Gauravdewasi at 18:25, 17 February 2026

2026-02-17T18:25:07Z

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{{Short description|First Urdu-language newspaper produced in Germany}}
{{Infobox newspaper
| name = Hindostan
| image = Hindostan Urdu-edition 1916.jpg
| caption = Illustration of a Zeppelin airship accompanying an article in the Urdu edition of Hindostan, issue 25 from January 14, 1916.
| type = Prisoner-of-war camp newspaper
| format = Handwritten, photolithographed
| founded = March 1915
| ceased_publication = August 1918
| owners = [[Nachrichtenstelle für den Orient]]
| publisher = [[German Foreign Office]]
| editor = Indian members of the Berlin Indian Independence Committee
| language = [[Urdu]]
| headquarters = [[Wünsdorf]], [[German Empire]]
| sister_newspapers =
}}

'''Hindostan''' (Urdu: ہندوستان), was the first Urdu-language newspaper produced in Germany during the [[First World War]] for Indian [[Muslim]] [[prisoners of war]] (POWs). Published by the German Foreign Office’s propaganda machinery in [[Berlin]] from March 1915 through August 1918, the two-page handwritten issues—reproduced via photolithography—were part of German propaganda efforts to promote [[jihad]] and shift the allegiance of POWs held in camps like [[Wünsdorf]]’s [[Halbmondlager]] and nearby facilities.<ref>{{Cite web| title=Beyond Propaganda: Reimagining the Hindostan Newspaper (1915-17) as a Theatre of the First World War | url=https://www.globalhistories.com/index.php/GHSJ/article/download/662/284/3222 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250327092123/https://globalhistories.com/index.php/GHSJ/article/download/662/284/3222 | archive-date=2025-03-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370983811|title=Click here for more Al-A z h ā r Title Author (s): Received on: Accepted on: Published on: Citation: Publisher: First Urdu Newspaper in Germany for WWI Muslim Prisoners of War}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title=Contextual analysis and micro history of Pashtun prisoners of war in Germany during world war first (WWI) | url=https://pukhtunkhwajournal.org/journals/02-2024/issue-01/275-316.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241208221345/https://pukhtunkhwajournal.org/journals/02-2024/issue-01/275-316.pdf | archive-date=2024-12-08}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/385110162|title=The Image of Islam and Muslims in the German Newspaper: The Bild Newspaper as a Mode | Request PDF}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/293/oa_edited_volume/chapter/3774156|title=Project MUSE - Jihad and Islam in World War I}}</ref>

==Historical context==
===POWs camps for Muslim soldiers===
Germany established specialized camps—most notably [[Halbmondlager]] (“Half-Moon Camp”) near [[Wünsdorf]]—for Muslim prisoners from the British, French, and Russian armies. The aim was to cultivate sympathy for the Central Powers, encouraging jihad-themed propaganda under the guise of religious camaraderie. In these camps, detainees could worship, observe religious holidays, and even attend a wooden mosque, the first built in Germany.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2019/03/hindostan-a-propaganda-newspaper-for-south-asian-pows-in-germany-during-world-war-i|title=Hindostan: A Propaganda Newspaper for South Asian POWs in Germany during World War I | 4 Corners of the World|first=Anchi|last=Hoh|date=March 7, 2019|website=The Library of Congress}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2025/04/now-online-the-ww1-era-pow-camp-newspaper-hindostan-in-hindi-and-urdu|title=Now Online: The WW1-Era POW Camp Newspaper "Hindostan" in Hindi and Urdu | 4 Corners of the World|first=Joshua|last=Kueh|date=April 29, 2025|website=The Library of Congress}}</ref>

===German propaganda initiatives===
As part of its psychological warfare strategy, Germany’s Nachrichtenstelle für den Orient ("Information Center for the Orient") produced various language editions of a camp newspaper called [[:de:El Dschihad|El Dschihad]] (“The Jihad”), supporting the broader goal of mobilizing Muslim POWs. In parallel, Hindostan was published specifically in Hindi and Urdu for South Asian prisoners.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/><ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.al-azhaar.org/index.php/alazhar/article/view/246|title=First Urdu Newspaper in Germany for WWI Muslim Prisoners of War|first1=Dr Muhammad Ali|last1=Dinakhel|first2=Dr Ahmed Farhan|last2=Saeed|first3=Dr Muhammad|last3=Shafi|date=December 25, 2021|journal=Al-Azhār|volume=7|issue=2|pages=82–99|via=www.al-azhaar.org}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:1915 establishments in Germany]]
[[Category:1918 disestablishments in Germany]]
[[Category:Newspapers established in 1915]]
[[Category:Newspapers disestablished in 1918]]
[[Category:Defunct newspapers published in Germany]]
[[Category:Prisoner-of-war camps]]
[[Category:World War I propaganda]]
[[Category:Urdu-language newspapers]]
[[Category:Urdu-language mass media]]
[[Category:Islam in Germany]]

Hindostan (Urdu newspaper) - Revision history

Gauravdewasi at 18:25, 17 February 2026