Background
Britain and her allies (the United States of America being one of them) emerged victorious as a result of the First World War (1914-1918). Behaviour of the Allies during the War, and their arrogant proclamations, made the Muslims highly apprehensive about their future designs. The Muslims were afraid that the Allies may take over a part of the Turkish Empire, distribute some of its parts among themselves, may desecrate the holy Muslim shrines and even go to the extent of dismembering the Turkish Empire which the Muslims cherished as a symbol of the global Muslim fraternity. These apprehensions gave out a wave of anger and unrest among the Indian Muslim. They started a country-wide movement in which the Hindus stood by their side and gave them full support.
IMPORTANT EVENTS OF THE KHILAFAT MOVEMENT
i. Establishment of the Khilafat Committee: In order to organize a mass movement and launch an opinion-forming campaign, a committee was formed in 1919; it was named "The India Khilafat Committee".
ii. Hindu-Muslim Unity and Non-Cooperation: In the year 1919 the Indian National Congress decided to support the Muslims on the Khilafat issue, and authorized Gandhiji to chalk out a road map for that matter. Gandhiji brought forward a programme of non- cooperation with the government, which was to be executed in four stages.
iii. Khilafat Delegation: In 1920 a delegation headed by Maulana Muhammad Ali (Johar) set off for London. The British government refused to give an ear. The delegation, however, held some meetings and explained its position to the general public.
iv. The Treaty of Sevres: In May 1920, the Allied Forces decided on Turkey's fate under the treaty made at Sevres. The Empire was stripped off its occupations in Europe and Arabia. The Treaty was named after the venue where it was concluded.
v. Non-Cooperation Movement: Maulana Muhammad Ali (Johar), Maulana Shaukat Ali, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Maulana Abu-ul-Kalam Azad and Maulana Hasrat Mohani () set the Indian emotion on fire with their speeches. An all India hartal was observed on the appeal of the Khilafat Committee on August 1, 1920. Gandhiji was elected leader of the Non-Cooperation Movement. As a part of the non- cooperation programme courts were boycotted, government servants resigned services, students all over India quit educational institutions and many of the British title holders surrendered their titles and decorations as protest; Ali Brothers (Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali) were convicted on charges of high treason and given two years' rigorous imprisonment.
vi. Civil Disobedience: In November 1921, the people were given a call to break law and disobey the government by refusing to pay taxes and by all other possible means. About twenty thousand people courted arrest as a result of this call.
vii. Mopla Uprising: Moplas were a Muslim community settled on the south Indian shores. They claimed to be the descendants of the Arab traders. In the year 1921 there was a clash between the Moplas and the Hindu business lords of the area on issues of purely local nature. These incidents provided the British Government with a golden opportunity of creating rift between the Hindus and the Muslims. Exaggerated reports about Hind-Muslim riots were spread, which provoked the extremists on both sides, riots spread throughout India. This state of affairs caused great setback to the Khilafat Movement.
viii. Chora Chori Incident: In the year 1922, an infuriated mob at Chora Chori, a small township in the UP laid siege to a police station and set it at fire. Twenty-one policemen were burnt alive.
ix. Civil Disobedience Called Off: Gandhiji said that since the Civil Disobedience Movement had deviated from its avowed path of non-violence, it was necessary to call it off. He made this decision at a time when the Movement had reached its climax.
x. Reaction of the Leadership: The entire leadership of the movement, the Hindu and the Muslim alike was stunned at this sudden decision. Most of the leaders thought that this decision was without justification and had caused great setback to the Movement.
xi. Abolition of Khilafat: Ataturk came to power in Turkey. In the year 1923 he abolished the institution of Khilafat. This proclamation came as the final death blow to the Khilafat Movement in India.
