Thus, Bediuzzaman established that it was the cause of belief and the Risale-i Nur that he was going to defend, and then went on to rebut the charges concerning his exploiting religion for political ends. The important questions of political reaction and secularism shall be discussed later.

After pointing out that he had refused Mustafa Kemal's offers to work alongside the new regime in 1923 because he had already withdrawn from the world and politics, Bediuzzaman described to the court five "Pointers" showing that he had not "interfered in the state's business".

Firstly, for thirteen years he had not so much as opened a newspaper, newspapers being "the tongue of politics", which everyone he knew could testify to. Then, for the ten years he had been in the province of Isparta there was not the slightest hint to suggest he had made any attempt "to be involved in politics", despite the great upheavals that were occurring during that time. His house had been raided and searched thoroughly, and all his private papers and books taken. And though these had been studied by both the police and the governor's office, nothing of any political content had been found. Only, in all the works, they had found a few points they were able to raise objections about, but these were mostly scholarly expositions of Qur'anic verses to do with women's dress and inheritance. However, he told the court, these short pieces had been written years before while he was a member of the Darü'l-Hikmeti'l-İslamiye, and he had suppressed them when the new laws were passed, which they might be seen as opposing. But then one copy had been sent to someone by mistake. Furthermore, the fact that he had chosen to remain for nine years in a remote village proved his desire to remain removed from all involvement in social and political matters. In fact he said, it was his not applying to the Isparta authorities to be released or transferred elsewhere that had "wounded their pride", so that they had caused the affair to erupt by alarming Ankara. He told the Court:

All my friends who are in touch with me know that let alone involvement in politics or attempting anything political, even thinking about them is contrary to my basic aim, my mental state, and my sacred duties towards belief. Light has been given me; the club of politics has not been given me. [^120]

[^120]:Ibid., 194-6.

So too there was absolutely no evidence to support the charge of disturbing public order by exciting religious emotions. On the contrary, as Bediuzzaman pointed out, the Risale-i Nur upheld order:

The Risale-i Nur, which consists of the sciences of belief, establishes and