Was protection of the Holy places the main reason for launching the 

Khilafat Movement? Explain your answer.  

• British introduced an anti-Indian Rowlatt act 1919 in order to control the revolutionary 
activities against British rule. According to this Act, Indians could be arrested without 
warrant and detained without bail. ​These unjust policies annoyed the Indians and thus KM 
was launched to oppose them. 

• British captured the Ottoman Empire after the success of First World War (1914-18). 
The Ottoman Empire included many important religious places such as Makkah and 
Medina. This greatly worried the Indian Muslims as these places had immense religious 
importance and respect. ​Thus, in order to protect them from harm, KM was started. 

• The Sultan of Turkey was a major religious figure for the Muslims all over the world. So 
when the British planned to dethrone him, Indian Muslims got worried. ​Thus, in-order to 
protect the sultan and his caliphate, KM was launched. 

• Both Muslims and Hindus of India had been working together to achieve self-rule since 
the Lucknow pact of 1916. So when, Muslims started the KM, Hindus including Gandhi, 
unanimously supported it, as they believed that it was another good opportunity for 
both the communities to work together and achieve self-rule​. ​The Muslims welcomed 
them which shows that another aim of KM was to attain maximum concessions from the 
British. 

• The Muslims of India were reluctant to fight their fellow Muslim brothers in Turkey 
during WWI. Considering this, British promised the Indian Muslims that Turkish Empire 
would be unharmed and as a result the Indian Muslims helped British in the WWI. 
However, after the success in the war, British were reluctant in fulfilling their promise. 
Thus, in-order to remind British of their promises, KM was launched.  

• Although a lot of Muslims supported the British by taking up arms in the war, yet many 
deserted the army as they did not want to fight their Muslim brothers, showing that 
they did not like the British policy regarding TURKEY.​ ​This hatred later took form of a 
Movement called “KM”​.  

• Some Muslim leaders like Maulvi Fazal-ul-haq believed that decline of the Turkish 
empire (which was the largest Muslim empire) would have an adverse effect on the 
Indian Muslims as the British would treat them with disrespect. ​Hence, KM was started to 
save the prestige of Muslims in India.  

• After the WWI, British and their allies punished their defeated nations E.g. Germany 
and Austria were broken down to form different states according to treaty of 
Versailles. Through this, it seemed very obvious that British would also treat Turkey in a 
similar manner as Turkey supported Germany in WWI. These views were also shared 
by British PM, Lloyd George. ​Hence, Indians Muslims started the KM to protect Turkey 
from its disintegration.