Image: Gandhi with leaders associated with the Khilafat movement. Wikimedia Commons.
Gandhi’s relationship with the Khilafat movement was an important feature of Indian politics in the years immediately after the First World War. He saw cooperation over the issue as an opportunity to bring Hindus and Muslims together in a wider non-cooperation campaign.
What was the Khilafat issue?
The Khilafat movement emerged among Indian Muslims after the First World War over the future of the Ottoman Caliphate and the peace settlement imposed on the Ottoman Empire.
Why Gandhi became involved
Gandhi regarded the issue as important to many Indian Muslims and supported cooperation between the Khilafat leaders and the Congress. His autobiography records discussions with Muslim scholars and leaders about combining the Khilafat cause with nonviolent non-cooperation.
The Ali brothers
Maulana Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali became prominent Khilafat leaders. Their political activity helped connect the Khilafat campaign with the broader Non-Cooperation Movement.
A major experiment in political unity
The cooperation brought different political constituencies into a common anti-colonial campaign. It was one of the largest attempts during Gandhi’s lifetime to link Hindu and Muslim political mobilisation.
Why the alliance weakened
The Khilafat issue changed rapidly after developments in Turkey, including the abolition of the Ottoman Sultanate and later the Caliphate. The Non-Cooperation Movement itself was suspended in 1922 after Chauri Chaura.
Read Gandhi’s own account through the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation archive and NewsNationOnline’s Non-Cooperation Movement feature.
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