In October Egyptians celebrate Sadat’s 1973 Sinai victory and recall his assassination

Anwar El Sadat, the third president of Egypt’s republic, was assassinated during the eighth annual celebration parade for Egypt’s victory over Israel. In 1973, Sadat “led the way for peace” between Egypt and Israel when Egypt’s military successfully crossed the Suez Canal on October 6, regaining the Israeli occupied Egyptian Sinai Peninsula. As always, this month’s celebration of the victorious event is bittersweet for Egyptians as the Commander in chief of the October 6th military campaign died on the same date in 1981.
A member of the Muslim Brotherhood Free Officers, an elite terror cell inside the Egyptian military, Sadat was a known activist prior to the 1952 coup to remove King Farouk. His military position as a low-rank officer was suspended due to his rebellion against the monarchy government. Ten years earlier, Sadat was imprisoned for ignoring requests by the military secret service to end his meetings with Aziz Basha Al Masry, an Egyptian military, administrative and political figure.

Sadat’s underground contacts intensified and upon release from prison during WWII, he collaborated with several German officers who were secretly in Egypt. Their hope was to remove the English from Egypt. When Sadat was discovered in 1943 having these connections, he was imprisoned a second time. He escaped from prison and used the assumed name of Haj Mohammed and carried on doing temporary jobs, including truck driving. Later, he moved to the town of Abu Kabir in Sharqia Province to work as a laborer on an irrigation canal project.

After almost three years in hiding, Sadat came forth from his life of deprivation at the end of WWII when martial law was terminated. For Sadat’s grand finale, he joined with a secret organization focused on assassinating Finance Minister Amin Osman. Osman’s murder was blamed on Sadat, and he was once again back in jail, this time solitary confinement. Due to lack of evidence, the charge against Sadat was dropped, and he was released from prison.

One day my father encountered Sadat at the steel yard that he managed. Sadat was waiting with his hauler at the loading dock to deliver steel bars to a construction site. Even though Sadat’s picture had appeared in newspapers at an earlier time as an arrested and released insurgent, my father did not recognize him upon seeing him in person. Finally, on a July morning in 1952, front page headlines featured a successful military coup by the Free Officers. Sadat, the trucker, was their spokesperson.

Sadat played many roles on the stage of the new republic after the 1952 coup.

Once the existing parliament was dissolved, Nasser mandated for the new parliament that 50 percent of representatives should be farmers and laborers. Less than two years later in 1954, Sadat was installed as Secretary of State of the new republic under Nasser. At the same time, Nasser appointed Sadat -dir-ector of Al Jomheria, a newspaper created in 1953 by the coup members. Following this, Sadat became Secretary of the National -union- Party in 1959, the single ruling political party.

In 1960, Sadat was elected Speaker of the Egyptian National Assembly and remained as such until 1968 when he was elected a member of the Supreme Executive Committee of the Arab Socialist -union- of Arab countries. Also in 1968, Sadat became Secretary of the National Political Committee of the National -union- Party. In 1964, he became the head of the Presidential Council aiding Nasser. Finally, in 1969 Sadat was appointed Nasser’s vice president.

Sadat was handsomely rewarded by Nasser for the sacrifices he made. However, after Nasser’s earlier roundup of fellow Brotherhood members, could Nasser ever be certain of loyalty from members again? Was his positioning of Sadat a strategy of “to keep your enemies close.” In the end, Sadat’s proximity may have been Nasser’s downfall.

Sadat, the Christian hater born on Christmas day


Coptic Christians regarded Sadat as an Islamic fanatic while, overall, Muslims were satisfied with his mentality. Both populations recognized his religious bias and Christian and Jewish hostility. Prior to his presidency, Sadat represented Egypt at the International Arab-Islamic Summit held in Saudi Arabia giving his famous quote: “Once I become Egyptian president, I will force Copts to be shoe cleaners.” It was important for him to emphasize to an audience of Saudi princes his faithfulness and determination to follow Islamic teachings toward non-Muslims. In his first speech as president, he made certain to rewrite Egypt’s history when he claimed that “I am a Muslim president to a Muslim country,” ignoring the country’s Christian origin and enormous Coptic presence.

Sadat as “peace maker” president


Although Sadat had impressed the most radical Islamists with his religious mindset and determination, he defied his beliefs when he visited Israel upon invitation by Golda Mayer. He projected himself as a great man of peace on firm footing with Israel and was later awarded the Noble Peace Prize for his efforts. This made him an enemy among his own people both inside and outside Egypt. It was a risky endeavor and could have cost him his life at the time. To this moment, Sadat remains the only Egyptian president to visit Israel.

While he was there, I was a student in Rome, and I watched this event closely in the media. Sadat’s expressions were insecure and his eyes full of fear. Beneath his white translucent shirt was a thick bullet-repellent vest, and my impression was that his vulnerability was never greater than at that moment.

Historically, Egypt’s leaders ascended to power by coup´-or-by assassination

As vice president, Sadat became president upon Nasser’s assassination in 1970. Rumors circulated that Nasser was poisoned at home by an afternoon cup of coffee served to him by none other than Sadat. Nasser died three days later according to Mohammed Hassanein Heikal, the famed journalist and -dir-ector of Al Aharam newspaper in an interview with Al Jazira TV 40 years later in 2010. Heikal would know. He was a very close friend to Nasser, reporting on his administration and accompanying him on presidential visits.

By assassination again

On the morning of October 6, 1981, it is said that as Sadat prepared to celebrate his victory of liberating the Sinai Peninsula, he refused the anti-bullet vest saying, “I am going to celebrate with my children [military soldiers].” However, from his secret service he knew of an assassination plot. Just days before, he publicly disparaged and denounced the Brotherhood perpetrator stating, “this boy who is plotting against me, I know you and I can get you any time.” Despite this, it seems that Sadat felt secure and protected. He was wrong.

During the parade, a military truck stopped, and a few soldiers jumped out and ran toward Sadat. Sadat sat behind a knee-wall with a few relaxed guards around him. He stood up to salute “his children” as they came to salute him. Instead, Sadat was shot dead. Other shots were fired but not at Sadat’s vice president, Mohammed Hosni Mubarak, sitting beside him. Coptic Christians will remember Bishop Samuel who sat ten rows behind Sadat as the president’s invited guest and was the second assassination of the day.

By coup

Mubarak became the fourth president of the republic upon Sadat’s burial. Mubarak secured his executive office for 30 years with a vacant vice presidency – something to ponder. Thirty years later Mohammed Morsi replaced Mubarak through a Muslim Brotherhood coup. A military coup replaced Morsi with Al Sisi, Egypt’s fifth and current president.

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