Anwar Sadat

Lore & Background

Sadat was born on 25 December 1918 in Mit Abu El Kom, Monufia Governorate, Sultanate of Egypt, to a poor family. He graduated from the Royal Military Academy in Cairo in 1938 and was appointed to the Signal Corps. He was posted to Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, where he met Gamal Abdel Nasser, and along with several other junior officers they formed the Free Officers. During World War II, Sadat, a member of the fascist and ultranationalist Young Egypt Party, collaborated with Nazi Germany as part of Operation Salam. He was arrested and imprisoned for much of the war. After the war, he was involved in the assassination of Amin Osman in 1946 and was imprisoned again. He was active in the Muslim Brotherhood, the Young Egypt Party, and the Free Officers. He participated in the military coup that launched the Egyptian Revolution of 1952. During Nasser's presidency, Sadat held various positions including minister of State, editor of Al Gomhuria, secretary to the National Union, president of the National Assembly, and vice president. As president, he launched the Corrective Revolution in 1971, expelled Soviet military from Egypt, and led Egypt in the October War of 1973 to regain the Sinai Peninsula. He later negotiated the Camp David Accords and the Egypt–Israel peace treaty, which resulted in the return of Sinai to Egypt. The treaty was rejected by the Muslim Brotherhood and the left, and led to Egypt's suspension from the Arab League from 1979 to 1989. Sadat was assassinated on 6 October 1981 during a parade in Cairo.

Reader's Guide

Sadat’s presidency marked a decisive break from the policies of his predecessor, Gamal Abdel Nasser. He moved away from Nasserist economic and political tenets, reintroducing a multi-party system and launching the Infitah, an economic opening policy. His leadership during the October War of 1973, aimed at reclaiming the Sinai Peninsula from Israeli occupation since 1967, elevated him to hero status in Egypt and, for a time, across much of the Arab world. Following the conflict, Sadat pursued direct negotiations with Israel, which resulted in the Camp David Accords and a subsequent peace treaty. While the treaty secured the return of Sinai to Egypt and was broadly popular among Egyptians, it drew sharp opposition from the Muslim Brotherhood, leftist factions, and nearly the entire Arab world, including the Palestine Liberation Organization, who felt he had abandoned the Palestinian cause. Egypt was suspended from the Arab League from 1979 to 1989 as a consequence. This opposition, combined with domestic discontent, culminated in his assassination on 6 October 1981, when militants opened fire during the annual parade commemorating the 1973 war.

Did You Know?

• Sadat was named after Enver Pasha, who was lauded as the 'Hero of Freedom' by the peoples of the Ottoman Empire.
• One of his brothers, Atef Sadat, was a pilot killed in action in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War.
• Sadat gave the first statement of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 over the radio to the Egyptian people.
• The peace treaty with Israel resulted in Egypt being suspended from the Arab League from 1979 to 1989.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Sadat, Anwar (November 20, 1977). Address by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to the Knesset. Jerusalem. Retrieved on October 9, 2018." — Anwar Sadat "Sadat, Anwar (November 20, 1977). Address by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to the Knesset. Jerusalem. Retrieved on October 9, 2018." — Anwar Sadat "Sadat, Anwar (November 20, 1977). Address by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to the Knesset. Jerusalem. Retrieved on October 9, 2018." — Anwar Sadat "I am convinced that we owe it to this generation and the generations to come, not to leave a stone unturned in our pursuit of peace." — Anwar Sadat