alternatehistory.com

First things first, I APOLOGIZE for overreacting to being called a bigot and racist. I assert that I broke no forum rules, yet admit my own ignorance and a degree of arrogance. I still have a lot to learn, especially about Islam---a LOT. Thank you everyone from yesterday who provided feedback, even the name-calling. I think I needed to be knocked down a bit, so I could reassess, broaden my perspective, and learn from it. That's why I'm here---not to offend, not to pick fights, but to share what I know and learn from others.


That said, in light of yesterday, I have reframed my question:

What would it take to achieve something similar to OTL Enlightenment in the Middle East?

I leave this open-ended on purpose; I still need this question answered for my TL---as such POD needs to be post-1410.

Is the challenge impossible? Should I give up my dream of a centralized, secularized (i.e. "Western-like") state in the Middle East? My initial thought was to blow up the Ottoman Empire before the 'second founding' during the reign of Mehmed I and have Burji Egypt grow to fill its place, sitting astride the Silk Road and Red Sea trade, eventually expanding into the Indian Ocean and East Indies (beating Portugal, of course), eventually going through the same metamorphosis, possibly along with neighbors, as Western Europe in the 16th-18th centuries.
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