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Mohamed Anwar al-Sadat

by Omara from Cairo

"We must achieve peace because it's the only way to build this nation."

Name: Mohamed Anwar al-Sadat
Nickname: The war and the peace man
Date of Birth: 25/12/1918
Nationality: Egyptian
Field: The Egyptian president
Achievements: He achieved peace with Israel and won the Nobel Prize for peace in 1978.

Anwar al-Sadat succeeded Gamal Abdel Nasser as the president of Egypt in 1970, and retained the office until he was assassinated in 1981. Under Sadat’s leadership, Egypt succeeded in bringing back the occupied land for Egypt. He also negotiated a peace treaty with Israel to end a history of conflicts between the two countries.

In our country, Egypt, we have three pyramids. These pyramids are the symbol of our civilization, and we consider this man the fourth pyramid; as he served his country with honor and respect and became THE WAR AND PEACE MAN.

HIS LIFE:

MOHAMED ANWAR AL-SADAT was born on December 25, 1918, 40 miles north of Cairo in a city called (MIT ABU EL KAWM) Minoufiyya.

He graduated from the Royal Military Academy in Cairo; he joined an officers' group committed to free Egypt from British control.

He was arrested and imprisoned twice during World War II for cooperating with the Germans against British forces between 1942 and 1948.

He became a close assistant of Gamal Abdel Nasser and after the revolution of 1952 he became vice president of the republic.

He was elected to be the president in 1970 after Nasser's death. He was rewarded the Nobel Prize for peace in 1978. Finally, he was killed in a military parade on October 6, 1981, in Cairo.

HIS EFFORTS TOWARDS EGYPT:

He established a new policy, which was totally independent from Gamal A. Nasser. He was the main designer of the war in 1973 against Israel.

Sadat was one of the best presidents that ruled Egypt, as he developed a lot of projects that helped the upcoming generation, such as the Sadat City and lots of cities! He also developed a lot of agriculture projects and he put Egypt on the map of modern countries.

HIS PROFESSIONAL LIFE:

In 1950 he joined Gamal Abdel Nasser's free officers’ organization and became one of its best officers. After the revolution of 1952, he became Vice President of the Republic. Then he was elected president in 1970 after Naser’s death.

He launched, with Syria, the joint invasion of Israel that began the Arab-Israeli war in October 1973.

The Egyptian army achieved a tactical surprise in its attack on Israel. After the war, he began to work toward peace in the Middle East. He made a historic visit to Israel (Nov. 19-20, 1977). He spoke in Israel with Menachem Begin and he gave a speech in the national assembly of Israel, the Knesset.

The result of this speech was the Camp David Agreement. This agreement was signed on March 26, 1979. This treaty comes in two parts:

(1) Israel should give up land taken from Egypt in exchange for peace.
(2) Israel should establish negotiation with Palestinians.

US President Jimmy Carter mediated the negotiations between Sadat and Begin that resulted in the Camp David Peace Agreement between Egypt and Israel.

Sadat and Begin won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1978, and their continued political negotiations resulted in the signing, on March 26, 1979, of a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.

Mohamed Anwar al-Sadat is really one of the greatest people that we have ever seen. He was not only a political leader, but also a beloved leader from his nation who brought back the Egyptian land with peace and war when it was a must.

He loved his country crazily, as we hope all the youth do. He had a positive attitude towards change. He was a man with self-confidence to a great extent, and that was very useful to him when he decided to sign the peace agreement with Israel. He signed the agreement because he saw that it was the best thing for his country. He had many great character qualities such as courage, leadership, patience, and creativity. He created many projects in all aspects of life and tried to make Egypt the best country in the world, and that's what we are all trying to do. Can we continue his dream one day? We hope so.

Page created on 7/13/2007 2:34:22 PM

Last edited 7/13/2007 2:34:22 PM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Related Links

The MY HERO Project - Read a story about Jehan Sadat, Mohamed Anwar al-Sadat's wife.
Nobel Prize Web site - Mohamed Anwar al-Sadat and Menachem Begin share the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978.
1978 Camp David Peace Accords

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