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Outline:
• Background
• Khilafat Movement in South Asia
• Background
• Aims And Objectives Of Khilafat Movement
• Demands Of The Khilafat Committee
• Causes Of The Failure Of Khilafat Movement.
• Effects Of Khilafat Movement
i) Credit Side Of Khilafat Movement
ii) Adverse Side Of The Khilafat Movement
• Conclusion
• Background:
After the First World War in 1918, British and its allied powers decided to divide
Turkey among themselves. Turkey supported Germany in the First World War.
Germany lost the war and Turkey had to face the music. British and its allies also
resolved to dissolve the designation of Khilafat. The designation of Khilafat
always remained holy and sacred in the Muslim history. Khalifa is considered the
vicegerent of Allah on the Earth. Therefore, the Muslims became infuriated on this
unholy act of the British government. Maulana Mohammad Ali Johar and Maulana
Shaukat Ali Johar along with other Muslim leaders started a movement called the
Khilafat movement.
• Khilafat Movement in South Asia:

Although political activities and popular outcry on behalf of the caliphate emerged
across the Muslim world, the most prominent activities took place in India. A
prominent Oxford educated Muslim journalist, Maulana Muhammad Ali Johar had
spent four years in prison for advocating resistance to the British and support for
the caliphate. At the onset of the Turkish War of Independence, Muslim religious
leaders feared for the caliphate, which the European powers were reluctant to
protect. To some of the Muslims of India, the prospect of being conscripted by the
British to fight against fellow Muslims in Turkey was anathema.To its founders and
followers, the Khilafat was not a religious movement but rather a show of solidarity with their fellow Muslims in Turkey.
Mohammad Ali and his brother Maulana Shaukat Ali joined with other Muslim
leaders such as Pir Ghulam Mujaddid Sarhandi Sheikh Shaukat Ali Siddiqui, Dr.
Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, Raees-Ul-Muhajireen Barrister Jan Muhammad Junejo,
Hasrat Mohani, Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Dr.
Hakim Ajmal Khan to form the All India Khilafat Committee. The organisation
was based in Lucknow, India at Hathe Shaukat Ali, the compound of Landlord
Shaukat Ali Siddiqui. They aimed to build political unity amongst Muslims and
use their influence to protect the caliphate. In 1920, they published the Khilafat
Manifesto, which called upon the British to protect the caliphate and for Indian
Muslims to unite and hold the British accountable for this purpose.[9] The Khilafat
Committee in Bengal included
Mohmmad Akram Khan, Manruzzaman Islamabadi, Mujibur
Rahman Khan and Chittaranjan Das.
2
In 1920 an alliance was made between Khilafat leaders and the Indian National
Congress, the largest political party in India and of the nationalist movement.
Congress leader Mohandas Gandhi and the Khilafat leaders promised to work and
fight together for the causes of Khilafat and Swaraj. Seeking to increase pressure
on the British, the Khilafatists became a major part of the non-cooperation
movement — a nationwide campaign of mass, peaceful civil disobedience. The
support of the Khilafatists helped Gandhi and the Congress ensure Hindu-Muslim
unity during the struggle. Khilafat leaders such as Dr. Ansari, Maulana Azad and
Hakim Ajmal Khan also grew personally close to Gandhi. These leaders founded
the Jamia Millia Islamia in 1920 to promote independent education and social
rejuvenation for Muslims.
The non-cooperation campaign was at first successful. The programme started with
boycott of legislative councils, government schools, colleges and foreign goods.
Government functions and surrender of titles and distinctions.[citation needed]Massive
protests, strikes and acts of civil disobedience spread across India. Hindus and
Muslims collectively offered resistance, which was largely peaceful. Gandhi, the
Ali brothers and others were imprisoned by the British. Under the flag of Tehrik-e-
Khilafat, a Punjab Khilafat deputation comprising Moulana Manzoor Ahmed and
Moulana Lutfullah Khan Dankauri took a leading role throughout India, with a
particular concentration in the Punjab (Sirsa, Lahore, Haryana etc.).
• Aims And Objectives Of Khilafat Movement:

The Khilafat Movement aimed at presenting the Ottoman Empire and the
continuity of the temporal power of Khalifa to protect Muslim lands without any
mandate. Mohammad Ali put forward the demands of the Khilafat Movement in a
speech delivered at Paris on March 21, 1920 by declaring:
3
“The Khilafat shall not be dismembered but that the Khalifa
Shall have sufficient temporal power for the defence of the
Faith, that in the Island of Arabia there shall be exclusive,
Muslim control without mandate or protection and that the
Khalifa shall remain as heretofore the warden of the
Holy places.”
• Demands Of The Khilafat Committee:

The demands of the Khilafat committee were as under:
i) The Turkish Empire should not be dismembered.
ii) The Holy place should remain in the custody of Turkish Government.
iii) The institution of Caliphate must be retained.
• Causes Of The Failure Of Khilafat Movement:

Gandhi also joined Muslims in their Khilafat Movement. In fact, he wants to
protect the British government and needed autonomy of India through this
movement. Therefore, he joined the Khilafat Movement for achieving his coveted
plan. Apparently, he was showing that he was sincere to the Muslim cause.
Quaid-e-Azam admonished the Muslims that this movement should not be started
but Muslims were not listening to him.
Non-cooperation movement, Hijrat movement, Moplah revolt and the Chauri
Chaura tragedy did a great loss to Muslim properties, wealth and lives.
After the tragedy of Chauri Chaura, Gandhi left the Khilafat movement saying that
he did not like violence.
After Hijrat Movement, the Muslims had to come back to the Sub-continent but
now they had lost their hearth and home. They had to face the severe
circumstances in the Khilafat movement.
In 1924, Mustafa Kamal Ata Turk assumed power in Turkey and abolished the
institution of Khilafat himself lf. This act of him really disappointed Muslims.
Thus the Khilafat Movement came to an end without achieving its goals.
4
• Effects Of Khilafat Movement:
i) The Credit Side Of Khilafat Movement:
• It trained Muslims for political action and agitation.
• It united the extremists and modernists on one platform.
• They learned that Hindus can never be friends of Muslims. Their differences are
too deep-rooted to weed out.
• The Muslims got acquainted of their political power.
• It made Muslims politically conscious.
• It destroyed the myth of Muslims loyalty to the British.
i) Credit Side Of Khilafat Movement
• It trained Muslims for political action and agitation.

• It united the extremists and modernists on one platform.
• They learned that Hindus can never be friends of Muslims. Their differences
are too deep-rooted to weed out.
• The Muslims got acquainted of their political power.
• It made Muslims politically conscious.
• It destroyed the myth of Muslims loyalty to the British.
ii) Adverse Side Of The Khilafat Movement:
• Muslims became more interested in national affairs than international one.

• Hijrat movement cost millions of rupees and millions of families.
• Muslim emotionalism gave nothing to them. Khilafat was abolished not by
British but by Turks themselves.
• Religious leaders for the time being vanished from political arena.
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• Conclusion
Every movement against the British rule left its good as well as bad
effects on the people. After Khilafat Movement Muslims of the Sub-
continent become united, strong and conscious about their separate
identity which led them towards final destination. This was the real
credit which Muslims derived from Khilafat Movement.

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Outline:

• Khilafat Movement in South Asia:

• Aims And Objectives Of Khilafat Movement:

• Demands Of The Khilafat Committee:

• Causes Of The Failure Of Khilafat Movement:

i) Credit Side Of Khilafat Movement

• It trained Muslims for political action and agitation.

ii) Adverse Side Of The Khilafat Movement:

• Muslims became more interested in national affairs than international one.

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