proving what was written about the Risale-i Nur to be true. And even if what they wrote had been excessively exaggerated or even wrong, it would still only have been a scholarly error, and everyone was entitled to his own opinion. He went on to gently put three questions to the 'experts' from the Directorate of Religious Affairs, suggesting that they were busying themselves with trifles while religion and the Qur'an were suffering the awesome attacks of that period, or even assisting them. [^341]

[^341]:Ibid., 338-341 (Eng. tr.: Rays, 423-7).

Nevertheless, despite the unfair criticisms in the report and their consequences, Bediuzzaman maintained a positive attitude towards the Directorate of Religious Affairs, marked by the "Thank-you Letter" above and the fact that in addition to other government departments, he arranged for copies of the defence speeches to be sent also to them. [^342] In fact, previous to their arrests, and subsequently, he sent students to them to seek their cooperation. [^343]

[^342]:Ibid., 409 (Eng. tr.: Rays, 482).

[^343]:Nursi, Emirdağ Lahikası, i, 232-3; ii, 6, 9.

#### The Trial Continues

The Trial Continues

Another fact supporting the claim that the trial was an officially-backed conspiracy against Bediuzzaman and the Risale-i Nur movement was that he was denied all sorts of legal rights in the trial. In addition to being denied access to such important documents as the report, he was even frequently denied the right to speak in the court itself. His being totally isolated for the first eleven months of his imprisonment, during the trial, was clearly both to prevent him receiving information and assisting with his students. Thus, he was also often not allowed anyone to assist him with the writing out of his defence. Of course, Bediuzzaman never used the Latin alphabet, so he was dependent on his students or others for the reading of all official documents, and also the writing of any document or letter that had to be presented to the court or authorities. As with his dress, he refused to compromise. Since the Ottoman script was now illegal and invalid, when his signature was necessary on official papers, they used either his finger-print or a rubber-stamp with his name on it in the new letters.

Nevertheless, Bediuzzaman and his students were not in any way intimidated by the wrongs and injustices they suffered. A gendarme who served both in Emirdağ and Afyon Court, called İbrahim Mengüverli, described how on one occasion Bediuzzaman rose to speak in court, and continued