THE KHILAFAT MOVEMENT AND GANDHIJI

Abstract

Indian Muslims were always attached to the Khilafat. The British tried to usurp this situation for its own interest. In the ‘dark’ days of the 1857 Mutiny, the British ambassador to Turkey managed to obtain a command from the Khalifa, restraining Indian Muslims from thwarting attacks upon Britain. Britain, in order to safeguard its own interest and to win over the Muslims to its side revitalised pro-Turkish feelings among the Indian Muslims and portrayed to be the custodian of the Islamic interests. But when the World War broke out in Balkans, the part played by the British government infuriated the Muslim and shook their loyalty in India. Gandhiji saw that the anti-Raj stance received momentum from various sections of Muslim community mainly on account of the fact that Turkey and the Khalifa. The Muslim community felt greatly insulted and humiliated on account of the unbearable political conditions placed on their shoulders. Therefore Gandhiji put in all of his effort to create an unprecedented awakening among the Muslims, an awakening
which they were prepared to pour into Nationalism and into a struggle which was supposed to be developed eventually into a freedom movement. The present paper intends to make an inquiry of the role played by Gandhiji to secure the Muslim political support and to arrange a unified national movement towards the achievement of Freedom, through the Non-cooperation.