My Hope for Peace Book

From the distinguished educator, international crusader for humanitarian causes, and widow of the Nobel Peace Prize-winner President Anwar Sadat comes a foolproof plan for peace in the Middle East.

In 1979, the Camp David Accords, brokered by Jimmy Carter between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, culminated in the signing of the historic Israeli- Egyptian peace treaty, the first agreement in which an Arab country recognized Israel and an agreement

that has held up to this day. Jehan Sadat was there, and on the thirtieth anniversary of this historic event, she brings us a polemic for peace like no other. My Hope for Peace answers a set of three challenges: challenges to Sadat's faith, challenges to the role women play in that faith, and, most of all, challenges to the idea that peace in the Middle East is an unattainable dream. In the heart of the book, Mrs. Sadat lays out not only the fundamental issues dividing the Middle East, but also a tried-and-true series of steps that will lead to their resolution.

With a wit and charm developed over fifty years in the public eye, Mrs. Sadat draws on her personal experiences, from her career as first lady of Egypt to her further and yet greater commitments to peace in her widowhood, to explain plainly and frankly the historical, political, and religious underpinnings of the peace process, which many in the West have yet to understand. Along the way, she outlines the origins of modern Islamic terrorism, something she has confronted both politically and personally; she addresses the attendant misconceptions about her faith; and she debunks many of the myths of Muslim womanhood, not leastby displaying the clear-eyed passion and political acumen that have earned her worldwide admiration.

Publishers Weekly

Widow of the assassinated Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, Jehan Sadat (A Woman of Egypt) fashions a gracious plea for better understanding between the East and West, especially in terms of the fundamentals of Islam and the derailed Middle East peace process. Sadat is avowedly feminist, having established programs for women's literacy and empowerment during her husband's presidency (he served from 1970 until his assassination in 1981), attained her own advanced degrees in her 40s and indeed was a visible Muslim first lady who accompanied her husband around the world. In these eight elegant, evenhanded essays, she delineates "Sadat's principles" for peace, put in motion when he signed the Camp David Accords with leaders Carter and Begin in 1978, by addressing the misconceptions about Islam (exacerbated since 9/11), specifically that all Muslims are extremists, against democracy and bent on subjugating their women. She sketches briefly the sticking points to the peace process, namely Israeli intransigence and the Arab-Israeli tit-for-tat in escalating violence, and stresses firsthand the senselessness of assassinations and terrorism. Her essay "On Being a Muslim Woman" gently rebuffs the Western notion that Muslim women need to be "liberated" from Islam, offering examples of famous Egyptian feminists as well as employing her own notable achievements. Sadat provides an important, insistent voice for continued advancement in peace and social justice. (Mar.)

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