Encyclopedia of Islam

Nasser, Gamal Abdel

---

united Arab country. However, the UAR quickly 

dissolved in 1961 after just three years. Further, 

Abd al-Nasir became involved in the North y

emen

civil war in 1962, but this also ended in failure, 

and Egyptian troops were recalled in 1967.

By far the most significant foreign policy 

failure, however, was the disastrous defeat in the 

1967 Arab-Israeli war, which for many discredited 

the Egyptian and pan-Arab nationalisms that Abd 

al-Nasir had helped popularize, and spawned 

a swelling in the ranks of Islamist movements 

as some sought a viable alternative to nation-

alism. Nonetheless, Abd al-Nasir remained an 

immensely popular figure until his death in 1970; 

his funeral is estimated to have drawn some five 

million attendees. He was succeeded in office by 

a

nWar

 

al

-s

adat

 (d. 1981), his vice president.

See also  a

rab

-i

sraeli

 

conFlicts

; 

colonialism

; 

politics

 

and

 i

slam

; 

secUlarism

.

Joshua Hoffman