The Role of the Khilafat Movement in the Relationship Between the Ottoman Empire and the Muslims of India
Zekai KardaşWith the Ottoman Empire taking over the Caliphate at the beginning of 16th century, an intangible bond started to appear between the people of the Indian subcontinent, the majority of whom were Muslims, and the Ottoman Empire, and the relationships between them begun to increase gradually. After the Britain’s dominance over India in particular, the Muslims of the subcontinent considered the Caliph as their Maecenas [generous patron], protector of the rights they’d gained by being Muslim, and the maintainer of their freedom to pray as Muslims. They kept track of the incidents would soon happen to the Ottomans in the Balkan Wars and tried to find every possible way to help and support the Turks. Britain’s entry into World War I against the Ottoman Empire caused outrage among the Indian Muslims. The Indian Khilafat [Caliphate] Movement was initiated by Indian Muslims to suppress the British government and protect the Ottoman Caliphate. The Hijrat Movement emerged as a result of the Indian Caliphate Movement. The leading religious and political leaders of India put forward the ideas that India, which was ruled by the British, was no longer a place where Muslims could fulfill their religious obligations and that they should migrate to other places.
Osmanlı İmparatorluğu ve Hint Müslümanları İlişkilerinde Hilafet Hareketinin Rolü
Zekai Kardaş16. Yüzyılın başlarında İslam Halifeliğinin Osmanlı İmparatorluğuna geçişiyle birlikte Hint-Alt kıtasında yaşayan Osmanlı İmparatorluğuna karşı sempati duymaya başlamışlardır. Özellikle İngilizlerin Hint Alt kıtasında hüküm sürmeye başlamalarından sonra Hint Müslümanları dini vazifelerini yerine getiremeyecekleri endişesiyle, kendilerini koruyacak makam olarak gördükleri Osmanlı Halifesine karşı bağlılıklarını güçlendirmiştir. Hindistan’ın İngilizlerin eline gecmesiyle iktidar ve devlet hizmetlerindeki go ̧ revlerinden dıs ̈ lanarak sosyal ̧ ve siyasi ac ̂ ıdan geri bırakılan Hindistan Mu ̧ slü manları, varlıklarını devam ettirme ̈ mücadelelerinde bir destek aramışlar ve gözlerini bu desteği bulabileceklerini düşündükleri Osmanlı hilâfetine çevirmişler, ancak destek umdukları bu merci zamanla güç duruma düşmüştür. Osmanlı İmparatorluğunun Balkan Savaşları sırasında sıkıntıya düşmesi Hint Müslümanlarının kaygılarının artmasına sebep olmuştur. Balkan Savaşları esnasında yaşananları yakından takip etmişler ve ellerine geçen her fırsatta Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’na yardım etmek için ianeler toplamışlardır. Ardından 1. Dünya savaşı esnasında İngilizlerin Osmanlı Devleti’yle savaşa girmesi Hint Müslümanları arasında infiale sebep olmuştur. İngiliz hükümetini baskı altına almak ve Osmanlı Hilafetini korumak için Hint Müslümanları tarafından Hindistan Hilafet Hareketi başlatıldı. Hindistan Hilafet Hareketinin bir sonucu olarak Hicret Hareketi ortaya çıkmıştır. Hindistan’ın önde gelen dini ve siyasi liderleri Türklerle barışa yanaşmayan İngilizlerin yönettiği Hindistan’ın artık Müslümanların dini vecibelerini yerine getirebilecekleri bir yer olmaktan çıktığını başka yerlere göç etmeleri gerektiği fikrini ortaya atmışlardır.
When the Ottoman Empire took hold of the Caliphate, a spiritual bond formed between the Muslim Indian people and the Ottoman Empire, and the relations between the two communities gradually increased. Particularly after the British began to rule the Indian subcontinent, the Muslims of the region perceived the Caliph as a spiritual power backing them.
By the end of the 1800s, the Turks’ back-to-back defeats in the wars caused great anger among the Indian Muslims. Meetings were held all over India to support the Ottomans, and donations were collected to help their Turkish brothers.
When Britain did not keep its promises regarding not changing the conditions of the Ottoman Empire, the Caliph, and the Holy Lands in order to soften the Muslim response after World War I, the Muslims started the Indian Khilafat [Caliphate] Movement in December 1918 to put pressure on the British government and to protect the Ottoman Caliph. When the fact became clear that the British would not protect the Caliphate or the Holy Lands, Indian Muslim intellectuals announced their establishment of the Indian Khilafat Committee on November 14 in 1918.
The Khilafat Movement became a major popular movement in India, with massive demonstrations held throughout the country. The delegation went to London and participated in the peace agreements that had already begun there. However, the picture that emerged was that Istanbul was to be taken from the hands of the Turks. Realizing this, the Indian Muslims faced the fact that England would not help them in this matter.
The abolition of the Caliphate in Turkey in 1924 led to collapse of the Indian Khilafat Movement, and thus a new era was entered where tendencies toward independence intensified. Leaders such as Muhammed Ali Jinnah and Maulana Muhammed Ali started preparing a constitutional framework as the people expressing the quest for an independent homeland among Muslims.
Another issue that should be mentioned when talking about the Khilafat Movement is the Indian Hijrat [Migration] Movement. This occurred when thousands of people immigrated to Afghanistan with the thought that they could no longer live as Muslims in India.
The Hijrat Movement had emerged as a result of the Indian Khilafat Movement. The leading religious and political leaders of India, Maulana Abdul Bari and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, put forward the idea that they should migrate to other places that can be considered Dar alIslam [within the dominion of Islam]. In this regard, Abdul Bari and Kalam Azad also issued a fatwa. While these developments were taking place in India, the leader of Afghanistan, Emir Amanullah Khan, stated in public speech that he saw the plight of Indian Muslims and would accept them into Afghanistan if they were to migrate.
In a very short time, even just a few months, large groups of immigrants set out for Afghanistan without any preparation. They began to migrate, selling whatever they had for half price or even less. According to some sources, between 500,000 to 2 million immigrants are said to have migrated to Afghanistan.
For the Indian Muslims who’d come from their homeland, which they called Dar alHarb [house of war], to Afghanistan for the religion of Islam and their Turkish brothers, this journey was truly a disaster. Many of the elderly, women, and children who’d set out by selling whatever they had in their hometown and lacked the necessities of travel, perished on the way. After spending days under extremely bad conditions in Afghanistan, they had to return to their homeland greatly disappointment. But when they returned, their homes were no longer their homes, nor were the fields their own any more.
Therefore, the Hijrat Movement that had occurred in the pages of history as a movement begun with religious motives and the basic desire to help their Turkish brothers had brought trouble to many families due to not being well planned.
