Dr. Umar Khan
Dr. Khan belongs to a Lahore based Think Tank.
3-10-26
The
Khilafat Movement (1919–1924): A Critical Historical Analysis
Introduction
The Khilafat Movement of 1919–1924 represents one of the most
intriguing episodes in the history of Indian Muslims under British colonial
rule. It was a mass movement that mobilized millions of Muslims across the
Indian subcontinent in defense of the Ottoman Caliphate, an institution that
held deep religious and symbolic significance for Muslims worldwide. Yet, as
the movement unfolded, it became increasingly clear that the objects of its
devotion—the Ottoman Caliph and his empire—were not the noble, independent Islamic
rulers that the movement's leaders imagined them to be. This essay critically
examines the Khilafat Movement, exploring its origins, demands, and ultimate
failure, while questioning the historical narrative that has often romanticized
both the movement and the institution it sought to protect.
Historical Context: The Ottoman Empire's
Decline
To understand the Khilafat Movement, one must first understand
the condition of the Ottoman Empire in the early twentieth century. The empire,
once the most powerful Islamic state in the world, had been in steady decline
for over a century. The disastrous decision to take foreign loans to finance
extravagant projects, such as the Dolmabahçe Palace, placed an enormous burden
on the state treasury. The construction of this palace alone cost the
equivalent of approximately US$3 billion, representing roughly a quarter of the
empire's yearly tax revenue.
More loans taken during the Crimean War further strained an
already crumbling Turkish economy. These financial missteps eventually led to
the empire defaulting on its public debt in October 1875, and in 1881, the
Ottoman Public Debt Administration (OPDA) was established. This institution was
not merely an Ottoman government department; it was an autonomous financial
body created through an agreement between the Ottoman government and its
European creditors. The OPDA controlled revenues amounting to roughly
one-quarter of Ottoman state revenue, collecting them and transferring the
proceeds to creditors. It held monopolies on salt and tobacco and was afforded
taxes on stamps, alcohol, fishing, and silk.
This arrangement effectively surrendered a significant portion
of Ottoman sovereignty to Western powers. As historians have noted, the OPDA
was an example of European financial control or "economic
imperialism." The Ottoman Empire remained politically sovereign, but a
substantial portion of its fiscal revenues came under international creditor
administration. In other words, the Caliph—the supposed guardian of Islam—had
become a debtor to the very powers that would later dismember his empire.
The Armistice of Mudros and the Treaty
of Sevres
The end of World War I brought further humiliation to the
Ottoman Empire. The Armistice of Mudros, signed on October 30, 1918,
effectively ended independent Ottoman state and left the Caliph a hostage in
his own Topkapi Palace, guarded by the British. The subsequent release of the
Sykes-Picot Agreement by the Soviets exposed the guile and motives of Britain and
France, who were promising Ottoman lands to different people while keeping the
lion's share for themselves. They were carving the Ottoman Sultanate into many
parts, practically annihilating it.
This was followed by the Treaty of Sevres, enforced upon the
Caliph on August 10, 1920. The treaty was absolutely humiliating and
destructive, distributing Ottoman lands among many European nations—Britain,
France, Greece, Italy, and Armenia—making a mockery of the Turks and the
Caliph. A small "Osmanistan" was left for the Turks, a mere shadow of
their former empire.
The Khilafat Movement: Origins and
Demands
It was in this context that Indian Muslims, despite living under
subjugation, abuse, and humiliation by the British, started a movement to
protect the Caliph and the Ottomans. Those who couldn't protect themselves were
ostensibly protecting another nation against the most vicious world powers. The
Khilafat Movement had three primary demands: first, the preservation of the
Ottoman Caliphate and the protection of the Sultan's temporal and spiritual
authority following World War I; second, the territorial integrity of the
Ottoman Empire; and third, control of the holy sites.
However, a careful examination of these demands and the attitude
and policy of the Caliph reveals a troubling contradiction. The Caliph had
become a British spokesman, repeatedly ordering the resisting forces to obey
the treaties—meaning giving everything to the occupiers. He was practically a
British hostage. Therefore, the Khilafat Movement's demand for the continuity of
the Caliphate and the preservation of the Caliph's authority effectively meant
that the movement wanted the Turkish nationalists resisting the occupational
forces to obey the Caliph and hand over all control to the British. The Caliph
was to be considered sacred and a spiritual leader who had to be obeyed as a
tenet of Islam.
Mustafa Kamal Ataturk and the Turkish
War of Independence
Fortunately for Turkey, Mustafa Kamal Ataturk and the Young
Turks refused to accept this subjugation and started resisting it. They fought
unbelievably bravely without resources and freed the lands that the Greeks and
others had occupied. After three years of valiant and fearless fighting against
all odds, the Turkish freedom fighters won, and the Treaty of Lausanne was
signed on
Throughout this desperate struggle, the Caliph had become a
British spokesman, repeatedly ordering the resisting forces to obey the
treaties. In other words, the Khilafat Movement in India was indirectly
supporting the British and the Caliph against the Turkish nationalists who were
actually fighting for their freedom. This is a paradoxical and often overlooked
aspect of the movement.
The Ottoman Caliphs: Not Saintly Rulers
The admirers of the Turkish Caliphs conveniently forget the
Ottoman Caliphs were not saintly Muslim rulers like the Rashideen, whose
obedience was compulsory for Muslims. They had made Turkey into the "Sick
Man of Europe" and squandered its sovereignty to the Europeans through
their foolishness and debauchery.
On the contrary, the fearless and courageous nationalist soldier
Mustafa Kamal is mostly despised as someone less of a Muslim than the
hereditary rulers disguised as Islamic Caliphs. This is a historical injustice
that must be corrected. The Khilafat Movement, despite its good intentions, was
based on a flawed understanding of the Ottoman Caliphate and its history. It
romanticized an institution that had long ceased to be a genuine guardian of
Islamic interests and had become a tool in the hands of Western powers.
Conclusion
For a long time, emotions and an extreme emotional attachment to
Islam and its symbolism have been an integral part of the iman of
Muslims. Even philosophers like Allama Iqbal preached this when he said:
achchhā hai dil ke saath rahe pāsbān-e-aql
lekin kabhī kabhī ise tanhā bhī chhoḌ de
Allama Iqbal
It is desirable for the guardian of reason to remain with the
heart,
Yet, at times, it should leave it all alone.
— Allama Iqbal
Although he didn't elaborate on when to stop using the mind and
what the criteria should be.
Following this pattern, well-meaning and innocent Muslims
repeatedly found themselves in strange situations where the cause and effects
of their efforts didn't justify their objectives. This disconnect played
significant part in the fall of the Muslims and their humbling by the treacherous
Europeans for centuries.
The Khilafat Movement, therefore, found itself in the strange
position of opposing the very forces that were fighting for Turkish
independence and its apparent support of the co called Islamic Caliph was
playing in the hands of the Europeans. It is a cautionary tale about the dangers
of allowing emotion to override reason, of failing to distinguish between the
symbolic and the real. The Khilafat Movement is a reminder that we must correct
our recorded and spoken history for our future generations and stop making a
mockery of it.
"Those countries that forget history, their geography gets
messed up."
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