597

J:AF

sacrifice See id al-adha.

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 egypt and nationalize

the Suez Canal. Sadat served in various prominent

positions in the government of Jamal abd al-nasir,

including as vice president from 1964.

In 1973 Sadat, along with syria, launched the

Yom Kippur War (October War) with israel, 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 JerUsalem. This visit ulti-

mately resulted in the 1978 camp david accords,

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 mUslim broth-

erhood to publish magazines and organize in

mosqUes 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-takFir Wal hiJra and Islamic Jihad. Under the

threat of growing opposition, Sadat changed his

stance, and, in September 1981, he cracked down

on Muslim organizations and student groups,

S