WI: Enlightenment reaches Middle East

How and why would it reach the middle east in the first place, unless you works of enlightenment thinkers go through France which in turn goes to the Ottomans. From there you could have a sultan take reading maybe try to reconcile it with Islam, and maybe use some ideas to one up the Janisaries and reform and have it spread out from there.
 
One could easily argue that Enlightenment values greatly influenced the Ottoman Empire from the reign of Mahmud II onward. Mahmud himself attempted the equalization of society (namely through the wearing of the fez, to prevent religious and class identification through headwear). Later Sultans instituted reforms that led to full declarations of equality for all citizens, and even went as far to proclamation things such as the legalization of homosexuality.

So I'd say there is a good case this was OTL.
 
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