Fam. Wouters
Defected Indian soldier or turned prisoner of war on a "Dschihad für den deutschen Kaiser" - The WWI Holy war
A nice memento illustration that the Great War was truly a World War. It is in fact also in important historical document, as it provided photographic evidence of the "Dschihad für den deutschen Kaiser" or the "Jihad for the German Emperor" - Kaiser Wilhelm II.
The note on the back, kindly transcribed by Xiphophilos, reveals that this a soldier of the Indian Army using a megaphone to tell his countrymen still fighting for the British that a Holy war had been declared against England.
This Muslim soldier had deflected or was a turned prisoner of war, now working for the Germans.
Some more information on how things got this far...
It was in fact the German diplomat and Baron Max von Oppenheim who was the key figure here. As an observer for the German Empire, he lived in Cairo for many years and as such became an Orient expert speaking fluent Arabic and who had many contacts. As the great war started, he received orders to incite the Arabs ranging from the Middle East and Egypt to India to a Holy war - against their British colonial masters.
The alliance of the German Empire with the Ottoman Empire of course fitted in this picture as well. Their Sultan-Caliph Mehmed V., a spiritual leader of Muslims, also declared the Holy war on the British when the war started. Also, in 1915, Oppenheim travelled towards the East and the Arabian Peninsula, going from mosque to mosque, talking about the infidel colonialists in Africa and Asia. He went through Syria, Palestine, Sinai and traveled the Northwest Arabian peninsula, trying to evoque a Sectarian violence.
The British recognized the danger and tried to seek alliance with the Arabs as well, through Thomas Edward Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia. They managed to get Sharif Hussein on board.
Info was used form this article:
einestages.spiegel.de/static/topicalbumbackground/6327/ds...
This was of course the bigger picture, a small part was the creation of special "Halbmondlager" (Crescent Camps) for Moslem prisoners of war in Zossen near Berlin and in Wünsdorf, where the prisoners received halal food, could observe Ramadan, and had their own imams. Turkish agitators were supposed to persuade the POWs to join the cause of the axis powers. About 30.000 POWs were on those 2 camps and some were clearly turned, as shown here. [Courtesy of Xiphophilos]
Even after WWI, Oppenheim still believed in the power of the Jihad, advising Adolf Hitler in WWI to try to use it as well.
Although so old, some aspects are still amazingly topical. Occupation, supression, colonization will always evoque frustration.
Defected Indian soldier or turned prisoner of war on a "Dschihad für den deutschen Kaiser" - The WWI Holy war
A nice memento illustration that the Great War was truly a World War. It is in fact also in important historical document, as it provided photographic evidence of the "Dschihad für den deutschen Kaiser" or the "Jihad for the German Emperor" - Kaiser Wilhelm II.
The note on the back, kindly transcribed by Xiphophilos, reveals that this a soldier of the Indian Army using a megaphone to tell his countrymen still fighting for the British that a Holy war had been declared against England.
This Muslim soldier had deflected or was a turned prisoner of war, now working for the Germans.
Some more information on how things got this far...
It was in fact the German diplomat and Baron Max von Oppenheim who was the key figure here. As an observer for the German Empire, he lived in Cairo for many years and as such became an Orient expert speaking fluent Arabic and who had many contacts. As the great war started, he received orders to incite the Arabs ranging from the Middle East and Egypt to India to a Holy war - against their British colonial masters.
The alliance of the German Empire with the Ottoman Empire of course fitted in this picture as well. Their Sultan-Caliph Mehmed V., a spiritual leader of Muslims, also declared the Holy war on the British when the war started. Also, in 1915, Oppenheim travelled towards the East and the Arabian Peninsula, going from mosque to mosque, talking about the infidel colonialists in Africa and Asia. He went through Syria, Palestine, Sinai and traveled the Northwest Arabian peninsula, trying to evoque a Sectarian violence.
The British recognized the danger and tried to seek alliance with the Arabs as well, through Thomas Edward Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia. They managed to get Sharif Hussein on board.
Info was used form this article:
einestages.spiegel.de/static/topicalbumbackground/6327/ds...
This was of course the bigger picture, a small part was the creation of special "Halbmondlager" (Crescent Camps) for Moslem prisoners of war in Zossen near Berlin and in Wünsdorf, where the prisoners received halal food, could observe Ramadan, and had their own imams. Turkish agitators were supposed to persuade the POWs to join the cause of the axis powers. About 30.000 POWs were on those 2 camps and some were clearly turned, as shown here. [Courtesy of Xiphophilos]
Even after WWI, Oppenheim still believed in the power of the Jihad, advising Adolf Hitler in WWI to try to use it as well.
Although so old, some aspects are still amazingly topical. Occupation, supression, colonization will always evoque frustration.