Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

FREEDOM MOVEMENT

KHILAFAT MOVEMENT

Friday last have supplied a most crushing report to the insolent assertion of Lord Sydenham and others of his kind that hartal is always a signal for rebellion or riot. Delhi's demonstration on 17th October was as spontaneous as it was universal, Hindus and Mussalmans joining their hands quite voluntarily in a daily increasing feeling of genuine fraternity and fellowship. It was understood first on Thursday eve that the Mussalmans intended making their protest against the proposed dismemberment of Turkey by observing a hartal and it was heard that the Hindus meant to evince their sympathy with their Muslim fellow citizens by observing a hartal also. ” The atrocities in the Punjab stirred the country and Gandhi saw in the Khilafat move- ment an opportunity to unite Hindus and Muslims. As Gandhi said, ‘If the demand for the Khilafat could be made into India's national demand , the Muslims of India would work hand in hand with the non-Muslims. ’ Thus he blended the just Indian resentment over the Rowlatt Act with the Muslim resentment over the Khilafat and started a non-violent ‘satyagraha’ against the British raj.

The death of Tilak on August 1, 1920, made Gandhi the undisputed leader of the Indian freedom struggle. On the same day, he took up the leadership of the All-India hartal for which a call had been given by the Central Khilafat Committee. The Committee thus started the Khilafat movement. Gandhiji's support added strength to it. Many Hindus joined the movement under his leadership on the strength of his logic that ‘rendering help in times of need was the true test of friendship, and if we do not extend our helping hand to the Muslims in their hour of need Hindu-Muslim The Montagu Chelmsford Report was published on July 8, 1918; and the Act was passed by the British Parliament on December 23, 1919 and the reforms became effective from January 3,1921. The Act brought about radical changes in the provincial administration. A dual system was introduced in Bengal and in eight other provinces. The various departments of ad- ministration were divided into two categories- Reserved and Transferred. provincial Legislative Council was substantially in- creased. The Act provided a Legislative Assem- bly and a Council of State for the Central Government and Legislative Council for each of the provinces. The Act of 1919 was the subject of dis- cussion in the Amritsar session of the Con- gress held on Dec 27, 1919. The number of members of the unity would be out of the question. ’ The Bombay Chronicle 22 Oct, 1919. The New Government of India Act of 1919

The Sultan of Turkey was accepted and honoured in the Muslim world as the Caliph of the Islamic Community and Khilafat, i .e., his state that was governed on religious prin- ciples was regarded as holy by Muslims all over the world and particularly in India. The illtreatment of the Caliph of Tur- key, the head of Islam, by the English and the allied powers after the First World War was the reason for the second movement started by Gandhi. Turkey had sided with Germany in that war and by the treaty, the allies gave away large chunks of Turkey to Greece, Italy and France. Widespread Muslim anxiety over the future of Turkey and its sultan led to the formation of an all- India Khilafat Committee in September 1919 and two months later some of its members expressed themselves in favour of non co-operation with the government as a mode of protest against the British indif- ference to Turkey's plight. The dismemberment of the Turkish empire after the end of the First World War offended the religious sentiments of the Muslims and caused them to adopt an anti- British attitude. The two brothers, Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali, and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad organised the Khilafat movement. The Khilafat Day was observed in Delhi on 20th October 1919.

“Several friends have enquired what

should be the position regarding the

forthcomig Peace Celebrations. On the

Khilafat Day, I know that resolutions were

passed at some meetings to the effect that the

Mahomedans could not participate in the

celebrations if the Khilafat question was not

satisfactorily settled, as there can be no

peace in Indian estimation. So long as the

great question remains unsolved and the

Mahomedan sentiment is in danger of being

Abul

Kalam

Azad

lacerated and millions of Mahomedans

“The Day in Delhi provide an object-lesson in the politics of the day, in as much as the obser- vance in Delhi was characterised by the total absence of any organisation (excepting meeting). The day began with complete sus- pension of business by both Hindus and Mussalmans, followed by prayers in the Junta Masjid and ended in a monster meet- ing of Hindus and Mussalmans in the noto- rious Queen's Gardens in the evening.. It is said and not without justification that the peaceful demonstration and the hartal of proceedings of the Khilafat

remaining in suspense of grief, it is hardly

Chittaranjan Das favoured a total rejec-

possible for the Hindus, Parsis, Christians,

tion of the reforms.

Jews and others for whom India is the land of

their adoption or birth to take part in the

This was the first occasion when

forthcoming rejoicings. I venture to think

Gandhiji took a prominent and active part in the pro- ceedings of the Congress.

that His Excellency the Viceroy can, if he

will, tell His Majesty's Ministers that Indians

cannot participate in the celebrations so

The Congress accepted a compromise

long as the Khilafat question remains

resolution moved by Tilak.

unsettled, and I do hope that His Majesty's

It said ‘But in the view of the Congress, so long as absolute Home Rule is not granted, the reforms be accepted and worked with a view to the achievement of absolute Home Rule and the Congress expresses its thanks to Montagu for the same ’.

Ministers will recognise the necessity of

securing and publishing an honourable

settlement of the question before asking us to

take part in the peace celebrations. ”

-Gandhiji's letter on the Peace Celebrations,

(Bombay Chronicle of 3 Nov, 1919.)