probably the most comfortable place of a tyrannical government whose freedom consists thus only of the word. To die oppressed is better than to live as oppressor."

The main part of Bediuzzaman’s long defence took the form of describing the eleven and a half "crimes" for which he had been imprisoned. These were his main activities in the nine months of freedom, and were all in the cause of Islam and the constitution. They have mostly been described above, including his reasons for joining the Society For Muslim Unify and how he viewed it, and his movements during the revolt. Bediuzzaman then said: "...I have done one good thing in place of all these bad deeds. I shall tell you:

"I opposed this branch of despotism here, which has destroyed everyone's enthusiasm and extinguished their joy; awakened feelings of hatred and partisanship, and given rise to the formation of recialist societies, whose name is constitutionalism and meaning is despotism, and who has besmirched the name of unity and progress... Since I am pledged to true constitutionalism based on the Seriat, whatever form despotism takes, even if it clothes itself in constitutionalism and calls itself that, I shall strike it wherever I encounter it. I think the enemies of constitutionalism arc those who make the enemies of mutual consultation many through showing constitutionalism to be tyrannical, ugly, and contrary to the Serial."

"O you who command! I had a good name and I would have served the nation of Islam with it; you have destroyed it. I had an undeserved fame and I used to make my words of advice to the people effective with it; I am pleased to say you have razed it. Now I have a frail life of which I am weary. May I be damned if I begrudge the gallows it. May I not be a man if I do not go laughing to my death... You put me to the touchstone. I wonder how many of those you call the pure party would emerge sound if you put them to the touchstone. If constitutionalism consists of one party's despotism, and it acts contrary to the Seriat, let all the world, men and jinn, bear witness that I am a reactionary..."