Question

Who launched the "Khilafat Movement"? Why was the movement launched?

Answer 1

Hint: The Khilafat movement, also known as the Indian Muslim movement, was a pan-Islamist nationalist protest movement that lasted from 1919 to 1924. It was a response to the Treaty of Sèvres, which imposed restrictions on the caliph and the Ottoman Empire following World War I.

Complete answer:
- Shaukat Ali, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Hakim Ajmal Khan, and Abul Kalam Azad led the Khilafat campaign.
- The Khilafat movement was established with the aim of pressuring the British government to maintain the Ottoman Sultan's authority as Caliph of Islam. The formation of the All India Khilafat Committee took place at Lucknow. Gandhiji saw this as an opportunity to bring Muslims together under the banner of a single national movement.
- There was concern that the spiritual leader of the Islamic world (Khalifa) would lose his influence. In 1919, a Khilafat Committee was established in Bombay to protect his influence. The representatives of the Palestinian Authority placed pressure on the British government to handle Turkey better.
- Muslims in India started the Khilafat campaign to convince the British government not to abolish the caliphate. The leaders of this Khilafat movement agreed with Gandhi's non-cooperation movement and joined together in a joint protest against the British.

Note:
- The Khilafat Committee sent a letter to all Muslims in 1921, requesting that they refrain from joining the police and armed forces, as well as from paying taxes.
- The movement stopped by late 1922 when Turkey gained a favourable position and moved toward secularism. By 1924 Turkey simply abolished the role of the caliph.