Anouar el-Sadate

Anouar el-Sadate (December 25th 1918 - October 6th 1981), in Arab أنورالسادات (that the Arabists transcribe ʼAnwar traditionally have-Sadāt ), was the president of the Arab republic of Egypt of 1970 to its assassination in 1981. It accepted the Nobel Prize of peace in 1978, jointly with Israeli the Prime Minister Menahem Begin, for the Camp David agreements.

Biography

Youth

Sadate was born with MIT Aboul Koum, Al-Minufiyah, in Egypt, in poor a égypto-Sudanese woman family, among 12 brothers and sisters. He studied with the royal military academy with the Cairo, of which he was graduate in 1938 and at the conclusion which he was affected with the body of telecommunications. He joined the Mouvement of the free officers, of which the goal was to release Egypt of British control.

In 1942, Sadate was imprisoned by the British troops for the activities which it undertook against the British occupation by animating a spy network in favor of the Afrika Korps. After the Israeli-Arab War of 1948, it takes part in the creation of the clandestine association of the Mouvement of the free officers, and takes part in 1952 in the Coup d'etat which détrôna the King Farouk I. In 1964, after having held several stations in the Egyptian government, he becomes president of the National Assembly, then appointed the December 20th 1969 vice-president by his friend the president Gamal Abdel Nasser. The October 5th, after the death of Nasser it is indicated by the Arab socialist Union - sole party - as one applicant with the presidency of the United Arab Republic. Its election was ratified by referendum with nearly 90%. Its designation by the party had surprised the experts who saw like possible successor with Nasser pro-Soviet Ali Sabri, or pro-American Zacharia Mohieddine.

Presidency of Egypt

In 1973, Sadate, in.liaison.with the Syria, carried out Egypt in the Guerre of Kippour against Israel to try to take again the the Sinai lost in 1967 at the time of the Guerre the Six Day old. It worked out an astute military operation thus in order to mask its plans: making pass its troop movements along the Suez Canal for military exercises - frequent at the time in the Egyptian army - it was put in a favorable position without waking up the Israeli suspicions. In parallel, it ensured sufficient military and logistic support, without its allies not being with the current of the day when it would pass to the offensive. Only Hafez el-Assad, Syrian president, was put at the current in order to carry out an offensive coordinated with the Egyptian attack. The October 6th, whereas Sadate ordered the beginning of the hostilities, the Israeli Staff was surprised and had to go obviously: in spite of a clear military superiority of Tsahal, the Egyptian forces were decided to take again the territories lost in 1967. And even if the effect discounted by Sadate were successful, the Egyptians, just like the Syrians, could not contain the Israeli counter-attacks. Finally, a cease-fire was negotiated between the the United States and the Union of the Soviet socialist republics, allies respective of Israel and Egypt, and the talks of disengagement could begin with Kilometer 101 from the road Cairo-Suez. Sadate left certainly losing on the level military and territorial, he did not remain about it less the big winner: he had proven that Tsahal was not invincible - while managing to face him a few days lasting - while restoring the Arab honor lost in 1967 with a shingling defeat.

In November 1977, Sadate became first leading Arabic in official visit in Israel, where it met the Prime Minister Menahem Begin, and spoke in front of the Knesset with Jerusalem. It paid this visit after being invited by Begin and sought a permanent peace agreement. Many authorities of the Arab world reacted very unfavourably to this visit, owing to the fact that Israel was regarded as a state hooligan and a symbol of the imperialism.

The September 17th 1978, the Camp David agreements were signed, for which Sadate and Begin accepted the Nobel Prize of peace. Nevertheless, this agreement was extremely unpopular in the Arab and Moslem world. Egypt was then most powerful of the Arab nations and an icon of Arab nationalism. Many hopes rested in the capacity of Egypt to obtain concessions of Israel for the refugees, mainly Palestinian, in the Arab world. By signing the agreements, Sadate made defection with the other Arab nations which should then only negotiate. This was thus regarded as a treason of the side-Arabism of its Nasser predecessor, destroying the vision of a plain Arab face.

Assassination

In September 1981, Sadate launched a major offensive against the intellectuals and the activists of all the ideological spectrum, imprisoning communist , feminist nasserists, , islamist , professors of university, journalists and members of groups of students. Almost 1600 people were stopped, attracting a unanimous judgment for their radicality. In parallel, the internal support of Sadate disappeared under the pressure at the same time from an economic crisis like in reaction to violence from repression from the dissidents.

The October 6th, one month after the wave of arrest, Sadate was assassinated during a military parade with the Cairo by members of the army who belonged to the organization of the Islamic Jihad Egyptian. They were opposed to the negotiation started by Sadate with Israel like with its use of the force during the operation of September. A Fatwa approving the assassination had been emitted by Omar Abdel-Rahman, an Imam thereafter accused by the United States for its role in the attack with the bomb of the World Trade Center, the February 26th 1993. Rules of withdrawal of the ammunition at the time of the parade had been installation for this event in order to counter any risk of revolt, but the officers in load of their application were in pilgrimage with Mecque.

In the passing of the fighters Mirage, a truck of transport of troop, simulating a breakdown, stopped in front of the presidential platform and lieutenant Khalid Islambouli left there, moving towards the president. Sadate was held upright to receive its safety, when Islambouli threw a smoke grenade, signal of the attack. Entreated left the truck then, launching grenades and drawing using rifles from attacks. Khalid Islambouli shot on several occasions at the Egyptian president, assisted by other attackers, with the cry of " Died with the Pharaon ". He was thereafter considered to be guilty of this act and was carried out in April 1982. In the attack, much of dignitaries present were wounded, including James Tully, then minister Irish of Defense.

In the shooting following, 7 people were killed, of which the ambassador of Cuba and an orthodoxe Greek priest, and 28 wounded. Sadate was led to the hospital, but was declared died in the hours which followed. The vice-president Hosni Mubarak, who was wounded with the hand during the attack, succeeded to him. A record number of dignitaries of the whole world went to the funeral of Sadate, in particular including 3 old US presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon in addition to the President-in-Office Ronald Reagan. A contrario no leader Arab and Moslem attended funerals.

More than 300 islamist radicals were continued within the framework of the lawsuit of Khalid Islambouli, among them Ayman al-Zawahiri, Omar Abdel-Rahman, and Abd Al-Hamid Kishk. The lawsuit was followed by the international press and the knowledge of English of Zawahiri made the spokesperson of it de facto defendants. Zawahiri was slackened of prison in 1984, before travelling in Afghanistan and approaching Usama Bin Laden.

Quotation

After its imprisonment in 1946 - 1947 for 18 months, Sadate discovers the law of the existence, the Amour:

“the love triumphed in the final analysis. Because, in fact, I then to manage to hate anyone; my nature is dedicated to the love. It is what appeared to me clearly, through thousand sufferings and thousand sorrows, in the cell n°54. The suffering crystallizes the interior force of a heart; it is by it that the man of character can even arrive at the bottom of him and probe the depths of his conscience. It is by the suffering which I discovered that I am by nature inclined to make the good, and that the love is the true motivation which is behind all my acts. Without love, I will be able nothing to make. The love brought the faith to me, full confidence in me and in all that surrounds me. My love of the universe rises from my love of god. As the Creator is my friend, I then to be afraid of the men, since it is him which reigns on their existence and the entire universe. ”

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