When Mehmed Ali heard about this he was so furious that he expelled this governor from public service. He explained that he did so not because of the brutality of the punishment, but because he was not authorized to do so by the Pasha in person. Here we come at another logic of these “inhumane,” severe corporal punishments. They were seen as acts of retribution exacted by the Sovereign against someone who dared to violate his wishes.

DEFINE: Clarifies the logic behind 'inhumane' corporal punishments — they were ritual retribution by the Sovereign for challenging his wishes, authorized only by the Pasha himself. Pays off: "Masking power's mechanisms makes domination more tolerable and effective."

Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed…, loc. 674