Khilafat Movement: Why Khilafat movement fail and what role did Congress play in its failure?

Why Khilafat movement fail and what role did Congress play in its failure?

Background

The Khilafat movement (1919-1924) was a significant event in the political history of India. It was an agitation by Indian Muslims allied with Indian nationalism in the years following World War I. Its purpose was to pressure the British government to preserve the authority of the Ottoman Sultan as Caliph of Islam following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the war. Congress fully supported the movement under the leadership of Gandhi, and In December 1919 both the Khilafat Committee and Congress held their meetings simultaneously at Amritsar, and a delegation was prepared which was sent to England to see the British Prime Minister to explain the Indian point of view regarding the Khilafat. That was the best presentation of Hindu-Muslim unity in India.

Khilafat Movement :

Definition :

“The Khilafat movement, also known as the Indian  Muslim movement (1919-24), was a pan-Islamist political protest campaign launched by Muslims of British India led by Shaukat Ali, Muhammad Ali Jauhar, and Abul Kalam Azad to restore the caliph of the Ottoman Caliphate, who was considered the leader of Sunni Muslims, as an effective political authority.”

 
Purpose of the Khilafat movement :

Its purpose was to pressure the British government to preserve the authority of the Ottoman Sultan as Caliph of Islam following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the war.

Failures of the Khilafat Movement :

The following are the reasons for the failure of the Khilafat Movement :

•  An incident known as Chauri Chora played a vital role in the failure of the movement.
•  Kemal Ataturk abolished the institution of the Caliph.
•  The main leaders of the movement were imprisoned.
•  The Hindus were only interested in self-rule and did not contribute to the movement at all.
•  All Muslims did not support the movement wholeheartedly and dedication.

Role of Congress in the Khilafat movement :

The Ali brothers (Maulana Shaukat Ali and Maulana Muhammad Ali) criticized Ghandhi’s extreme commitment to non-violence and severed their ties with him after he suspended all non-cooperation movement after the killing of 22 policemen at Cahuri Chaura in 1922. Due to this Gandhiji became disturbed and very sad and called off the movement as he always believed in non-violence. The brothers were severely criticized by Muslim politicians and the public. Although holding tasks with the British and continuing their activities, the Khilafat movement weakened as Muslims were divided between working for the Congress, the Khilafat cause, and the Muslim League.

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 Muslim journalist, Molana Muhammad Ali Johar has 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 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.

Muhammad Ali and his brother Maulana Shaukat Ali joined with other Muslim Leaders such as Pir Ghulam Mujaddid Sarhandi Sheikh Shaukat Ali Siddique, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, Raees-ul-Muhajireen Barrister Jan Muhammad Junejo, Hasrat Moahni, Syed Ata Ullah Shahri, Molana Abul Kalam Azad and Dr. Hakim Ajmal khan to form the All India Khilafat committee. The organization was based in Lucknow, India at Hathe Shaukat Ali the compound of Landlord Shaukat Ali Siddique. 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. The Khilafat committee in Bengal included Mohammad Akram Khan, Manruzzaman Islamabad, Mujibbur Rehman Khan, and Chittaranjan Das.

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 increased pressure on the British, the Khilafatists became a major part of the non – non-cooperation movement a nationwide campaign of mass peaceful civil disobedience. The support of Khilafat leaders founded the Jamia Millia Islamia in 1920 to promote independent education and social rejuvenation for Muslims.

The noncooperation campaign was at its first successful. The program started with a boycott of legislative councils, government schools, colleges, and foreign goods. Government functions and surrender of titles and distinctions, massive protest acts, and strikes of civil disobedience spread across India. Hindus and Muslims collectively offered largely peaceful resistance. Gandhi, the Ali brothers, and the brothers were imprisoned by the British. Under the flag of shrike khilafat, a Punjabi khilafat distribution comprising Moulana Manzoor Ahmed and Moulana lutfullah khan Dankauri took a leading role throughout India with a particular concentration in Punjab.

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 the increased pressure on the British, the Khilafatists became a major part of the non – non-cooperation movement a nationwide campaign of mass peaceful civil disobedience. The support of the khilafat leaders founded the Jamia Millia Islamia in 1920 to promote independent education and social rejuvenation for Muslims.

The purpose was to pressure the British government to preserve the authority of the Ottoman Sultan as Caliph of Islam following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the war.

Aims of the Khilafat Movement:

The Khilafat movement was against the dismemberment of Turkey. The Sultan of Turkey was the spiritual leader of Muslims the world over. The British attempt at clipping his powers and fragmentation of territory after the First World War aroused Public ire against British India.

Importance and Collapse of the Khilafat Movement :

The combined Khilafat non-cooperation movement was the first All-India agitation against British rule. It saw an unprecedented degree of Hindu-Muslim cooperation and it established Gandhi and his technique of non-violent protest at the center of the Indian nationalist movement. Mass mobilization using religious symbols was remarkably successful,  and the British Indian government was shaken. In late 1921, the government moved to suppress the movement. The leaders were arrested, tried, and imprisoned. Gandhi suspended the non-cooperation movement in early 1922. Turkish nationalists dealt the final blow to the Khilafat movement by abolishing the Ottoman Sultanate in 1922, and the caliphate in 1924.

Result of the Khilafat Movement :

The Khilafat movement also known as the Indian Muslim Movement, force that arose in India in the early 20th century as a result of Muslim fears for the integrity of Islam. Gandhi’s suspension of this movement and his arrest in March 1922 weakened the Khilafat movement even further.

How the Khilafat Movement Highlighted the Hindu-Muslim Divide :

 

L.H Qureshi appraises the Khilafat movement thus:

“Though the Khilafat Movement achieved no ostensible success, it was of considerable value as an instrument of creating public consciousness in the public masses. It provided a broad-based leadership and taught the techniques of organizing a mass movement to the Muslims. These proved great assets in the struggle for Pakistan.”

In 1920 an alliance was made between Khilafat leaders and the Indian National Congress, the largest political party in India and the nationalist movement. Congress leaders 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 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 the Muslims.

The Khilafat movement evokes controversy and strong opinions. By critics, it is regarded as a political agitation based on a pan-Islamist, fundamentalist platform and is largely indifferent to the cause of Indian independence. Critics of the Khilafat see its alliance with the Congress as a marriage of convenience. Proponents of the Khilafat see it as a major step towards establishing a separate Muslim state. The Ali brothers are regarded as the founding fathers of Pakistan, while Azad, Dr. Ansari, and Hakim Ajmal Khan are widely celebrated as national heroes in India.