KHILAFAT MOVEMENT

INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
TurkeysidedwithGermanyinWorldWar1.Asitbeganto
losethewar,concernswereexpressedinIndiaaboutthe
futureofTurkey.Itwasapeakperiodfrom1919to1922
castingdemonstrations,boycott,andotherpressurebythe
twomajorcommunities,theHindusandtheMuslims.
Beingbrothers,theIndianMuslimsrealizedtheirreligious
dutytohelptheMuslimcountry.Itwastheextraterritorial
attachmentsbasedonIslam.Anotherfactorsametothe
firstwasthattheIndianMuslimsconsideredOttoman
CaliphateasymbolofunityoftheMuslimworldas
Ummah.

OTTOMAN SULTAN

KHILAFATMOVEMENT

KhilafatMovement(1919-1924)
wasasignificantIslamic
movementorganizedbytheAli
brothers-MohammedAliand
ShaukatAliinIndiaduringthe
Britishrule.
ThiswasanattemptbytheIndian
Muslimcommunitytounite
togetherinsupportoftheTurkish
EmpireruledbytheKhalifa
(OttomanSultan),whichwas
attackedbyEuropeanpowers.

GOALS
1.OttomanKhilafatshouldbekeptintact.
2.TopreservedtheTerritorialsolidarity.
3.Controlofholytheplacesshouldnotbegivento
non-Muslims.

DIMENSIONS

ThewritingsoftheMuslimintellectuals
provokedthesentimentsforthepreservationof
KhilafatandretentionoftheMuslimscontrolof
theholyplaces.
TheMuslimsjournalismplayedavitalroleto
steerthedirectionofthestruggle.
ZamindarofZafarAliKhan,Comradeand
HamdardofMaulanaMuhammadAliJauhar,
andAl-HilalofMaulanaAbulKalamAzadetc.
weretheprominentnewspapersandmagazines
whichperformedtheirdutiestoexpresstheir
resentment.
TheAlliesimposedhumiliatingtermson
defeatedTurkey.

ACTIVITIESOFKHILAFATMOVEMENT
Delegations:
DelegationsweresenttoU.KandotherEuropean
countriesthefeelingsoftheMuslimstogetthe
governments.

MedicalAid:
Doctors,nursesaridmedicinesweredispatchedto
TurkeyforthetreatmentofwoundedTurkishsoldiers.

ACTIVITIESOFKHILAFATMOVEMENT
TreatyOfSevres:
In1920,treatyofSevreswassignedbetween
Alliedforces.Itwasdecidedbythetreatythatthe
AlliesandSyria,IraqandJordanwouldbe
separatedfromTurkishempire.
Processions:
Muslimvolunteerspresentedthemselvestopolice
forarrests.Allleadersweresentbehindthebars
butthemovementcouldnotbediminished.

PROTESTSININDIA:

AllIndiaKhilafatCommitteewasformedatBombayinJuly1919.
ThefirstKhilafatConferenceatDelhiinNovember1919was
arrangedinwhichtheCongressleaderslikeGandhiandNehru
participated.Inthisway,themajorpoliticalpartiesjoinedhandsto
assaulttheinjusticewiththeMuslimcommunity.

These steps were announced:

Noparticipationinvictorycelebrations.

BoycottofBritishgoods.

NonCooperationwiththeGovernment.
ThesecondKhilafatConference(Amritsar)washeldinDec.1919.
MaulanaMuhammadAliandShaukatAlijoinedthesessionafter
beingreleasedfromprison.InJan.

ROLEOFGANDHI

NON-COOPERATION:

TheNagpurSessionoftheCongress(Dec.1920)approvednon
cooperationwithGovernmentbutMohammadAliJinnahopposed
andlefttheCongresson13thApril1923,becausehewasagainst
theuseofextra-constitutionalmeansofprotests.

Thecountrywaspassingthroughacriticalperiodandboththe
CongressandtheMuslimLeaguefullyfeltthenecessityofmutual
co-operationtotheKhilafatMovement.

TheleadersofthetwomovementsmetatAmritsarandresolvedto
launchacountry-wideagitationundertheleadershipofMr.Gandhi.
Sothetwomovements,oneledbyMaulanaMuhammadAliandthe
otherbyMr.Gandhimergedintooneanditwasdirectedagainstthe
BritishGovernment.

THE POLICY OF PROGRESSIVE, NON-VIOLENT, NONCOOPERATION WAS TO BE GIVEN EFFECT TO IN THE

FOLLOWING MANNER:

RejectionofallGovernmenttitles.
Boycottofcourtsandeducationalinstitutions.
Resignfromjobs.
Laterresignfrompoliceandmilitaryjobs.
Refusaltopaytaxes.
Boycottofforeigngoods.

HIJRATMOVEMENT1920-21

TheIndianulama(religiousleaders)declaredIndiaDarulHarab.
DarulHarabmeanstheplace(country)whereMuslimsarenot
allowedtoperformtheirreligiouspractices.
Inthesaidsituation,theMuslimsshouldmigratetothenearestsafe
place.
TheulamaissuedconsequencestogotoDarulIslam,Afghanistan.
TherewasanimpressionthatKingofAfghanistanwouldwelcome
them.Sothemigrationtookplaceatlargescale.
InitiallyAfghanswelcomedthem.
Later,theyclosedtheborderandpushedthemigrantsbacktothe
Indianterritories.
Itresultedinlossoflivesandmoney.Manydiedduringthismission.
SomewenttoSovietUnionfromAfghanistanbecausetheyhad
nothinginIndianow.

ENDOFTHEMOVEMENT

MoplahRevoltMalabarCoast,nearKalicut
MoplahswerethedescendentsoftheArabMuslimssettledintheSubContinentevenbeforethearrivalofMuhammadBinQasim.
InAugust1921,theyrevoltedagainstHindulandlordswhosetreatmentwas
verycruelwiththem.
LaterthisclashchangedasMoplahsversusthePoliceandHindu.This
embitteredtheHindu-Muslimrelations.
TherewasanincreaseinviolencedaybydayandtheChorachoriIncident
(UP)inFebruary1922worsenedthesituation.
TheCongressvolunteerssetapolicestationonfireand21policemenwere
killed.Gandhisuddenlycalledoffthemovement.

DEVELOPMENTSINTURKEY

In1922Attaturkappearedasanationalleaderand
controlledthepowersofSultan.Nexthewas
appointedastheChiefofthestatebyGrand
NationalAssembly.
InMarch1924,Khilafatwaseradicated.This
causedawidespreadangeramongtheIndian
Muslims.
TheysentdelegationstoTurkeybutfailedto
achievetheirobjectives.

RESULTS OF THE KHILAFAT MOVEMENT

TheKhilafatMovementwasagreatMuslimstrugglewhich
provideddynamicleadershiptotheMuslimsandestablished
foundationstolaunchfurtherMuslimFreedommovementon
stableandfixedbasis.
ItconfirmedtotheMuslimsthattheHindumindcannever
besinceretotheMuslims.
TheKhilafatMovementeffectivelydemonstratedthe
religiousenthusiasmoftheMuslimstotheBritish.The
BritishnowseriouslyfeltofgivingindependencetoIndia.

RESULTS OF THE KHILAFAT MOVEMENT

TheKhilafatMovementalsocultivatedanew
outlookamongsttheMuslimsnottorelyon
otherssupportandtowhollydependonselfdeterminationfortheachievementofnational
cause.
TheKhilafatMovementdevelopedasenseof
concernamongsttheMuslimsabouttheir
nationalmattersandinculcatedamongthemthe
awarenessabouttheirfuture.
TheKhilafatMovementgreatlystrengthenedthe
Two-NationTheorywhichbecamethebasisof
establishmentofPakistan.

REASONS FOR THE FAILURE OF THE KHILAFAT MOVEMENT

GandhisactionofcallingofftheNon-Cooperationmovement
atamomentwhentheGovernmentwasabouttomakemajor
concessions,wasasevereset-backtothemovement.

TheGovernmentarrestedallimportantleadersofthe
movementwhichlefttheMuslimsleaderlesswhowandered
aimlesslyfromonesidetotheother.

TheGovernmentafterarrestingleaders,adoptedcruel
measuresonthemassestoquelltheiragitation.

REASONS FOR THE FAILURE OF THE KHILAFAT MOVEMENT

TheGrandNationalAssemblyofTurkeyelectedMustafaKamalastheir
leaderwhostoppedtheinstitutionofCaliphateandthelastCaliphSultan
AbdulMajeedwasbanishedfromTurkey.

TheHindu-Muslimunity,achievedatLucknow,disappearedinthebeginning
ofthemovementandcouldnotberecaptured.

TheextremistHindumovements,ShuddiandSanghtan,beganconverting
theMuslimstoHinduismwhichprovidedanewcauseofbitternessbetween
HindusandMuslims.

Thecollectiveclashesanddisturbanceseruptedinthecountrywhich
adverselyaffectedthepoliticalconditionsofIndia.

REASON OF FAILURE

SurfacelevelunityofHinduMuslims
SeparatemotiveformovementofHinduandMuslims
SeparateIdeologyofTurksandMuslimsofSubcontinent
WarofTurksfoughtbyMuslimsofIndia
MigrationMovement
MoplasTragedy

AlthoughholdingtalkswiththeBritishandcontinuingtheiractivities,the
struggleofKhilafatweakenedasMuslimsweredividedbetween:Working
fortheCongressandMuslimLeague
ThefinalblowcamewiththevictoryofMustafaKemal'sforces,who
overthrewtheOttomanruletoestablishapro-Western,secularrepublicin
independentTurkey.HeabolishedtheChalipathroleandsoughtnohelp
fromIndians

CONCLUSIONS:

TheKhilafatMovementwasofconsiderableimportanceinthehistoryof
MuslimIndia.

Itservedtheimportantpurposeofthemass-awakeningiftheMuslims.

Italsoservedtodemonstratethereligiousandpoliticalorganizationamong
theMuslimsofthesub-continent.

ItsfailureledthemtobelievethattheMuslims,iftheywantedtosurvivein
thesub-continent,mustdependonupontheirownstrengthandworkouttheir
politicaldestiny.

Themovementlatergavemotivationtothestrugglefortheindependence
andforaseparatehomelandfortheMuslims.