The Khilafat Issue and Its Link With Non-Cooperation

At a Glance

• What it is A movement of Indian Muslims over the treatment of Turkey and the Khalifa
• Period 1919 to 1922, with the Non-Cooperation Movement
• Leaders Ali brothers, Maulana Azad, Ajmal Khan, Hasrat Mohani; Gandhi as president of the All India Khilafat Committee
• Importance A chance to cement Hindu-Muslim unity
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Non-Cooperation and Khilafat Movement

Where Does It Fit?

This is the first topic of the category on the Non-Cooperation and Khilafat Movement. The previous topic covered the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms. This topic explains the Khilafat issue and how it became linked with non-cooperation. The next topic describes the programme of the movement. Previous topic: Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms and the Government of India Act, 1919.

What Was the Background to the Two Movements?

During 1919 to 1922 the British were opposed through two mass movements, the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation. Though they arose from separate issues, they adopted a common programme of non-violent non-cooperation. The Khilafat issue was not directly linked to Indian politics, but it provided the immediate background and gave the added advantage of cementing Hindu-Muslim unity against the British.

A series of events after the First World War belied hopes of the government’s generosity, and 1919 saw strong discontent among all sections.

The Rowlatt Act and the massacre are covered in Rowlatt Act and the Satyagraha Against It and Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and the Hunter Committee.

Why Was the Ground Ready for Hindu-Muslim Action?

Three developments prepared the ground for common political action. The Lucknow Pact of 1916 had stimulated Congress-Muslim League cooperation. The Rowlatt agitation brought Hindus, Muslims and other sections together. And radical nationalist Muslims such as Mohammad Ali, Abul Kalam Azad, Hakim Ajmal Khan and Hasan Imam had become more influential than the conservative Aligarh school elements who had dominated the League earlier. The younger elements advocated militant nationalism and had strong anti-imperialist sentiments. The Pact is described in Lucknow Session of 1916 and the Lucknow Pact.

What Was the Khilafat Issue?

The Khilafat issue consolidated a radical nationalist trend among younger Muslims and some traditional Muslim scholars who were growing critical of British rule. They were angered by the treatment of Turkey after the First World War. Muslims in India, like Muslims across the world, regarded the Sultan of Turkey as their spiritual leader, the Khalifa, so their sympathies were with Turkey. During the war Turkey had allied with Germany and Austria against Britain. When the war ended the British took a stern attitude: Turkey was dismembered and the Khalifa removed from power, which incensed Muslims worldwide.

In early 1919 a Khilafat Committee was formed under the Ali brothers, Shaukat Ali and Muhammad Ali, with Maulana Azad, Ajmal Khan and Hasrat Mohani, to force the British to change their attitude towards Turkey. This prepared the ground for a country-wide agitation.

How Did the Khilafat Leaders Turn to Non-Cooperation?

For some time the Khilafat leaders limited themselves to meetings, petitions and deputations. Later a militant trend emerged demanding active agitation, such as stopping all cooperation with the British. At the All India Khilafat Conference at Delhi in November 1919, a call was made to boycott British goods. The leaders also made clear that unless the peace terms after the war were favourable to Turkey, they would stop all cooperation with the government. Gandhi, who was president of the All India Khilafat Committee, saw in the issue a platform from which mass and united non-cooperation could be declared against the government.

Why Did Congress Support It Despite Doubts?

The support of the Congress was essential for the movement to succeed. Gandhi favoured satyagraha and non-cooperation on the Khilafat issue, but the Congress was not united. Tilak opposed an alliance with Muslim leaders over a religious issue and was sceptical of satyagraha as a political instrument. Gandhi made a concerted effort to convince him, according to Professor Ravinder Kumar. Other parts of Gandhi’s programme, such as boycott of councils, were also opposed. Later, Gandhi won the Congress’s approval.

The Muslim League also decided to give full support to the Congress and its agitation on political questions. As an analytical point, the Khilafat issue was an external, religious cause, yet it served a national purpose, since it gave Congress a way to reach Muslim masses that Congress politics alone had not reached. How the movement was then launched is covered in Programme of the Non-Cooperation Khilafat Movement.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• Origin of a mass movement The Khilafat issue is the immediate background of non-cooperation
• Hindu-Muslim unity A recurring theme in Prelims and Mains
• Congress and religious issues Tilak’s objection and Gandhi’s reasoning are Mains points

What Came Next?

The next topic describes the programme and stages of the Non-Cooperation Khilafat Movement from 1920. Next topic: Programme of the Non-Cooperation Khilafat Movement.

Key People and Terms

• Khalifa The spiritual leader of Muslims, held by the Sultan of Turkey
• Khilafat Committee Formed in early 1919 under the Ali brothers, Azad, Ajmal Khan and Hasrat Mohani
• Ali brothers Shaukat Ali and Muhammad Ali
• Maulana Azad Khilafat leader and radical nationalist Muslim
• Ajmal Khan Khilafat Committee member; later acting president of Congress in 1921
• Hasrat Mohani Member of the Khilafat Committee

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions ask about the Khilafat issue and why Congress joined it. These points add depth.

• Origin Treatment of Turkey and the Khalifa
• Link Gandhi’s idea of united non-cooperation
• Debate Tilak’s opposition and Congress reasoning