OTTOMAN DESPOTISM AND ISLAMIC CONSTITUTIONALISM IN MEHMED ALI'S EGYPT.

The article discusses the Egyptian scholar Khalīfa ibn Maḥmūd 's Arabic translation of the book "A View of the Progress of Society in Europe," by Scottish historian William Robertson, within the context of 19th century Egyptian ruler Mehmed Ali's relationship with the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. European concepts of Ottoman despotism, Islam and the constitutional nature of the Ottoman state, including writer Alfio Grassi's attitude towards Prophet Muhammad, are discussed.