Government, such a person would have made it clear in a single of his treatises, and indicated it in a thousand places. If his purpose had been criticism with political intent, would he not have found anything to criticize other than one or two rules about the veiling of women and inheritance, which have long been in force?

Yes, the politically-minded opponent of a ruling regime which had enacted far-reaching reforms would have found not those one or two to object to but thousands. As though the reforms of the Government of the Republic consisted only of one or two minor matters. Although I had no intention to criticize it whatsoever, because of one or two words in one or two of my books which I had written long previously, it was said: “He is attacking the ruling regime and its reforms.” So I ask: Should the whole country be busied with a scholarly matter which demands not the smallest penalty, in a way to cause anxiety?

Thus, myself and five to ten of my friends being given the most minor, trivial sentences; and the whole country being intimidated by powerful propaganda against us and being made to hate us; and Sükrü Kaya, the Interior Minister, being called to Isparta with a significant force of soldiers in order to perform a task a single private soldier could perform, that is, to arrest me; and Ismet, the head of the Cabinet, going to the eastern provinces in that connection; and for two months in prison my being prohibited from speaking with anyone; and no one asking after me or sending me greetings while alone in this exile; — all these show that it is a meaningless, pointless, illegal situation like a tree as huge as a mountain producing a fruit the size of a pea. Seeing that ‘government’ means ‘to govern with wisdom,’ it is not something any government would be involved in, especially a legal government like the Government of the Republic, which adheres more closely to the law than any other.

I want my rights within the bounds of the law. I accuse of being criminals those who act against the law in the name of the law. The laws of the Government of the Republic certainly reject the arbitrary acts of such criminals. I am hopeful that my rights will be restored to me.

S a i d N u r s i

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