Resources for Teachers and Students on Jehan Sadat

Prepare: Jehan Sadat holds a doctorate in Comparative Literature from Cairo University, and serves as Senior Fellow at the University of Maryland, which established the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development in memory of her husband. The website for this endowed chair contains a biography of Jehan Sadat.

Read: Jehan Sadat wrote an original essay for the Architects of Peace project. In it, she explores the foundations of peace in the Islamic tradition to which she adheres.

Explore: One of the major peace initiatives of the Twentieth Century occurred in November of 1977 when Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, visited Jerusalem to address the Israeli Parliament. A year later, along with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Sadat was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1981, Sadat was assassinated because of the peace overtures he'd made to Israel. His biography, along with his Nobel lecture, can be found online.

Write: In her Architects of Peace essay, Jehan Sadat wrote that "tradition is the accumulation of past experiences, social standards, and technology and is, therefore, dynamic in nature." She seems to imply that tradition is a force contributing to the development of society and, in turn, toward peace. Is it? Write a three-to-five page paper exploring the question of whether cultural tradition, viewed dynamically, contributes to the establishment of peace, or whether it detracts from peace. Wherever possible attempt to cite current world events and situations to support your thesis.

Extend: Jehan Sadat is Honorary President of the Women's International Center, which exists for the purpose of "acknowledging, honoring, encouraging and educating women at the international level." Those wishing to participate in programs coordinated through the Women's International Center can find information on their website.

Additional Resource: The History Channel maintains a listing of historic speeches from the Twentieth Century. You can listen to a recording of Anwar Sadat's address to the Israeli parliament.

Biography of Jehan Sedat