Anwar+El+Sadat

Egypt, also known as the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country in North Africa. Along with the Sinai Peninsula, it forms a land bridge to Southwest Asia. The Mediterranean Sea borders Egypt from the north and the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast. It borders the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west. It has a population of about 79 million people, with most living near the Nile River. Egypt is known for its ancient civilizations and monuments, including the pyramids.
 * Subject Matter Background: **

Anwar Sadat was the third president of Egypt and served until his assassination on October 6, 1981. He was born on December 25, 1918 in the village of Mit Abul Kom. He was born in a poor family, with an Egyptian father and Sudanese mother. At the time of his birth, Egypt was under British rule. He was greatly influenced by Gandhi and Kemal Ataturk, leader known for modernizing Turkey. Sadat was a lieutenant in the army, and along with other young officers, they formed the Free Officers Movement. This Movement was trying to free Egypt from British rule. In World War II, he was imprisoned by the British for trying to obtain help from the Axis powers to overthrow the British. In his time in the army, he met the future husband Gamal Abdel Nasser. Nasser appointed him as Minister of State in 1954. He was the President of the National Assembly from 1960-1968, and then became Vice President in 1964 and in 1969. He became president after Nasser’s death in 1970, but many people felt that he was merely a puppet of the former president’s. In 1979, Sadat and the Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty, which led him to the Nobel Peace Prize.

**Instructional Information: ** For this lesson, I would want the students to learn about both about Egypt’s role in the Israel-Palestine conflict and Anwar Sadat’s impact on Egyptian and international politics. In order to introduce Sadat, I would have one of his quotes on the board: “He who cannot change the very fabric of his thought will never be able to change reality, and will never, therefore, make any progress.” I would have the kids write in their journals about this quote, any connections or explanations for it. I would then have a mini-lesson on Sadat’s background using PowerPoint. I would want the students to see how a small village boy living in poverty became president of a powerful nation.

This discussion on Sadat would then lead to how he obtained the Nobel Peace Prize. I would explain to the students how Sadat became the first Arab leader to recognize Israel as a country and how he was awarded the Peace Prize along with the Prime Minister of Israel. I would point out to the kids how people usually think that Arabs/Muslims can’t get along with Israelis/Jews, but Sadat proves the opposite. I would have a mini-lecture on the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty and how many Arabs were opposed to it, which led to Egypt being expelled from the Arab League. This could then further branch into the Palestine-Israel conflict. I would have the students research about this conflict, and then I would divide the class into two groups. We would then have a debate, one side representing the Palestinians, the other Israelis. This way, the kids are actively involved in the learning process, while learning about two different perspectives. I would assess how well the students grasped the information based on their performance in the debate. Every student has to participate.

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