Lecture 6
Pak301
The Khilafat Movement
The Khilafat movement was a religio-political movement launched by the Muslims of
British India for the retention of the Ottoman Caliphate and for not handing over the control of
Muslim holy places to non-Muslims.
Turkey sided with Germany in World War 1. As it began to lose the war, concerns were
expressed in India about the future of Turkey. It was a peak period from 1919 to 1922 casting
demonstrations, boycott, and other pressure by the two major communities, the Hindus and the
Muslims.
Being brothers, the Indian Muslims realized their religious duty to help the Muslim
country. It was the extra territorial attachments based on Islam. Another factor same to the first
was that the Indian Muslims considered Ottoman Caliphate a symbol of unity of the Muslim world
as Ummah.
Goals:
1. Ottoman Khilafat should be kept intact.
2. Territorial solidarity of Turkey be preserved.
3. Control of holy the places should not be given to non-Muslims.
Dimensions:
The writings of the Muslim intellectuals provoked the sentiments for the preservation of
Khilafat and retention of the Muslims control of the holy places. The Muslims journalism played a
vital role to steer the direction of the struggle. Zamindar of Zafar Ali Khan, Comrade and Hamdard
of Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar, and Al-Hilal of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad etc. were the
prominent newspapers and magazines which performed their duties to express their resentment.
The Allies imposed humiliating terms on vanquished Turkey.
Protests in India:
All India Khilafat Committee was formed at Bombay in July 1919. The first Khilafat
Conference at Delhi in November 1919 was arranged in which the Congress leaders like Gandhi
and Nehru participated. In this way, the major political parties joined hands to assault the injustice
with the Muslim community. These steps were announced:
== No participation in victory celebrations.
== Boycott of British goods
== Non Cooperation with the Government
The second Khilafat Conference (Amritsar) was held in Dec. 1919. Maulana Muhammad
Ali and Shaukat Ali joined the session after being released from prison. In Jan. 1920, M. A. Ansari
led a delegation to Viceroy while Maulana M. A. Jauhar to Europe. The Khilafat Committee
decided to start non-cooperation in collaboration with the Congress in May 1920.
Rowlett Act, 1919
Rowlett Act was a black law introduced in India. To the law, the government got authority
to persecute any Indian and the arrested had no facility of legal assistance and right to appeal
just as the ‘Lettres de Cachet’ in France before the French Revolution. Jinnah resigned from the
central legislature as a protest.
Jallianwala Bagh Incident, April 1919
The people gathered in Jallianwala Bagh at Amritsar but General Dyer opened fire to
disperse the throng that cast a huge human casualties (379). It is considered one of the great
tragedies in India. In 1940, by killing Governor Punjab, Sir Michaal O’ Dayer, ‘Ram Muhammad
Singh Azad’ got revenge of the Indian massacre.
The Nagpur Session of the Congress (Dec. 1920) approved non-cooperation with
Government but Jinnah opposed and left the Congress because he was against the use of extra-
constitutional means of protests.
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Non-Cooperation:
== Return Titles
== Boycott of courts and educational institutions
== Resign from jobs
== Later resign from police and military jobs
== Refusal to pay taxes
Khilafat Conference, Karachi, July 1921
In the session the participants expressed their loyalty to Turkish Sultan. They decided to
continue the agitation and supported Attaturk to expel foreign forces from Turkey.
Hijrat Movement 1920-21
The Indian ulama (religious leaders) declared India ‘Darul Harab.’ Darul Harab means the
place (country) where Muslims are not allowed to perform their religious practices. In the said
situation, the Muslims should migrate to the nearest safe place. The ulama issued verdicts to go
to Darul Islam, Afghanistan. There was an impression that King of Afghanistan would welcome
them. So the migration took place at large scale. Initially Afghans welcomed them. Later, they
closed the border and pushed the migrants back to the Indian territories. It resulted in loss of lives
and money. Many died during this mission. Some went to Soviet Union from Afghanistan because
they had nothing in India now.
End of the Movement
Moplah Revolt Malabar Coast, near Kalicut
Moplahs were the descendents of the Arab Muslims settled in the Sub-Continent even
before the arrival of Muhammad Bin Qasim. In August 1921, they revolted against Hindu
landlords whose treatment was very brutal with them. Later this clash changed as Moplahs
versus the Police and Hindu. This embittered the Hindu-Muslim relations.
There was an increase in violence day by day and the Chorachori Incident (UP) in February 1922
worsened the situation. The Congress volunteers set a police station on fire and 21 policemen
were killed. Gandhi suddenly called off the movement.
Developments in Turkey
In 1922 Attaturk emerged as a national leader and restricted powers of Sultan. Next he
was appointed Chief of the state by Grand National Assembly. In March 1924, Khilafat was
abolished. This caused a widespread resentment among the Indian Muslims. They sent
delegations to Turkey but failed to achieve their objectives.
Conclusions:
1. It was re-affirmation of the reality that religion is a mobilizing force and especially
Islam has mobilization capacity to organize masses.
2. It was the movement launched on the basis of extra-territorialism. Later, no such
movement but Pan-Islamic sentiments continued.
3. It resulted in the sufferings of the Muslims
4. Hindu-Muslim unity proved short-lived.
5. Reactivation of the Muslim League and other Muslims organizations to restart
their activities as a separate nation.
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