Encyclopedia of Islam

597

AF

J:

sacrifice

  See i

d

 

al

-a

dha

.

sadaqa

  See 

almsgiving

.

al-Sadat, Muhammad Anwar

 

(1919–

1981)  president of Egypt from 1970 to 1981

Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat served as Egyptian 

president from September 28, 1970, until his assas-

sination on October 6, 1981. Sadat was born into a 

poor family, one of 13 brothers and sisters. He grad-

uated from the Royal Military Academy in 1938, 

was involved in the Free Officer Movement, and its 

efforts to oust the British from e

gypt

 and nationalize 

the Suez Canal. Sadat served in various prominent 

positions in the government of J

amal

 a

bd

 

al

-n

asir

,

including as vice president from 1964.

In 1973 Sadat, along with s

yria

, launched the 

Yom Kippur War (October War) with i

srael

, which 

succeeded in regaining parts of the Sinai Peninsula 

and garnered much popularity for him domesti-

cally. On November 19, 1977, Sadat became the 

first Arab leader to officially visit Israel when he 

met Prime Minister Menachem Begin and spoke 

before the Knesset in J

erUsalem

. This visit ulti-

mately resulted in the 1978 c

amp

 d

avid

 a

ccords

,

which stipulated that Egypt recognize Israel and 

secured American economic aid for Egypt, which 

continues today. Sadat pursued economic poli-

cies that were more favorable to capitalism and 

outside trade than those of his predecessor, Jamal 

Abd al-Nasir. Sadat was immensely popular in the 

West—he graced the cover of the November 28, 

1977, issue of Time magazine and received the 

1978 Nobel Peace Prize.

Sadat styled himself as the “believer presi-

dent,” praying regularly and publicly, and initially 

he enjoyed a cordial relationship with Muslim and 

Islamist organizations. From the beginning of his 

presidency, Sadat sought to downplay the social-

ism of the Abd al-Nasir period and encouraged 

antisocialist elements in Egypt. This included 

permitting the public expression of Islamic oppo-

sition, releasing many of the activists imprisoned 

by Abd al-Nasir, and allowing the m

Uslim

 b

roth

-

erhood

 to publish magazines and organize in 

mosqUe

s and universities—this actually backfired, 

providing a forum for Islamist activists to express 

themselves. Further, Sadat’s trip to Jerusalem, rec-

ognition of Israel, and economic policies soured 

his relationship with the Islamic opposition, spur-

ring the growth of Islamist movements such as 

al

-t

akFir

 

Wal

 h

iJra

 and Islamic J

ihad

. Under the 

threat of growing opposition, Sadat changed his 

stance, and, in September 1981, he cracked down 

on Muslim organizations and student groups, 

S

---

with arrests totaling nearly 1,600. These purges 

added fuel to the fire, and, on October 6, Sadat 

was assassinated in c

airo

 during a parade com-

memorating the 1973 war. The assassin was 

Khalid Islambouli, a member of Islamic Jihad. It 

could be said that the Islamist movement in Egypt 

reached its maturity under Sadat’s presidency.

Joshua Hoffman