How did the Khilafat movement strengthen Hindu-Muslim cooperation in the early 1920s?

The Khilafat movement, which emerged in 1919 to defend the Ottoman caliphate following World War I, played a significant role in fostering Hindu-Muslim cooperation by becoming a central pillar of Mahatma Gandhi’s noncooperation movement.21

Gandhi recognized the potential to unite India’s diverse religious communities against British rule and embraced the Khilafat cause as a "premier plank" of his national program. By supporting the Muslim protest against the Treaty of Sèvres, Gandhi secured the collaboration of prominent Muslim leaders, such as the Ali brothers and Abul Kalam Azad, who in turn pledged their commitment to nonviolence.12

This strategic alliance allowed the Indian National Congress and the Khilafat movement to launch contemporaneous programs of noncooperation, creating a united front that visibly challenged the British raj in 1921. While this cooperation provided an illusion of unity, it remained fragile and eventually declined due to internal tensions, violent outbreaks, and the eventual abolition of the caliphate in 1924.321