Answer:
The Khilafat Movement was a political and religious movement that emerged in the early 20th century, primarily among Muslims in British India. The movement was initiated to protest the abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate and the proposed partition of the Ottoman Empire after World War I.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Ottoman Caliphate, based in Istanbul, was the political and religious authority for Muslims worldwide. However, following the end of World War I and the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, the victorious Allied Powers planned to dismantle the empire and divide its territories.
In response to these developments, Muslim leaders in India, notably the Ali brothers (Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Muhammad Ali Johar) and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, initiated the Khilafat Movement in 1919. The movement aimed to rally Indian Muslims behind the cause of preserving the Ottoman Caliphate and to protest against British policies in the Muslim world.
The Khilafat Movement gained widespread support among Indian Muslims and garnered significant momentum. It saw large-scale demonstrations, strikes, and protests across the country. Muslims, Hindus, and other communities joined hands in a united front against British colonial rule.
The movement's leaders believed that by supporting the Khilafat cause, they could exert pressure on the British government to grant greater self-governance and independence to India. It also aimed to foster Hindu-Muslim unity and promote the rights of Muslims in the Indian subcontinent.
However, the Khilafat Movement gradually lost momentum in the early 1920s. The Turkish War of Independence (1919-1922), led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, saw the establishment of a secular Turkish Republic and the abolition of the caliphate in 1924. This development significantly weakened the movement's core objective.