134 african appropriations
potential of small media such as audio- and videocassettes (Sreberny-
Mohammadi and Mohammadi 1994).^3
Shaheed idealizes the figure of the martyr who dies for the cause of his
religion during his efforts at proselytizing. W hile on his mission to free a
tribe of unbelievers from their submission to bloodthirsty idols and lead
them onto the path of a just and merciful God, a Muslim villager dies the
heroic death of a true believer. His selfless sacrifice is rewarded by his im-
mediate ascension into paradise and, since it serves as proof of the supe-
riority of his faith, prompts a young pagan warrior to convert. Before the
neophyte can win his fellow tribesmen over to Islam, he has to overcome
the opposition of the pagan king. In a showdown between convert and
king, the convert shows his willingness to die for his new religion as the
first martyr did. Facing the king, who is pointing a spear at him, the con-
vert tells the king that he will only be able to kill him, the convert, if God
Almighty permits: “If you want to kill me, you have to say, ‘In the name
of Allah.’” At first the king appears speechless and unable to move his
spear, but then he reluctantly utters the phrase and subsequently kills the
convert. A fade shows the immediate ascension of the convert’s soul into
paradise. In a blue sky appear the translucent images of the first martyr
and a girl holding a bowl of fruit—probably one of the many virgins who
inhabit the Muslim paradise. Together they welcome the second martyr.
Down on earth, the pagans are impressed by the martyr’s bravery, desert
their king, mass-convert to Islam, and destroy their idols.
To render visible what their Muslim audiences always knew but were
never able to see—the “wonderful power of the Qur’an” (as demanded
by the video film fan quoted previously)—filmmakers employed special
effects, ranging from simple jump cuts to blue-screen montages. In Sha-
heed the future convert has to fight a bush monster. About to be killed by
the creature, he remembers a Muslim prayer he has heard before, says the
words, and throws a stone at the monster. The stone turns into a grenade
and sets the monster on fire. Deeply impressed by this miracle, the pagan
is ready to convert. The power of prayer is made visible in a similar manner
in Judah! The video’s Muslim hero is captured and put in chains by pagan
warriors. W hen he prays, his bonds miraculously turn into dry leaves.
Another sequence of Judah! shows a girl fleeing a bunch of warriors, who
is able to climb up to the sky after beseeching Allah.