Page 9 - Pakistan Link - February 1, 2019

OPINION FEBRUARY 1, 2019 – PAKISTAN LINK – P9

n By Professor Nazeer Ahmed Signs from Allah: History, Science and Faith in Islam
Concord, CA vices in the continued modernization
of Egypt.
gypt is where the two giant As long as Muhammed Ali was
continents of Asia and Af- 83. The Suez Canal & the Colonization of Egypt - 1 the Ottoman Viceroy, British ambi-
Erica meet. South of the Jor- tions in Egypt were kept at bay. How-
dan valley the landscape of West ever, Egypt could not remain isolated
Asia changes to the from the expanding European colonial
harsh desert of the juggernaut. Napoleon’s invasion had
Sinai. Dust storms shown the military vulnerability of the
rise up in the desert, Ottomans. Throughout the first half
blowing their way of the 19th century, the Mediterra-
through the waste- nean was the focus of rivalry between
land, making it diffi- the competing interests of the Euro-
cult for man or beast to survive. At pean powers. The interests of Britain,
Suez, this harsh land meets up with France, Russia and Austria-Hungary
the equally harsh eastern desert in converged in the dismantling of the
Egypt. It is barely a hundred miles, Ottoman Empire, but collided as to
as the crow flies, from the shores of who would pick up the pieces once
the Mediterranean to the mouth of the Ottomans had left. The British had
the Gulf of Suez. Yet, these few miles their paramount interest in Egypt as
have separated not just two bodies the gateway to the British Indian Em-
of water, the Mediterranean and the pire and the Indian Ocean. The Empire
Indian Ocean, but two distinct his- of Austria-Hungary was interested in
torical regions. The Mediterranean the Balkans and kept up its steady
region has its own distinct history as pressure south of the Danube. The
does the Indian Ocean region, which French occupied Algeria in 1830 and
jets into the Gulf of Suez through the had ambitions in Morocco and Tuni-
Red Sea. South of Suez, the Sinai be- sia. The Russians were devouring Ot-
comes a rugged terrain, rising into toman territories in the Caucasus and
the lofty Al Ajmali Mountains. This of machinery increased the ability of Sultan of Mysore (India) and the Sul- (1799), capital of Mysore, and Tippu the Black Sea region. Their geopoliti-
was the land through which Prophet man to subdue nature. tan of Oman. However, his attempts to had died in battle. Frustrated, Napo- cal goal was the occupation of Istanbul
Moses wandered for forty years, and With the European discovery punch through Ottoman lines in Syria leon retreated to France, leaving be- and the control of the Bosporus Straits
it was the land where God spoke to of trade routes to the Indian Ocean hind him a large number of scholars, so that their navy would have access to
man. around the Cape of Good Hope, the With the European administrators and French chefs. warm waters. A projection of Russian
The civilizations of the Mediter- strategic importance of Egypt in- discovery of trade routes to British strategic interest in Egypt power into the Mediterranean would
ranean and those of the Indian Ocean creased. Specifically, in the 18th cen- grew in proportion to the consolida- threaten French and British ambitions
have interacted and traded with each tury, as France and England fought the Indian Ocean around tion of the British Empire in India. in North Africa and West Asia. So,
other through the centuries. Egypt, for influence and colonies in the In- the Cape of Good Hope, The British tried both diplomacy and they cooperated in containing Russia
sitting astride two continents, radiated dian subcontinent, Egypt acquired the strategic importance of war to gain a foothold on the Nile. even while they themselves nibbled at
its influence westwards into North Af- added importance. Napoleon landed Egypt increased. Specifically, However, its initial attempts met with the Ottoman Empire from the south.
rica, south into the Sudan, east into the in Egypt in 1798, ostensibly to free in the 18th century, as failure. After the withdrawal of Napo- Greece was encouraged to secede from
Red Sea basin, and north into the Syr- the Egyptians from despotic rule, but France and England fought leon, the Ottomans returned, and with the Ottoman Empire (1820), but when
ian highlands. With its strategic posi- his eyes were further east, on India. the Treaty of El Arish, the British were the Ottomans decided to challenge Eu-
tion, it commanded the trade routes to The French contingent easily defeated for influence and colonies forced to withdraw their naval contin- ropean naval supremacy in the eastern
North Africa, Europe and Asia. Goods the Turkish-Egyptian garrison under in the Indian subcontinent, gents from the Nile. In 1805, Moham- Mediterranean, war ensured. Britain,
from the Mediterranean basin were Murad Bey at the Battle of the Pyra- Egypt acquired added med Ali, an ambitious and capable France and Russia formed an alliance
unloaded at Alexandria, transported mids and occupied Cairo. Egypt was importance. Napoleon Albanian in the Ottoman garrison and their combined navies defeated
by land to Suez, and ferried again by a province of the Ottoman Empire. In landed in Egypt in 1798, in Egypt, rose to become the Turkish the Ottomans in an engagement off
sea to the littoral regions of the Indian response to the French invasion, the Governor. He instituted reforms in the the coast of Cyprus (1827). Thereafter,
Ocean, including Yemen, Persia, India, Ottoman Sultan Selim III declared war ostensibly to free the Egyptian administration and built up the Mediterranean became a European
Indonesia and China. The rulers of on France. Britain, which was at war Egyptians from despotic the Ottoman-Egyptian garrison into naval preserve.
Egypt, since the time of the Pharaohs, with France, supported the Ottomans. rule, but his eyes were one of the finest fighting machines in (The author is Director, World
had pondered the possibility of con- Napoleon was bottled up in Cairo and further east, on India the Mediterranean. When the Brit- Organization for Resource Develop-
necting the two regions by digging a his fleet was defeated by the British at ish attempted to capture Alexandria ment and Education, Washington, DC;
canal across the Suez area. The sheer the Battle of the Nile. Napoleon’s grand were frustrated when Turkish forces in 1807, Muhammed Ali successfully Director, American Institute of Islamic
magnitude of the task was overwhelm- plan was to strike at India through held their line at the Battle of Heliopo- beat back the assault. To counter Brit- History and Culture, CA; Member,
ing, and the dream remained unful- Syria and Iraq. With this in view he lis (1800). Meanwhile, the British had ish ambitions, Muhammed Ali culti- State Knowledge Commission, Ban-
filled until recent times when the use started correspondence with Tippu successfully stormed Srirangapatam vated the French, and used their ser- galore; and Chairman, Delixus Group)
Eugenics, I’m Embarrassed to Say, is Alive and Flourishing in Modern America

n By Dr Gary Welton genes, would be to take active steps a decision to put one’s convenience
PA to cleanse the human race of existing ahead of another’s life.
he modern eugenics move- “inferior” peoples. This, of course, I know many Christians who
ment is attributed to Sir defined the Nazi regime of Hitler, are living out their faith by adopt-
TFrancis Galton (1822- in which he targeted individuals he ing one or more babies. Many of
1911), a half-cousin of Charles deemed to be inferior, sometimes on these adoptions today involve inter-
Darwin. Perhaps the basis of mental ability, and other national handicapped children, in
better known as the times on the basis of his racial and large part because American babies
Father of Psycho- ethnic stereotypes. Indeed, Hitler’s are not available, given the practice
logical Testing, Gal- operationalization of eugenics con- of abortion.
ton argued that the vinced society that such steps were I regularly hear the accusation
human gene pool inhumane, unethical, and totally that conservative Americans don’t
could be improved, unacceptable. Eugenics had seen its care about the poor, racial equity, or
natural selection explicitly facili- height and would quickly decline. Or social justice (and certainly, we can
tated, and the evolution of the hu- so we like to think. do better). Nevertheless, I argue that
man race accelerated, by reducing Since the Roe v. Wade decision among the largest oppressed group
the number of children born to by the US Supreme Court on Janu- in America, the unborn, there is no
“below average” humans and in- ary 22, 1973, more than 60,000,000 equality in support of minority op-
creasing the number of children babies have been aborted in Ameri- portunities for life. There is no social
born to “above average” humans. ca. This dwarfs the number of Jews abortions in America, however, are more likely to be aborted in America justice when racial and ethnic mi-
As a result of his thinking, more exterminated by Hitler. This dwarfs dramatically different. According to than white fetuses. The most vulner- norities are being aborted at a rate
than 30 of our states adopted legisla- the number of Soviets murdered by the Centers for Disease Control and able and oppressed group in Ameri- more than 200% higher than white
tion aimed at compulsory steriliza- Stalin. Realizing her dream of al- Prevention, summarizing data from ca (the unborn) are not being treated Americans. The liberal support of
tion of certain individuals. Margaret tering the gene pool of the human 36 states (14 states did not report, with equality. This, by another name, abortion is the ultimate evidence of
Sanger founded Planned Parenthood race, Margaret Sanger seems to have did not report by race, or did not is the practice of eugenics. racial and ethnic inequality in Amer-
with the explicit goal of encouraging facilitated her goal, given that these meet reporting standards), approxi- As Ian McEwan wrote in The ica. It is the ultimate denial of social
contraceptive use for poor and im- abortions are not evenly distributed mately 50.5% of abortions in the Child in Time, “Children are our justice. It is time to put eugenics to
migrant women, hence helping to across the American population. United States in 2014 were obtained greatest resource.” For most people, death.
realize Galton’s goal of improving the The 2010 US Census indicates by white women, and 49.5% were it is very easy to become a parent; it (Dr Gary L. Welton is assistant
human gene pool. that 72.4% of residents indicated obtained by women of minority ra- is very hard to be a parent. The deci- dean for institutional assessment,
The other means of altering the that their race was “white alone;” cial or ethnic status. When I crunch sion to become a parent is a decision professor of psychology at Grove
gene pool, beyond the number of 27.6% indicated some minority ra- these numbers, I learn that minor- to accept the toughest job in Amer- City College, and a contributor to
births from parents with differing cial/ethnic status. The distribution of ity fetuses are more than two times ica. The decision to abort a baby is The Center for Vision & Values)
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