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Khilafat Movement leaded to

Pakistan Movement
successfully?

The Khilafat Movement: A Flame of Unity, Doused by

Distrust
Introduction
The Lucknow Pact (1916) had shown Indians a rare glimpse of communal unity—
Hindus and Muslims, despite centuries of tension, had managed to agree on
political demands. This fragile partnership seemed to strengthen with the Khilafat
Movement in the aftermath of World War I. For a moment, both communities
looked like they were rowing the same boat. But beneath that surface, religious
mistrust, political insecurities, and colonial manipulation were slowly tearing the
boat apart.

Reasons for the Formation of the Khilafat Movement

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 A. Deep-Seated Muslim Fears
The spark that lit the Khilafat Movement was the British threat to dismantle the
Ottoman Empire, but the fuel came from long-standing Muslim frustrations.

Muslim World Being Ignored: Muslim-majority countries like Afghanistan and

Persia (modern-day Iran) had become pawns in the political tug-of-war
between Britain and Russia. Decisions were made without consulting the
Muslim people who lived there. This wasn’t just disrespect—it was a full-on
dismissal of Muslim voices on the world stage.

Divide and Rule at Work: Many Indian Muslims believed the British were
manipulating them into fearing Hindus, just to keep both communities weak
and dependent on British rule. Leaders like Maulana Abul Kalam Azad called
this out, telling Muslims that Hindus weren’t the enemy—they were also
victims of the same colonial oppression.

Muslim Soldiers Deserting: During WWI, the British expected Indian Muslim
soldiers to fight the Ottoman Turks. But to many of these soldiers, fighting
fellow Muslims—especially the Khalifa, their religious leader—was a step too
far. Desertions increased, and morale crumbled.

Collapse of Muslim Power Worldwide: Maulvi Fazl-ul-Huq, in his 1918

address as President of the Muslim League, warned that every fall of a Muslim
power—like Turkey—would reduce the influence and dignity of Indian
Muslims. He urged unity, even with Hindus, to protect their place in the
subcontinent.

B. World War I and the British Betrayal

WWI put Britain in a tough spot. They needed Muslim soldiers from India but
were fighting against Turkey, led by the Khalifa, whom Muslims respected deeply.

The Promise: To keep the peace, Britain promised Indian Muslims that the
Caliphate wouldn’t be harmed, and that the territory of Turkey would be
respected. This promise convinced many Muslims to fight for the British.

The Reality: After the war, these promises were tossed aside like yesterday’s
news. The Treaty of Sèvres (1920) crushed the Ottoman Empire, taking away
much of its territory and stripping the Khalifa of real power.

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 Muslim Outrage: The British Prime Minister, Lloyd George, even publicly
supported breaking up the Ottoman Empire. For Muslims, this was a slap in the
face. Protests erupted, and the need for organized resistance led to the birth
of the Khilafat Movement.

C. The Role and Importance of the Khalifa

The Khalifa (or Caliph) wasn’t just a Turkish king—he was the religious leader of
the global Muslim community (Ummah). The Caliphate had spiritual authority and
controlled Islamic holy lands like Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem.

When the British supported stripping the Khalifa of power and land, Indian
Muslims felt that Islam itself was under attack.

Leaders like Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar and Maulana Shaukat Ali rose to
the occasion, launching the Khilafat Movement to defend the Caliph, Islam’s
holy cities, and Muslim dignity on a global scale.

Muslims across India, regardless of social class, united under this cause.
Even Gandhi supported the movement, seeing it as a chance to build Hindu-
Muslim unity while also challenging the British Empire.

Conclusion
The Khilafat Movement was more than a religious protest—it was a political
awakening. For a brief moment, it united Indian Muslims and even brought them
together with Hindus under the shared goal of resisting British rule. But behind
this temporary alliance were simmering fears, political games, and religious
differences. The British betrayal, combined with the eventual abolition of the
Caliphate by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1924, led to the collapse of the
movement.
Still, the Khilafat Movement left a lasting mark: it showed Indian Muslims that they
could mobilize, and it revealed how communal unity—while difficult—could
momentarily shake the foundations of British control.

Muslim Outrage – Establishment of the Khilafat Movement

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 After World War I, Muslims in India were deeply upset because the British went
back on their promise to protect the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman ruler, or
Khalifa, was seen as the spiritual head of Muslims worldwide, so when the British
supported plans to break up his empire, Indian Muslims felt betrayed. This led to
the Khilafat Movement, a campaign to pressure the British into respecting the
position of the Khalifa and to protest against their treatment of Turkey after the
war.

A. The All India Khilafat Conference

In November 1919, a major conference was held in Delhi to push the British into
keeping their promises about protecting the Turkish Empire. The conference was
led by two well-known Muslim brothers, Maulana Shaukat Ali and Maulana
Muhammad Ali Jauhar, along with Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a respected
member of Congress. They decided to send a delegation to Britain to show how
strongly Indian Muslims supported the Khalifa.
Interestingly, Mahatma Gandhi also attended this conference, showing that the
issue was not just a Muslim concern. Gandhi’s presence made it clear that Hindus
and Muslims were willing to stand together against the British. Inspired by
Gandhi’s belief in satyagraha (peaceful resistance), the conference also passed
resolutions to boycott British goods and begin a non-cooperation campaign.
Gandhi believed this kind of peaceful protest showed true strength and moral
superiority. He also encouraged Muslims to work alongside Congress to achieve
swaraj (self-rule). While many Muslim leaders supported this idea, Jinnah felt that
India wasn't quite ready for complete self-rule.

The Second Conference

A second Khilafat Conference took place in Amritsar in December 1919, at the
same time as meetings of both Congress and the Muslim League. This created an
opportunity for all three major groups to unite and agree on opposing the British
plan to divide up the Turkish Empire. Gandhi was again chosen to lead the efforts
to convince the British to change their approach.
However, the British government didn’t take the protests seriously. Maulana
Muhammad Ali had just returned from a trip to Britain, where he tried to convince
British leaders of how important Turkey was to Indian Muslims. Although they

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 listened to him, they didn’t seem moved. When he pressed the issue, British Prime
Minister Lloyd George gave a sarcastic reply, saying that Turkey would get the
same kind of “justice” that Germany and Austria had received—meaning, very
harsh and punishing treatment.

B. The Policy of Non-Cooperation

In January 1920, the Khilafat leaders met with the British Viceroy, asking him to
ensure fair treatment for Turkey. Then in February, another delegation went to
England to try to influence the Western powers. But while they were still there, the
British and their allies released the Treaty of Sevres. This treaty officially broke up
the Ottoman Empire. It declared that Arabia would become independent, and
Turkey’s other lands in the Middle East would be placed under the control of
Britain and France (both non-Muslim powers). On top of that, some Turkish
territory was given to Greece, leaving Turkey with only a small part of Europe
around Istanbul.

This news infuriated Muslims in India. On 22 June 1920, Indian Muslims warned
the British that if the unfair treaty was not reversed, they would start a campaign
of non-cooperation on 1 August. Gandhi then began a national tour to rally
support for the Khilafat cause across India. People from all religious backgrounds
responded with enthusiasm and determination.

The non-cooperation movement involved peaceful but powerful actions,

including:

Giving up British titles and resigning from government jobs,

Pulling children out of British-run schools,

Avoiding British courts and legal systems,

Refusing to join the British army,

Boycotting British-made goods,

And not running in elections held by the British.

In short, the Khilafat Movement became a symbol of unity between Muslims and
Hindus against a common colonial oppressor. It showed how religious differences
could be set aside in the fight for justice, dignity, and independence. Gandhi’s

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 peaceful methods added a whole new level of strength to the movement, even
though not everyone agreed on how fast India should push for self-rule.

The Development of the Khilafat Movement

A. As a General Anti-British Protest

As the Khilafat Movement grew, it started turning into a much broader anti-British
protest. The movement gained widespread support across India, and the British
found themselves embarrassed and challenged by the public response. Visits
from British royal family members were met not with cheers but with strikes and
protests. For example, when the Prince of Wales visited Bombay in 1921, the
entire country went on strike. In Bombay, the demonstrations turned violent,
leading to riots that left 53 people dead.

The British didn’t take this lightly. They responded with a crackdown, arresting
thousands of people in an attempt to crush the movement. By the end of 1921,
over 30,000 political activists had been thrown into prison. Interestingly, the
movement had brought Hindus and Muslims together, even if only temporarily.
For a while, their usual communal differences were put aside in a shared fight
against colonial rule.

B. To Protect and Foster Islam – Hijrat

For many Muslims, however, the Khilafat Movement was less about politics and
more about religion. They saw it as a way to protect Islam and preserve their
religious identity. As the movement gained momentum, especially in the North-
West Frontier and Sindh, Muslims began rejecting Western clothing and
hairstyles, seeing British rule as a violation of Islamic principles. Some even
began to consider India as dar-ul-harb—a land ruled by non-Muslims, where
Islamic law couldn’t be properly practiced.

This belief inspired a group of 18,000 Muslims in August 1920 to undertake a

hijrat—a religious migration—to Afghanistan. These people sold their homes, left
their lands, and set off with their families on a long, difficult journey. They believed
they would be welcomed in Afghanistan, offered fertile land, and given the
chance to live freely under Islamic law.

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 But reality hit hard. The Afghan government was not prepared to receive such a
large number of migrants and eventually refused them entry. Many were forced
to return, only to find they had nothing left—their homes and land had been taken
over, and jobs were gone. This shattered many people’s hopes and led to a
decline in support for the movement.

The Khilafat Movement in Difficulty

By 8 July 1921, the Khilafat Movement held its third and final meeting. The
leaders passed some strong resolutions, declaring that no Muslim should
cooperate with the British—they should avoid British-run schools, not join the
army or police, and completely reject British rule. These bold moves infuriated
the British, who saw them as dangerous. As a result, Maulana Shaukat Ali and
Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar were arrested and charged with sedition.
The British feared the movement would disrupt law and order, and there was
some truth to their fears. In August 1921, a rebellion broke out in South India,
where a group called the Moplahs rose up against both the British and their Hindu
landlords. At Tirur, around 10,000 Moplahs attacked a police station, seizing
weapons. The British responded with military force, and the conflict ended with
around 4,000 Moplahs dead.
An even more shocking incident occurred in February 1922, in the village of
Chauri-Chaura, in the Gorakhpur district. A peaceful political procession turned
violent after police opened fire. In retaliation, the protestors killed twenty-one
policemen. This incident shook Mahatma Gandhi deeply. He had already started
having doubts about the civil disobedience movement, especially because of
rising unrest in Madras, Calcutta, and Bombay. After Chauri-Chaura, he decided
that the country was not yet ready for such a campaign and called it off.
This decision caused anger and disappointment. Many Congress leaders felt
betrayed, and Muslims, too, accused Gandhi of abandoning the struggle just
when the people were becoming energized. The British saw Gandhi’s influence
weakening, and shortly after he ended the campaign, he was arrested and
sentenced to six years in prison.

The End of the Khilafat Movement

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 The moment Gandhi called off the civil disobedience campaign, the fragile unity
between Hindus and Muslims began to weaken. Still, many Muslims were
determined to keep the Khilafat Movement alive. Ironically, their passion for
preserving the Khalifa’s role was stronger than the concern shown by the Turkish
people themselves. In 1922, the Sultan of Turkey was stripped of all political
power. Then, in 1924, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the new leader of Turkey, officially
abolished the Khilafat and exiled the Khalifa, Muhammad VI.
This was the final nail in the coffin. No matter how much Indian Muslims or British
politicians protested, it was the Turks themselves who had ended the institution.
With the Khalifa gone and no power left to save, the Khilafat Movement in India
naturally collapsed.

Reasons for the Failure of the Khilafat Movement

The Khilafat Movement failed for several interconnected reasons. First and
foremost, Indian Muslims were more emotionally invested in the fate of the
Khalifa than the people of Turkey or the global powers. Atatürk’s new
government had no intention of preserving what they saw as an outdated
religious institution. As one historian aptly put it, the Khilafat Movement was a
“wrong ideology—romantic and out of touch with reality.” This disconnect is
best reflected in the Hijrat to Afghanistan, where thousands of hopeful Muslims
were devastated by the cold, practical rejection from the Afghan government.
Second, although the Khilafat Movement marked the first time Hindus and
Muslims worked together, their alliance was likely doomed from the start. The
Hindus' primary goal was self-rule, while most Muslims weren’t necessarily on
board with that objective. Leaders like Jinnah openly opposed the idea of
merging the Muslim cause with Hindu nationalism. Gandhi claimed that
cooperation with Hindus would soften Muslim hostility toward Hindu beliefs,
saying, “In laying down my life for the Khilafat, I ensure the safety of the cow.” But
once communal riots broke out between 1921 and 1922, that sense of unity
quickly unraveled.

Another major reason for the collapse was the intense anti-British sentiment that
arose from the movement. While the original goal was to preserve the Khilafat,
many people joined the movement simply to oppose British rule. Gandhi’s non-
cooperation policy amplified this anger. But when violence erupted, he panicked

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 and shut down the movement, long before Atatürk made the final decision in
Turkey. That sudden halt demoralized supporters and left the Khilafat cause
directionless.

The Impact of the Khilafat Movement

Although the Khilafat Movement failed to save the Khalifa, it did leave behind a
lasting legacy. One of its biggest achievements was that it brought Hindus and
Muslims together—if only briefly—and introduced the powerful strategy of non-
cooperation with the British. For many historians, the Khilafat Movement was the
first big step toward Indian independence, because it showed that ordinary
Indians were no longer willing to quietly accept British rule.
More importantly, the movement made Muslims realize that they held real political
power. They learned that they could organize themselves, speak up for their
rights, and stand independently of both the British and Hindus. The British
opposition to the Khilafat only confirmed that Muslim rights would be
acknowledged only when it suited colonial policy—not out of any genuine
commitment to equality.
But the Khilafat Movement wasn’t without serious downsides. Many Muslims had
sacrificed jobs, education, and stability as part of the non-cooperation strategy
that began in 1920. Some left their careers in civil service; others abandoned their
studies. The worst affected were those who migrated to Afghanistan, only to be
rejected and return to poverty. Their dreams were crushed, and they faced harsh
realities upon their return.

Worse still, the collapse of the Hindu-Muslim alliance during the movement’s
decline led to communal violence and mistrust. Riots and clashes widened the
divide between the two communities, fueling the idea that peaceful coexistence
was impossible. For many Muslims, the failure of this united front marked a
turning point—one that nudged them closer to the belief that they needed a
separate nation of their own.

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