The Khilafat Movement was built around

The Khilafat Movement (1919–1924) was primarily an agitation by Indian Muslims to protect the sovereignty and temporal powers of the Ottoman Khalifa, who was regarded as the spiritual head of the Islamic world [3]. Following the defeat of Ottoman Turkey in World War I, rumors of a harsh peace treaty led to fears regarding the dismemberment of the Caliphate [5]. The movement demanded that the Khalifa retain control over Muslim sacred places and sufficient territory to defend the Islamic faith [2]. While the movement eventually merged with the Non-Cooperation Movement to oppose British rule and foster Hindu-Muslim unity, its core foundational objective was the preservation of the Khalifa's authority [4]. It was not an opposition to the national movement; rather, leaders like Mahatma Gandhi utilized the issue to bring Hindus and Muslims together for the broader cause of Indian independence [4].

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 16: Non-Cooperation Movement and Khilafat Aandolan > p. 330
2. [3] India and the Contemporary World – II. History-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Nationalism in India > Activity > p. 32
3. [5] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 3: Impact of World War I on Indian Freedom Movement > Khilafat Movement > p. 37
4. [2] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 11: MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT > What was the Khilafat Movement? > p. 290
5. [4] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 16: Non-Cooperation Movement and Khilafat Aandolan > Non-Cooperation Movement and Khilafat Aandolan > p. 328