Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 41 Trial
The governor ordered a court hearing for the Báb, which already made the local clergy feel threatened. If this heretic was allowed to continue, their position would be put at risk.

Therefore, they decided to bring the other party to their knees in court and secure a quick conviction to avoid any unforeseen complications.

This was less a trial and more a meeting. Just as Martin Luther went to attend the Council of Worms, the Báb brought his newborn alphabet to the courtroom in Tabriz.

The Báb entered in shackles, and the clerics and Shia believers rushed up to him, shouting angrily in an attempt to frighten him.

"Execute him!"

"Traitor to Allah!"

Thanks to the soldiers present, they were prevented from killing the Báb and his followers. However, outside the arena, the Báb's followers and Shia Muslims had already begun fighting each other.

More than 200 Shia Muslims attacked more than 50 Báb Muslims, including several women. Despite being outnumbered, they displayed surprising fighting prowess. The arrival of the police brought the conflict to a halt, pending the verdict.

"Silence! Silence!"

Henry, the newly appointed British judge appointed by the governor, Ayatollah Mirza, and Amir, the mayor of Tabriz, sat in the courtroom. The trial of the Báb should have been a matter for the religious court, but the governor, citing the complexity of the case, insisted on a mixed court composed of religious and secular officials.

"Defendant Sayyid Ali Muhammad, the plaintiff is suing you for three major crimes: kidnapping, robbery, and spreading heretical ideas. Plaintiff, please read the indictment."

The plaintiffs were naturally the clergy, who had crammed on courtroom knowledge to prepare. Who knew that trials of heretics would involve such complicated procedures, including legal terms like plaintiff and defendant? This indictment took them a whole day to draft.

"Your Honor, the defendant was originally a merchant from Shiraz. However, relying on his distorted understanding of the Quran, he gathered a group of believers and called himself an Imam. This violated Allah's instructions and was an insult to the previous Imams."

Some believers refused to convert, so he had them kidnapped and coerced, or had their houses burned down. This is a serious violation of the law and a blatant disregard for social morality.

"Sir, this is a frame-up. We have never done such a thing."

The Báb protested loudly against these unfounded accusations, but the Shia Muslims retorted directly, which required the judge to strike the gavel several times to quiet them down.

"Silence. The defendant will now speak."

The Báb had long known he would be falsely accused, so he was prepared for the situation. He said, “Your Honor, I deny all these charges. They say I have distorted the Quran, but why must they be right?”

From Shiraz to Tehran, the entire route was littered with corpses of the starving. You enjoy the best land and crops, while the farmers barely survive on meager harvests. During droughts, you even use your power to force farmers to sell their land. How can you, people like this, claim that your understanding is absolutely correct?

The Báb continued, “I have come out to seek justice for the farmers and the poor. You have been up there for too long, detached from worldly affairs. I am sent by Allah to clean this place up and restore fairness to the world.”

Báb's statement directly offended the entire clergy, and the believers wanted nothing more than to rush forward and kill this heretic. "Silence! Silence! Silence!!!"

No matter how many times the judge banged the gavel, the crowd below could not remain silent. The soldiers had no choice but to clear the area, and at that moment, someone took a small pistol from his bag and pointed it at the Báb while the soldiers were clearing the audience.

"Someone has a gun, watch out!"

Upon seeing this, a soldier shouted, and realizing he had been exposed, he fired two shots at Báb. He was then shot to the ground by the soldiers.

The Báb was pierced by a bullet in his left arm, and a follower risked his life to block another bullet. Seeing the situation had deteriorated, the judge announced that the trial would be postponed and the injured man was rushed to the hospital for treatment.

What was supposed to be a trial turned out quite unexpectedly. The Shia clerics demanded the Báb's execution, but the scheduled trial date left them unsettled for even a day. However, there were also many of the Báb's followers in Tabriz who gathered to demand his innocence.

Faced with this, Amir could only choose to postpone the trial. He hadn't anticipated such a divisive outcome, but the governor seemed to be enjoying it.

Nasser al-Din didn't want this either, but he desperately needed to break down the Shia group. The Báb affair presented the perfect opportunity to suppress the power of Shia clerics in exchange for secularizing education. However, they also supported him; a third of the members of the Progressive Association were clergy.

In truth, the people we should really be dealing with are the clergy studying in Qom, not the locals. But there's nothing we can do; after all, he's the governor of Azerbaijan.
"Your Highness, everything is in chaos."

Nasserdin remained calm upon hearing this; he had anticipated it. However, what Báb said in court, following Amir's account, also exceeded his expectations.

"I never expected it to turn out like this, but he's right. If I were an ordinary person, I would have listened to him too."

The governor's insistence on bringing this up at this moment greatly alarmed Amir. "Your Highness, this is not the time to discuss this. How should this matter be resolved?"

Naserdin thought for a moment, "Since anyone's death will cause chaos, let's not consider the death penalty, life imprisonment will do. The governor's office can afford to support them all."

This is indeed a good move, but it will likely provoke opposition from others. After all, the priests' goal is to kill the Báb.

"Don't think about anything else, this is the most advantageous way. If the pressure from Koum is too great, then we have no choice but to do it."

They can only weaken the Shia forces little by little, and will need to utilize them when necessary. The process of moving from a theocracy to a separation of church and state is painful, but also necessary.

Amir had no choice but to agree, hoping nothing else would go wrong. The protesters quieted down after a day of shouting, but the believer who shielded the Báb from the bullet couldn't be saved and became a victim of the trial.

The Báb held prayers for him in prison, and other believers joined him. The prison was overcrowded, and people even pooled their money for his burial. Following the trial, the Báb's fame soared, and his words representing farmers and the poor resonated deeply, leading many to demand his release. However, the governor's office remained unmoved; the matter was beyond their control and required detailed discussion.

(End of this chapter)