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