Khilafat Movement

What were the origins, causes and aim of the Khilafat movement?

ORIGINS/ BACKGROUND

World War I and Turkey

During the First World War, the Turks had fought on the side of the Germans - against Britain.
This created a serious problem for the British in India. They wanted the Indian Muslims to fight
in the war against the Turks, but they knew that Indian Muslims would not take part in any
fighting which led to the Khalifa being overthrown, or his empire being dismantled.
To solve the problem, the British informed the Indian Muslims that the British would respect
the rights of the Khalifa and that the Turkish Empire would be maintained. As a result of this
promise thousands of Muslims joined the British army.

Defeat of the Central Powers and Treaty of Versailles

At the end of the war peace treaties were drawn up showing how the defeated nations were to
be treated.
The Treaty of Versailles set out what would happen to Germany. Its armed forces were greatly
reduced, its colonies taken away and the country was split in two by the creation of a new
country, Poland. The Germans were also forced to pay a huge sum to the victorious Allies for
the damage caused by the fighting.
Similar measures were taken against Germany's ally, Austria.

CAUSE

Betrayal of British promise

These treaties worried the Muslims in India. In view of the punishments imposed upon Germany
and Austria, it was difficult to see how Turkey could be treated any differently.
The British Prime Minister, Lloyd George, felt strongly that the Turkish Empire should be split up
in the same way that Germany and Austria had seen their empires taken away.
The Indian Muslims were outraged at this suggestion and began to organize opposition to the
British plan, that came to be known as Khilafat movement.
 AIM/ OBJECTIVES

Protection of Caliph and the Ottoman Empire

• Protection of the institute of Caliph: Protecting the Caliph was very important for the
Muslims because he was the symbolic religious and political leader of all Muslims in the
world. Indian Muslims had developed a deep-rooted devotion with the caliphate over the
years. As, the collapse of caliphate would harm the concept of Muslim Ummah. Thus, the
Khilafat Movement was launched in order to protect the caliphate from breakage and save
the Caliph from being dethroned.

• Protection of the Ottoman Empire: The Ottoman Empire was one of the largest Muslim
empire at that time. The Indian Muslims looked upon it as the fortress of Islam. They felt that
any decline in its power would mean a blow to the independent existence of Islam as a world
community. Therefore, the Muslims were not prepared to see Turkey split up after the War.
As Muslims feared that the British wanted to split Turkey, so they founded the Movement to
influence the British government and to protect the Ottoman Empire.

Protection of holy places under Ottoman Empire’s control

As the Ottoman Empire was defeated in the war, the Muslims of India feared that collapse of
the Caliphate could result in fall of the Holy places in Makkah, Madinah, Jerusalem and other
parts of Arabia under the control of non-Muslims. Muslims all over the world have strong
religious attachment with these places and their sanctity is of top most priority to them.
Therefore, the Khilafat movement was launched to defend Turkey and the sacred places.

Attainment of self-rule for India

The Hindus and the Muslim had been working together since Lucknow Pact 1916 for self-rule.
So, in 1919, when Muslims launched the Khilafat Movement in India, Gandhi had seen an
opportunity for self-rule by joining the Movement. So, Gandhi along with Hindus joined the
Movement, as they thought that it was a good opportunity to get self-rule. This encouraged the
Muslims and soon the Movement spread across the sub-continent under the leadership of Ali
Brothers and Gandhi. Thus, another aim of the Khilafat Movement was to get maximum
concessions, especially self-rule for India.
What were main features of the Khilafat movement?
Features of the movement:
A. The All India Khilafat Conference
First Conference
In November 1919, the first Khilafat Conference was called in Delhi to try to persuade the British
to keep their promises about maintaining the Turkish Empire. The leading figures at the
conference were two brothers, Maulana Shaukat Ali and Maulana Muhammed Ali Jauhar, and
senior member of Congress, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. The Conference passed a resolution to
send a delegation to Britain to make the British aware of the strength of Muslim support for the
Khalifa.

Mahatma Gandhi was also present at the conference.

By the end of the first world war he had become an unofficial leader of Congress and his presence
showed that the Khilafat Movement was one that at first united Hindus and Muslims as anti-
Britishness seemed more important than religious differences.

Second Conference
In December 1919, the second Khilafat Conference was held in Amritsar. At the same time both
Congress and the League were also meeting in the city. It was agreed that all three organizations
should work together to oppose plans to dismember the Turkish Empire.
It was decided during the conference that Gandhi would take the lead in trying to persuade the
British not to punish Turkey.
Maulana Muhammad Ali visited to Britain earlier in which he had impressed upon the British
the importance of solving the Turkish problem. They had listened politely but were not
persuaded by his arguments.
Khilafat Movement gains momentum

First Khilafat Delegation

In January 1920, a Khilafat delegation of thirty-five people called on the Viceroy in Delhi. The
delegation included Ali-brothers, Mr. Jinnah, Mahtama Gandhi, and Abdul Kalam Azad. They
asked for fairness in the treatment of Turkey. But the Viceroy did not gave any reassurance.
Second Khilafat Delegation
In February 1920, another delegation was sent to England to meet the western leaders including
British Prime Minister Lloyd George. They tried to persuade the western powers not to treat
Turkey in the same way as Germany and Austria. This group included Muhammad Ali Jauhar,
Syed Suleman Nadvi and Abdul Kalam Azad.
But while the delegation was in England the terms of the Treaty of Sevres were announced.

Treaty of Sevres
As per the terms of the treaty:
1. the Ottoman Empire was to be split up.
2. Arabia was made independent.
3. Turkey's other lands in the Middle East were placed under the League of Nations and
allocated to Britain and France.
4. Turkish land was to be given to Greece so that Turkey's only land in Europe was a small
area around Istanbul.
5. Turkish army’s size was also restricted.
(The Turks later rebelled against this treaty and the Treaty of Lausanne replaced it in 1923. Some
of the land lost in Europe was returned, but Turkey never regained control of the Muslim
territories in the Middle East.)

Features of the movement:

B – Non-Cooperation Movement/ Civil Disobedience Movement

Gandhi was a keen advocate of the policy of passive resistance. He gave this approach the name
Satyagraha.

Satyagraha
• Hindu word meaning truth force / holding onto truth;
• A form of non-violent or passive resistance;
• Gandhi’s idea in 1919 and saw it as having a strong spiritual force;
• Gandhi urged Indians to join movement in seeking Swaraj;
• It involved sit-down strikes and hunger strikes, petitions, protest marches and boycotts.

On 22 June 1920 the Indian Muslims threatened the Viceroy that if the Treaty of Sevres was
imposed on Turkey, then a policy of non-cooperation in the country would begin on 1 August.
Gandhi toured India to rally support for the movement. It involved:
• surrendering of titles and resigning from seats in local bodies,
• withdrawing children from government schools and colleges,
• boycotting British courts,
• refusing to volunteer to join the armed forces,
• refusing to stand for election and to pay taxes,
• boycotting foreign goods - British cloth was burned in huge amounts and the production
of hand-woven Indian cloth was encouraged.

These measures turned the Khilafat Movement into an anti-British movement.

Indian Reaction to Non-cooperation Movement

• There was a great deal of support across the country and the British were highly
embarrassed when visits by British royal princes were greeted with demonstrations and
strikes.
• The Prince of Wales visited Bombay in 1921, there was a nationwide strike and
demonstrations in Bombay led to anti-British rioting in which 53 people were killed.
• The British reacted by introducing a policy of repression involving widespread arrests. By
the end of 1921, there were more than 30,000 political prisoners in India's jails.
• The Khilafat Movement had attracted Muslims and Hindus alike and, for a short while,
communal rivalry was put aside.

• There was a great deal of support across the country and the British were highly
embarrassed when visits by British royal princes were greeted with demonstrations and
strikes.
• The Prince of Wales visited Bombay in 1921, there was a nationwide strike and
demonstrations in Bombay led to anti-British rioting in which 53 people were killed.
• The British reacted by introducing a policy of repression involving widespread arrests. By
the end of 1921, there were more than 30,000 political prisoners in India's jails.
• The Khilafat Movement had attracted Muslims and Hindus alike and, for a short while,
communal rivalry was put aside.
Why did the Khilafat Movement fail?
1. Hijrat Movement

2. Imprisonment of Khilafat leaders

3. Chaura Chauri Incident and Gandhi’s withdrawal

4. Moplah Uprising

5. Multiple Objectives of Movement

1. Hijrat Movement

To many Muslims, however, the Khilafat Movement was not about opposing the British. It was
about protecting and fostering Islam. During the years when the Movement was at its strongest,
Western dress and hair styles became less popular and the idea grew, particularly in the North-
West Frontier and Sindh that disregard of the law of Islam by the British made India a Dar-ul-
Harb (enemy territory).

Consequently, in August 1920, 18,000 Muslims set off on a hijrat (migration) to Afghanistan.
They sold their land and property and began the long trek with their few remaining possessions
in carts and their wives and children walking beside them. The journey was long and difficult,
but the emigrants were told that the Afghan Government would welcome them and that fertile
fields would be
made available for
them to plant their
crops. The truth
was very different.
The Afghanis did
not welcome the
idea of such huge
numbers suddenly
descending upon
their country. The
emigrants were
refused entry and
forcibly sent back
to what now is part of Pakistan. When they got back to their villages, their homes and jobs were
in the hands of others and could not be got back. Many died on their way back.
2. Khilafat Leaders Imprisoned

On 8 July 1921 the All-India Khilafat Movement met for the third (and final) time. It passed a
series of resolutions, which offended the British that the Khilafat leaders were arrested.

The resolutions stated that no Muslim should attend British schools, serve in the police or army
or offer any form of cooperation to the British.

As a result of this, both the Ali brothers were imprisoned. The arrest of the leaders infuriated
the Muslims, who carried out nationwide protests.

3a. Chaura Chauri Incident

• In November 1921 riots broke out in Nilambur which led to a pitched battle between the
locals and British soldiers.

• The most famous of incident occurred in Chauri-Chaura, a village in Gorakhpur district. In

February 1922, twenty-one policemen were killed after they fired on a political procession.

• There was also unrest in Madras, Calcutta and Bombay.

3b. Gandhi’s withdrawal

Gandhi got worried about the increasing level of violence. He eventually decided that India was
not yet ready for a mass campaign and he called off the movement. His decision upset many
Congress leaders and the Muslims, too, accused Gandhi of retreating just when the Indian
people were taking up the cause with enthusiasm.

The British saw how Gandhi's support had declined and, a few weeks after he called off his civil
disobedience campaign; he was arrested and sentenced to six years' imprisonment.

Further, this decision infuriated the Muslims who saw this action taking the pressure off the
British government. Consequently, it weakened Hindu-Muslim unity and also weakened support
for the Khilafat Movement. This was a massive blow to the chance of success for the Movement
as a large proportion of the support for the cause fell quickly away.
4. Moplahs Uprising

Background
Malabar District in Madras had become the center of disturbances because the Muslim
inhabitants were mainly ethnic Arabs who were forced to live a life of slavery under Hindu feudal
lords. They had great reverence for the Sultan of Turkey. The Khilafat Movement in India greatly
inspired them.

In June 1920, the Khilafat Committee was set up in Malabar. The government later imposed a
ban on public meetings and arrested many Moplahs leaders. This incident infuriated the
Moplahs.

Although, initially they were only anti-British, but when some Hindus obstructed a Khilafat
meeting in a mosque, they turned anti- Hindus also.

Event (Extract taken from Nigel Smith)

5. Multiple Objectives

Khilafat Movement also failed due to lack of clear and common objectives

During the time, Gandhi had seen an opportunity for self-rule by joining the movement and the
involvement of Hindus welcomed by many Muslims. However, by joining the Hindus the
objectives of the Movement were made less clear since the Hindus and Gandhi especially were
using it for their own ends and did not have the interests of the Muslims at heart. Hence, their
lack of interest and enthusiasm filled them with disappointment.

Furthermore, poor leadership was another cause of the failure. The movement was organized
by Ali Brothers e.g. Maulana Muhammad Ali and Maulana Shaukat Ali Jauhar, and a senior
member of Congress i.e. Gandhi. The British were concerned that the Khilafat Movement was a
threat to law and order, and it is true that there were disturbances across India. Therefore, main
leaders including Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar, Maulana Shaukat Ali Jauhar and Gandhi were
imprisoned in 1921 which made the organization less effective. Since the movement's
leadership was missing at a crucial time. So, the large scale arrests had weakened the movement
and with the imprisonment of his principal lieutenant Gandhi, was losing control of it.
Importance of the Khilafat Movement
Although the Khilafat Movement had not saved the Khilafat, it did bring significant benefits to
the people of India.

1. The policy of non-cooperation with the British had united Hindu and Muslim and it showed
that the

Indian people were no longer prepared to accept British rule. Some historians see the Khilafat
Movement as the first step on the road that led to independence.

2. The Khilafat Movement made the Muslims realise that they had political power. They realised
that they could organise themselves to demand their political rights. They were not the 'pets' of
the British and did not have to rely on either the Hindus or the British to gain their rights. Indeed
the British opposition to the Movement reinforced the growing feeling that the British only
accepted the need for Muslims to have rights when doing so did not contravene other policies
they were pursuing (like punishing Turkey).

But there were also some very negative consequences of the Khilafat Movement.

1. Many unfortunate Muslims had given up their jobs in public service and many students
had forsaken their studies as part of the non-cooperation policy established in 1920. Even
more unfortunate were the Muslims who had tried to emigrate to Afghanistan. They
returned home to economic misery.

2. The failure of the Khilafat Movement, and the joint efforts of Hindus and Muslims to work
towards a common objective, drove a wedge between the two communities. Communal rioting
followed the calling off of the non-cooperation campaign and hostility and suspicion increased.
These events proved that the Hindus and Muslims could never live together in harmony.
Perhaps, therefore, the failure of the Khilafat Movement could be seen as an important step in
moving the Muslims nearer to having their own independent state.

AFTERMATH
Its failure was also brought about by the decision of the Muslim Mustafa Kamal Ataturk who
emerged as one of the most popular leaders in Turkey after World War One. It was at this critical
moment of Turkish history that Mustafa Kamal emerged as a great military leader, organised
resistance, and finally expelled the Greeks from a few important parts. In 1924, he abolished
the institution of Caliph and formed a nationalist government in Turkey and laid the foundation
of modern Turkey. The Turks did what Indian Muslims had been opposing in their protests to
the European Powers since 1919. So, it was a total defeat for the cause the because of poor
leadership. Hence, ending the movement as Muslims of India no longer had a cause for which
to fight.