CHAPTER FOUR

 BEDIUZZAMAN AND THE THIRTY-FIRST OF

 MARCH

INCIDENT

 · Introduction

                                                                     

After nine months of CUP rule, increasing discontent found expression in the famous `thirty - first of March Incident'. Many aspects of this revolt , which started with Certain sections of the Army in Istanbul mutinying and continued for eleven days, have still not been brought to light, but what is certain is that contrary to the claims of the CUP and their heirs, it was not a `reactionary' movement. For, as Bediuzzaman noted after it: "certain people who make politics the tool of irreligion accuse others of political reaction and exploiting religion for the sake of politics in order to conceal their own wrongdoing.” And as a well-known historian pointed out, the CUP labelled all their opponents `reactionary' (murteci), and the word `reaction' (irtica) became synonymous with `opposition'.3 And so in some respects it continues to be used in the same manner to this day in Turkey.

Bediuzzaman played no part in the revolt, on the contrary as far as he could he used his influence and reputation in persuading the rebelling soldiers to obey their officers and return to barracks, and to no mean degree was successful in this. Nevertheless, when order was restored on the arrival of the `Operation Army' from Salonica, Bediuzzaman was arrested along with many hundreds of others and sent before one of the military courts. The reason for this was his