The Khilafat Movement (1919–1924)
Brief Overview
What was the Khilafat Movement?
A pan-Islamic political protest campaign launched by Indian Muslims to defend the Ottoman Caliphate after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I. It sought to protect the position of the Caliph, who was considered the spiritual head of Muslims worldwide.
Who was involved?
Muslim leaders and the ==All-India Khilafat Committee==
Key figures: ==Maulana Mohammad Ali==, ==Shaukat Ali==, and ==Gandhi==
Also supported by ==Indian National Congress==, especially under ==Gandhi==’s leadership.
When was it formed?
- The All-India Khilafat Conference was held in November 1919, launching the Khilafat agitation.
Describe the cooperation between the Khilafat Movement and the Indian Congress
The Khilafat Movement merged with the Non-Cooperation Movement led by ==Gandhi==.
In 1920, the ==Indian National Congress== passed a resolution in support of the Khilafat cause.
The cooperation represented an unprecedented unity between Hindus and Muslims, aimed at weakening British rule.
Detailed Analysis
Background and Causes
The defeat of the ==Ottoman Empire== in World War I alarmed Indian Muslims.
The British and French were planning to break up the Ottoman Empire, creating new states such as Turkey and Iraq. This violated ==Lloyd George==’s earlier promises not to partition or conquer Turkey.
This was seen as an attack on the international Muslim community.
Muslim opinion turned against the British, leading to mass agitation.
The ==Lucknow Pact== had earlier fostered Hindu-Muslim political cooperation.
The Rowlatt Act agitation touched all communities, further uniting Hindus and Muslims.
==Gandhi==, genuinely concerned about Muslim grievances, spoke at Khilafat conferences and joined the movement.
Leadership and Organisation
The movement was led by the ==Khilafat Committee==.
==Gandhi== became one of the most influential leaders of the Khilafat movement.
On 31 August 1920, the Khilafat Committee launched the Non-Cooperation Movement in conjunction with ==INC==.
A mass non-cooperation campaign followed in 1921 and 1922, characterized by peaceful protests and civil disobedience.
Methods Promoted by ==Gandhi==
Boycott of government educational institutions, law courts, legislatures.
Surrender of titles and foreign cloth.
Promotion of khadi (hand-spinning and hand-weaving).
Resignation from government service.
Mass civil disobedience, including tax refusal.
Decline and End of the Movement
In 1921, British suppression intensified—over 3,000 people arrested, including major leaders.
The Khilafat Committee issued a resolution urging members to “quietly and without any demonstration offer themselves for arrest” and to “remain non-violent in word and deed.”
However, violence broke out in 1922—most notably, burning of a police station and death of 22 policemen.
==Gandhi== feared this would provoke widespread British retaliation, and he believed India was not yet prepared for such a confrontation.
On 12 February 1922, the ==Bardoli Resolution== was issued, calling to:
End unlawful protests
Promote constructive programmes:
Charkha (spinning wheel)
National schools
Temperance
Removal of untouchability
Hindu-Muslim unity
Despite mixed reactions, the public largely trusted ==Gandhi==, and open opposition was minimal.
Perspectives
==Muslim League==: Fully supported the ==INC== and its anti-British agenda.
==Indian National Congress==: Saw it as a key moment for Hindu-Muslim unity.
British Government: Declared support for Khilafat illegal; used violent suppression (e.g., killing 53 demonstrators, wounding 400).
==Sikh Akali Movement==: Ran a parallel reform campaign to remove corrupt mahants from Gurudwaras.
Significance and Impact
Brief but powerful Hindu-Muslim unity in anti-British struggle.
Contributed significantly to the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Drew urban Muslims, artisans, urban poor, and women into nationalist politics.
Gave a psychological boost—instilled self-confidence and national pride.
==Gandhi== declared:
“The fight that was commenced in 1920 is a fight to the finish, whether it lasts one month or one year or many months or many years.”
Even ==Lord Reading==, the viceroy, argued with the British government over the issue.
Eventually led to mass arrests—==Gandhi== was arrested on 10 March 1922 and charged with spreading disaffection.
timeline by AI
November 1919:
🕌 All-India Khilafat Conference held in Delhi
→ Decides to withdraw all cooperation from the government if demands are not met.1920 (early):
✊ ==Gandhi== becomes one of the leaders of the Khilafat Movement.
🤝 Congress passes resolution in support of the Khilafat cause.31 August 1920:
📢 Khilafat Committee launches the Non-Cooperation Movement.- Methods: boycott of schools, law courts, foreign cloth; promotion of khadi; resignation from government jobs.
1921:
📈 Mass non-cooperation expands nationwide.
🚔 Government responds with mass suppression — arrests and violent crackdowns.
✉️ Khilafat Committee issues resolution:
“Quietly and without any demonstration to offer themselves for arrest by belonging to the volunteer organisations.”
“Remain non-violent in word and deed.”1922 (early):
🔥 Violence erupts — a police station is burned down; 22 policemen killed.
⚠️ ==Gandhi==, fearing nationwide violence and British backlash, calls off the movement.12 February 1922:
📜 ==Bardoli Resolution== issued
→ Calls to stop all unlawful activities.
→ Urges focus on constructive work:Popularising charkha
Promoting national schools
Temperance
Removal of untouchability
Hindu-Muslim unity
✔️ Despite mixed reactions, there was no open opposition due to continued faith in ==Gandhi==.
%% The Khalifat Movement 1919-1924 - use the textbooks as the resources
Short answer questions:
What was the Khalifat Movement? Who was involved? When was it formed? Describe the cooperation between the Khalifat Movement and Indian Congress
More detailed responses:
What is the background and causes of the movement? What was the leadership and organisation? What was the significance and impact? Describe the decline and end of the movement
Context: The Ottoman Empire had been defeated in the First World War. The common agreement between the Muslim League and INC was developed through Lucknow pact. The agitation of Rowlett Act touched every Indian alike and brought the Indian and Muslim together.
Cause: Muslim opinion had turned against the British. The British and French were proceeding to break up the Ottoman Empire, creating new states such as Turkey and Iraq. This was perceived as an attack on the international Muslim community, as it violated British Premier Lloyd George’s claim for not partition or conquering Turkey. Gandhi, genuinely concerned about the sense of Muslim grievance, spoke at Khilafat conferences.
Course: All-India Khilafat Conference held at Delhi in November 1919 decided to withdraw all cooperation from the government if their demands were not met. Ghandi became one of the leaders of the Khalifat Movement. The Khilafat Committee’launched a Non- Cooperation Movement on 31 August 1920. Mass non-cooperation movement taking place in 1921 and 1922. Government mass suppression in 1921. The Khalifat commitee issued resolution to claim “quietly and without any demonstration to offer themselves for arrest by belonging to the volunteer organisations.” to “remain non-violent in word and deed” In 1922, some violence broke out (burning of police station and death of 22 policemen). Ghandi affraid this would result in widespread excitement which would led to violent oppression by British, and India was not yet prepared for it. He called the retreat of the movement. On 12th Feb, the Bardoli resolution was issued to stop all activities which would lead to break of law and urged for constructive programmes popularisation of the charkha,national schools, temperance, removal of untouchability and promotion of Hindu-Muslim unity. Although there were mixed sentiment towards this resolution, there was no open opposition, as people had faith in Ghandi.
Methods: Ghandi asked people to: people were asked to boycott government educational institutions, law courts and legislatures; to give up foreign cloth; to surrender officially-conferred titles and honours; and to practise hand-spinning and hand-weaving for producing khadi. Later the programme would include resignation from government service and mass civil disobedience, including refusal to pay taxes.
perspectives: Muslim League: gave full support to INC and its agitation on political issues INC (Ghandi and Tilak): viewed this a good oppurtunity to bring Indian-Muslim unity British: considered the support to Khalifat Movement as illegal; put most of the leaders and 3000 people behind bars; suppress people’s demonstration, killing 53 persons and wounding about 400 more Sikhs: led the Akali movement, remove corrupt mahants from the Gurudwaras, their places of worship
Consequences: In 1920, Congress passed a resolution in support. Even the viceroy, Lord Reading, had argued with the British government over the issue. Government arrested Mahatma Gandhi on 10 March 1922 and charged him with spreading disaffection against the government.
Significance: The Khilafat movement combined with the general Indian non-cooperation movement to create a powerful sense of anti-British Hindu–Muslim unity briefly. The Khilafat agitation had made an important contribution to the non-cooperation movement. It had brought different societal groups, including urban Muslims, artisans, urban poor, women, etc., into the nationalist movement. It encouraged furture national movement for inspiring self-confidence and self-esteem, as India lost the fear of British brutal force.
This was expressed by Gandhiji when he declared that “the fight that was commenced in 1920 is a fight to the finish, whether it lasts one month or one year or many months or many years.” %%