Sadat, Anwar al-
Sadat, Anwar al-
(änwär` äl-sädät`), 1918–81, Egyptian political leader and president (1970–81). He entered (1936) Abbasia Military Academy, where he became friendly with Gamal Abdal NasserNasser, Gamal Abdal, 1918–70, Egyptian army officer and political leader, first president of the republic of Egypt (1956–70). A revolutionary since youth, he was wounded by the police and expelled (1935) from secondary school in Cairo for leading an anti-British
..... Click the link for more information. and other fellow cadets committed to Egyptian nationalism. A German agent during World War II, he was imprisoned (1942) by the British but escaped after two years in jail. He was again jailed (1946–49) for participating in terrorist acts against pro-British Egyptian officials. Sadat took part in the bloodless coup (1952) that deposed King Farouk. Between 1952 and 1968, he held a variety of government positions, including director of army public relations; secretary-general of the National Union, Egypt's only political party; and president of the national assembly. In 1969 he was chosen to be Nasser's vice president, and after Nasser's death (1970), he succeeded to the presidency. Less charismatic than his predecessor, Sadat was nevertheless able to establish himself as Egypt's strongman and a leader of the Arab world. He assumed the premiership in 1973 and in October of that same year led Egypt into war with Israel. He became an Arab hero when Egyptian troops recaptured a small part of the Sinai Peninsula, taken by the Israelis in 1967. A pragmatist, Sadat indicated his willingness to consider a negotiated settlement with Israel and shared the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize with Menachim BeginBegin, Menachem
, 1913–92, Zionist leader and Israeli prime minister (1977–83), b. Russia. He became (1938) leader of a Zionist youth movement in Poland, where he also earned a law degree.
..... Click the link for more information. as a result of the Camp David accordsCamp David accords,
popular name for the peace treaty forged in 1978 between Israel and Egypt at the U.S. presidential retreat at Camp David, Md. The official agreement was signed on Mar. 26, 1979, in Washington, D.C.
..... Click the link for more information. . He was assassinated by Muslim extremists, who were opposed to his peace initiative with Israel.
Sadat, Anwar Al-
Born Dec. 25, 1918, in the village of Mit Abu al-Qum, Minuf Province. Egyptian state and political figure.
In 1938, Sadat graduated from the military academy in Cairo. In 1940 he joined a secret society for officers and was closely connected with the nationalist organizations Misr al-Fatat (Young Egypt) and the Muslim Brotherhood; the British colonial authorities subjected him to punitive measures. Sadat also took part in the activities of the Free Officers, the political organization that under the leadership of G. A. Nasser prepared and carried out the anti-imperialist and antifeudal revolution of July 23, 1952.
From 1953 to 1956, Sadat was a member of the Revolutionary Command Council. In 1955 and 1956 he was a minister of state, and from 1957 a deputy to the National Assembly. In 1957 and 1958 he was vice-president of the National Assembly, and in the periods 1960–61 and 1964–68, its president. From 1964 to 1968 and again from 1969 to 1970, Sadat was vice-president of Egypt. In October 1970 he became president of Egypt. Since 1962, Sadat has been a member of the Arab Socialist Union, and since 1970, its chairman.