Importance of the Khilafat Movement

Question 1

What was the Khilafat Movement, and what were its early failures?

Answer 1

• The Khilafat Movement began in 1919 to protect the Khalifa and the Ottoman Empire.
• In 1921, scholars declared India a Dar-ul-Harb (land of war) and encouraged migration to Afghanistan.
• 18,000 Muslims emigrated but were rejected by the Afghan government and forcibly returned.
• These Muslims returned hopeless, homeless, and penniless, teaching Muslims they would not be accepted elsewhere and had to secure a better future within India.

Question 2

How did the Khilafat Movement influence Allama Iqbal’s vision for a separate homeland?

Answer 2

• The failure of the Hijrat Movement in 1921 taught Muslims to focus on their future in India.
• In 1930, at the Allahabad Address, Allama Iqbal proposed the idea of a separate homeland for Muslims.
• This idea later gained unanimous Muslim leadership support, leading to the 1940 Pakistan Resolution and eventual independence.

Question 3

How did Mustafa Kamal Ataturk’s actions affect the Khilafat Movement?

Answer 3

• In 1924, Mustafa Kamal Ataturk abolished the Caliphate, ignoring global Muslim opinions.
• A historian described the Khilafat Movement as a “wrong ideology, romantic, and out of touch with reality.”
• The movement taught Muslims of India that they prioritized the Caliphate more than the Ottoman Turks themselves.

Question 4

What political experience did Muslims gain from the Khilafat Movement?

Answer 4

• The movement gave Indian Muslims valuable political experience by organizing conferences, protests, and processions.
• They learned to struggle for their rights and bear oppression courageously.
• It trained political workers, which proved useful in later struggles, including the demand for a separate country.

Question 5

How did the Khilafat Movement contribute to the independence movement?

Answer 5

• While the Khilafat Movement failed to achieve its immediate goals, it provided political maturity to Muslim leaders.
• It gave Muslims a new direction based on past experiences.
• This “hidden success” made the movement a crucial step toward the eventual independence of Pakistan.