The Khilafat Movement was a political movement launched by the Indian Muslims in support of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire was defeated in World War I, and the Allied powers planned to dismantle it. The Muslims in India feared that the Allied powers would also abolish the Caliphate, which was the spiritual and political authority of the Ottoman Sultan. Therefore, they launched the Khilafat Movement to save the Caliphate.


Mahatma Gandhi considered it important to support the Khilafat Movement because of the following reasons:


Gandhi ji believed that the Khilafat Movement could bring Hindus and Muslims together in a common cause. He saw it as an opportunity to create unity and harmony between the two communities, which was necessary for India's freedom struggle.


Gandhi ji also saw the Khilafat Movement as a way to get Muslim support for the Non-Cooperation Movement. He believed that if the Hindus supported the Muslim cause, then the Muslims would support the Hindu cause of non-cooperation with the British.


Gandhi ji believed that it was the moral obligation of Indians to support the Khilafat Movement. He saw it as a way of showing solidarity with the Muslim world and supporting the downtrodden.


Gandhi ji also saw the Khilafat Movement as a symbol of India's struggle against colonialism. He believed that the Ottoman Empire represented the oppressed nations of the world, and the Khilafat Movement was a way of showing that India was part of that struggle.

In conclusion, Gandhi ji considered it important to support the Khilafat Movement because he saw it as an opportunity to bring Hindus and Muslims together, get Muslim support for the Non-Cooperation Movement, fulfill India's moral obligation, and symbolize India's struggle against colonialism.

The First world war ends with the defeat of Ottoman Turkey. And there was rumours that a harsh peace treaty was going to be imposed on the Ottoman Empire - the Spiritual head of Islamic world (the Khalifa). To defend the Khalifa's temporal powers, a khilafat committee was formed in Bombay in March 1919. Young generation of Muslim leaders like the brothers Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali began discussing with Mahatma Gandhi about the possibility of a United mass action on the issue.


Gandhiji considered it important to support Khilafat movement as he saw this as an opportunity to bring the muslims under the umbrella of a unified national movement.