Question
Why did Mahatma Gandhi support the Khilafat Movement?

Answer

Mahatma Gandhi supported the Khilafat Movement due to these reasons:
  1. The Rowlatt Satyagraha had been a widespread movement, no doubt, but it was still limited mostly to cities and towns.
  2. Gandhiji now felt the need to launch a more broad-based movement in India. But he was certain that no such movement could be organised without bringing the Hindus and Muslims closer together.
  3. To defend the Khalifa's temporal powers, a Khilafat Committee was formed in Bombay in 1919.
  4. A young generation of Muslim leaders like the brothers Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali, began discussing with Gandhiji about the possibility of a united mass action on the issue. Gandhiji saw this as an opportunity to bring Muslims under the umbrella of a unified national movement.
  5. At the Calcutta session of the Congress in 1920 he convinced other leaders of the need to began a Non-Cooperation movement in support of Khilafat and Swaraj.

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