that might reasonably
be deemed derogatory was to be eliminated. “Members of staff involved
must never ever attempt to judge the correctness or otherwise of the inter-
pretations; whatever personal religious convictions may be we must avoid
taking sides on doctrinal issues” (emphasis in original). Modibbo had to
request extra security and raised the possibility of stopping broadcasts alto-
gether “should the situation deteriorate to a point where I or you consider

that the continuation of these programmes would pose a real threat to pub-
lic peace.” 23
After the rise of Gumi, to broadcast over the radio went from being an
irrelevant part of securing religious authority to a bitterly contested and
key aspect of religious legitimacy. Gumi himself was well aware of the cen-
tral place of radio Kaduna in his rise to prominence. In his autobiography
he remarked how one friend confided in him, “You know . . . the last six
years during which your readings were broadcast over the air, have been far