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Khilafat Movement
Introduction
During the First World War (1914–18), the Ottoman Empire sided with the Central Powers, which included the German empire, Bulgaria, Austria, and Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. During the war, the Ottoman Empire was defeated by the British, and the Treaty of Versailles (1919) was signed. Even though the European empire promised to retain the Caliph status of the Ottoman sultan, the Treaty of Sèvres (1920) led to the slicing off of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine provinces.
This action agitated Muslims all over the world. Mohammad Ali and his brother Shaukat Ali led the movement in India alongside other prominent Muslim leaders like Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Hasrat Mohani, and Ajmal Khan to form the All India Khilafat Committee in 1919. Leaders created political unity among Muslims all over British India to protect the caliphate.
Rowlatt Act (1919)
The Rowlatt Act, or Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919?, was a law passed by the Imperial Legislative Council. This law extended the emergency provisions in the Defence of India Act 1915. The act gave the British government imprisonment and preventive detention without any trial. The Defence of India Act of 1915 was enacted during the First World War against revolutionary nationalists.
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919)
Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr Satya Pal were arrested on charges of leading a protest against the government in Punjab. In response to their arrest, the public gathered in Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab. General Reginald Dyer and his troops opened fire on the unarmed civilians. Hundreds were killed and over a thousand of them injured, which led to a riot throughout Punjab.
Non-Cooperation Movement (1920)
The Rowlatt Act of 1919 and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre made Indians realise the British as a threat. A political campaign was launched by Mahatma Gandhi and appealed to people not to cooperate with the British government and boycott British goods. The main objective of the non-cooperation movement was to implement self-governance in India.
The non-cooperation movement was the first organised large-scale civil disobedience movement in India. The people resigned from important posts in the British Indian administration, including industries and educational institutions.
The protesters refused to buy foreign goods and instead purchased local goods to reduce the influence of foreign goods in the Indian market. Picketing foreign liquor shops was visible all over India in a non-violent way.
The Indian National Congress agreed to support the Khilafat movement and end untouchability. This helped Gandhi and the Indian National Congress to attract more Muslims in favour of the non-cooperation movement. Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali became the faces of the Khilafat movement, and Gandhi became the face of the non-cooperation movement.
In 1920, leaders of the Khilafat movement led by the All India Khilafat Committee and the Non-cooperation movement led by the Indian National Congress (INC) came together to fight for the common goal of 'Khilafat and Swaraj'. For the first time since the 1857 revolt, both the Hindu and Muslim populations united against British authority.
Supporters of the Khilafat movement became a prominent component of the Non-cooperation movement. Jamia Millia Islamia was founded during this time in 1920 to rejuvenate and educate young Muslims.
The early days of the non-cooperation movement were effective due to the support from Muslims and Hindus. India witnessed widespread demonstrations, which made the British government to imprison the movement's key figures like Gandhi, Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali. However, other leaders of the movement continued the civil disobedience all over India.
Decline of Khilafat Movement
The latter stages of the movement witnessed decaying Hindu and Muslim unity since Muslims were divided on the idea of supporting the Congress. During the British India period, the majority of the INC supporters were from the Hindu community, and this led a segment of Muslims to believe that INC was the voice of the Hindu community.
Gandhi's decision to suspend the non-cooperation movement in line with the Chauri-Chaura incident undermined it further. Political changes in Turkey put an end to the movement. Mustafa Kemal Pasha, commonly known as Kemal Atatürk, succeeded in overthrowing the Ottoman Empire and establishing a progressive, secular republic in Turkey and abolishing the 'Caliph' post. Kemal Atatürk is regarded as the founder of the Republic of Turkey and was in the office of the president from 1923 up to his passing in 1938.
Conclusion
All these events split the Khilafat movement under different leaderships. Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari and Chaudhry Afzal Haq founded 'Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam'. Ansari, Hakim Ajmal Khan, and Maulana Azad continued supporting the INC and the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. Mohammad Ali and his brother Shaukat Ali joined the Muslim League, which later led to supporting the Pakistan movement.
FAQs
Qns 1. What were the contributions of Shaukat Ali to the Indian independence movement?
Ans. Shaukat Ali and Mohammad Ali Jouhar, also known as the Ali brothers, were born in 1873 in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh. Shaukat Ali was a student at Aligarh Muslim University in U.P. He served as a civil servant of the British government for 17 years in the United Provinces (U.P.). Shaukat Ali, with his brother, published two weekly names: "Hamdard" in Urdu and "Comrade" in English. Later, these magazines influenced the casting policies of the Muslim League. He entered into national politics through the Khilafat movement, and he served as the last president of the Khilafat Conference. He died in 1938 at the age of 65.
Qns 2. How did the Ottoman Empire enter the World War 1?
Ans. The Ottoman Empire entered World War 1 by attacking the Black Sea coast of Russia in 1914. This attack made Russia declare war against the Ottoman Empire. Other than the Ottoman empire, the 'Central Powers' included the German empire, Bulgaria, Austria, and Hungary. The empire's defeat in 1918 led to the decline of the empire.
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