It has been 33+ years since the tragic passing of the late President Anwar Sadat of Egypt on October 6th, 1981, when he was gunned down by some Egyptian Army officers, while he was attending State celebration of '73 war victory in Cairo, Egypt. Six years earlier, King Faisal, of Saudi Arabia, Sadat's staunch ally in that only Arab victory since the time of Mohammad Ali Pasha of Egypt in the late 18th century, was also assassinated by a cousin soon after that cousin's return from a long study trip to the USA. Conspiracy theories aside, one can only wonder what would have happened to the Middle East if these two leaders could have stayed in their posts only a few years more!
Fast forward to present day Egypt, and you'd be amazed on how the events of that significant Sadat period are being interpreted now. You will be hard pressed in finding a Sadat supporter or a defender in the various media outlets let alone the wider uncontrolled social media. Even in Al-Jazeera, which prides itself in fairly presenting opposing views, the culture of Sadat bashing is unabashedly thriving there as well. Largely, he is being portrayed either as a mere link in the continuous Nasser-to-Mubarak military dictatorship, or as a US puppet/traitor. Systematic attempts are being launched by Nasserites as well as Islamists to re-write history in that glorious period in order to rob Sadat of his major achievements. For example, the Nasserite ex-general al-Shazly has been painstakingly elevated from levels of mediocrity to become in the minds of many youth as the true hero of the 1973 war. Al-Shazly served under Nasser and Sadat. In the 1973 war and during the panic of the surprise Israeli Army's limited counter attack west of the Suez Canal, al-Shazly wanted a massive Egyptian retreat from hard-fought Sinai territories. Sadat, well aware of the disgraceful Nasser-lead Sinai withdrawal in 1956 and 1967, overruled him. No one really knows the extent of the moral impact if such a retreat was ever ordered. Needless to say, the objective of the war which was a limited Egyptian Army penetration into the Sinai east of the Canal was achieved for the whole world to see. Al-Shazly adventure could have lead to disastrous consequences, as many army experts have testified later, and a possible total collapse of the Egyptian war effort. Academic discussions on various what-if military scenarios may continue forever, but to use some of these hypothetical what-ifs as the ground to discredit Sadat is truly disingenuous and sinister.
The assassination of King Faisal, the hero of the 1973 Arab oil embargo, was a major blow to Sadat in 1975. Other Arab leaders let him down in his efforts to capitalize on his military successes against Israel. One may recall the humiliation he endured during his visit to Kuwait. With the momentum slowly slipping away, Sadat again surprised the entire world with his visit to the Knesset in Jerusalem, culminating in the signing of the Peace Treaty and the regaining of the entire Sinai from Israel. He outwitted his stubborn adversary and was light years ahead of his visionless Arab allies. Begin, the late Israeli PM died in depression a few years after signing the peace deal with Sadat. Palestinians and Syrians are mourning the huge missed opportunity Sadat offered them and they stupidly declined. He was even ahead of world powers in foreseeing the collapse of communism, initiating the open-door policy (Gorbachev's perestroika ten years earlier) and acknowledging and embracing the emerging Green Titan: Political Islam. He released Moslem Brotherhood leaders and activists from Nasser jails, encouraged their participation in politics and criticized their outdated doctrines which lead to a much needed revision in their practices and improved public appeal.
The few pro-Sadat voices today focus on his military background which misses the point entirely. The high caliber of Sadat's political wit and piercing vision very few can argue against or contest. His Islamist leanings are evident to any fair observer. His achievements speak louder than any words for his love of Egypt and deep rooted pride in his heritage and his People. History will be fair to Sadat, I have no doubt, despite all attempts to smear and stain his memory. Along with Mohammad Ali, and Kedevi Ismail, Sadat completes the three best leaders in modern Egypt history.
Fast forward to present day Egypt, and you'd be amazed on how the events of that significant Sadat period are being interpreted now. You will be hard pressed in finding a Sadat supporter or a defender in the various media outlets let alone the wider uncontrolled social media. Even in Al-Jazeera, which prides itself in fairly presenting opposing views, the culture of Sadat bashing is unabashedly thriving there as well. Largely, he is being portrayed either as a mere link in the continuous Nasser-to-Mubarak military dictatorship, or as a US puppet/traitor. Systematic attempts are being launched by Nasserites as well as Islamists to re-write history in that glorious period in order to rob Sadat of his major achievements. For example, the Nasserite ex-general al-Shazly has been painstakingly elevated from levels of mediocrity to become in the minds of many youth as the true hero of the 1973 war. Al-Shazly served under Nasser and Sadat. In the 1973 war and during the panic of the surprise Israeli Army's limited counter attack west of the Suez Canal, al-Shazly wanted a massive Egyptian retreat from hard-fought Sinai territories. Sadat, well aware of the disgraceful Nasser-lead Sinai withdrawal in 1956 and 1967, overruled him. No one really knows the extent of the moral impact if such a retreat was ever ordered. Needless to say, the objective of the war which was a limited Egyptian Army penetration into the Sinai east of the Canal was achieved for the whole world to see. Al-Shazly adventure could have lead to disastrous consequences, as many army experts have testified later, and a possible total collapse of the Egyptian war effort. Academic discussions on various what-if military scenarios may continue forever, but to use some of these hypothetical what-ifs as the ground to discredit Sadat is truly disingenuous and sinister.
The assassination of King Faisal, the hero of the 1973 Arab oil embargo, was a major blow to Sadat in 1975. Other Arab leaders let him down in his efforts to capitalize on his military successes against Israel. One may recall the humiliation he endured during his visit to Kuwait. With the momentum slowly slipping away, Sadat again surprised the entire world with his visit to the Knesset in Jerusalem, culminating in the signing of the Peace Treaty and the regaining of the entire Sinai from Israel. He outwitted his stubborn adversary and was light years ahead of his visionless Arab allies. Begin, the late Israeli PM died in depression a few years after signing the peace deal with Sadat. Palestinians and Syrians are mourning the huge missed opportunity Sadat offered them and they stupidly declined. He was even ahead of world powers in foreseeing the collapse of communism, initiating the open-door policy (Gorbachev's perestroika ten years earlier) and acknowledging and embracing the emerging Green Titan: Political Islam. He released Moslem Brotherhood leaders and activists from Nasser jails, encouraged their participation in politics and criticized their outdated doctrines which lead to a much needed revision in their practices and improved public appeal.
The few pro-Sadat voices today focus on his military background which misses the point entirely. The high caliber of Sadat's political wit and piercing vision very few can argue against or contest. His Islamist leanings are evident to any fair observer. His achievements speak louder than any words for his love of Egypt and deep rooted pride in his heritage and his People. History will be fair to Sadat, I have no doubt, despite all attempts to smear and stain his memory. Along with Mohammad Ali, and Kedevi Ismail, Sadat completes the three best leaders in modern Egypt history.
No comments:
Post a Comment