Ibrahim or his father might have reprimanded this or that officer for mistreating the soldiers; ultimately, however, the very fabric of the army depended on the need to control the fellah conscripts by appointing ethnically different officers to command them. Whatever his true sentiments might have been regarding the qualities of the “Arabs” vs. “Turks” under his rule, Mehmed Ali knew that it was only by appointing Turkish-speaking officers that it was possible to prevent the fellah conscripts from turning against him and his ruling family. The Pasha knew too well that if “Arabs” were allowed to assume leadership positions, whether in the army or the civilian administration, they would challenge the very basis of his power, viz. the Turkish–mamluk coalition that he had so laboriously formed.

Builds on: "Ethnic quotas barred Egyptians from senior military ranks."

Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed…, loc. 1334