Khilafat Andolan and Congress Party
India is separated by Turkey by nearly 4,500 kilometres. If someone in 1919 were to get on horseback or in a jeep in New Delhi, he would have needed to pass through almost the entire length of Iran before entering Turkey. In 1914, present-day Pakistan was an integral part of Hindustan, hence I am stating that to reach Turkey from India one only had to pass through Iran. And if one were to board a ship at the port of Bombay, he would have needed to sail over the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal, the river Nile, the Mediterranean Sea and at least nine more seas/canals/rivers before reaching the port of Istanbul in Turkey.
The moot point I am making here that India in 1919 had very little to do with Turkey in 1919. There was almost zero people-to-people contact between the people of India and the people of Turkey.
The latter was part of the Ottoman empire that was led by a caliph.
The Ottoman empire had fought alongside the central powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria) in World War I and were comprehensively defeated by the Allied forces (comprising mainly Britain, France, Russia, Japan and Italy and a few associates like the USA).
The defeat led to the decline of the caliphs and the Ottoman empire territory began to get diminished. A treaty was signed in 1920 that would eventually lead to the creation of independent nations like Turkey, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon etc.
The events in faraway Turkey should not have been a cause for unrest among the people of India, but a man named Maulana Muhammad Ali Johar created a movement against the British for trying to cripple the caliphate in Turkey.
The Khilafat movement, involving Muslims against the British empire's activities in Turkey, was launched in Lucknow in 1919. Thousands of Muslims joined the stir.
The movement was so powerful that Gandhiji saw an opportunity to create a coalition with it. He supported the movement and the Khilafat leaders promised to support Gandhiji's struggle for Swaraj.
If the Muslims led by Ali Johar and his Muslim followers all over India had joined Gandhiji's movement against the British because the Muslims in India were an equal stakeholder in the aspiration of a liberated India, I would have no qualms with that.
If the Muslims led by Ali Johar and his Muslim followers all over India had joined Gandhiji's movement against the British because the Muslims in India were an equal stakeholder in the aspiration of a liberated India, I would have no qualms with that.
But the fact is that Muslims under Muhammad Ali Johar joined hands with Swaraj as a quid pro quo.
Gandhiji supported the Khilafat movement and the Muslims led by Maulana Johar supported the Swaraj movement.
Gandhiji supported the Khilafat movement and the Muslims led by Maulana Johar supported the Swaraj movement.
That Hindus and Muslims fought for independence in equal measure is never in doubt, but the Khilafat movement stands out in one sense.
That the Muslims of India in 1919 felt violated when the caliphate was pulled down in faraway Turkey is astounding to say the least.
It builds an image of parochialism based upon religion instead of unity based upon nationalism and patriotism.
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