Upon the invasion of Egypt, Napoleon Bonaparte attempted to legitimize the colonial enterprise in the eyes of the conquered population. On one of the expeditions ships was an Arabic printing press looted from the Vatican. This was used to print a proclamation, translated awkwardly into Arabic, announcing that Bonaparte had come in the name of Islam and would govern in a more Islamic fashion that the preceding corrupt Mamluk regime. The invading troops were ordered to be scrupulously respectful of mosques. Bonaparte dressed as a Muslim and prayed in mosques, until the ridicule of his troops forced him to abandon the practice. - The Middle East and Central Asia, Dale F.Eickelman
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 09:39:53 +0000
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