Al-Sadat, Anwar (1918–1981)

Muhammad Anwar Al-Sadat was born in 1918 in the village of Meet Abou El-Kom of Al-Menoufeya governorate. When he graduated from the Royal Military Academy in 1938, he was appointed to the Signal Corps. However, his military career was interrupted by vehement political activism. Sadat was accused of spying for the Germans in the Second World War and joined the ranks of several underground military organizations, which finally led to his discharge from the service and subsequent imprisonment. Having escaped prison, Sadat lived as a fugitive from 1945 until 1950 and took several low-status jobs. After charges against him of assassinating a pro-British minister were dropped, he worked as a journalist and was readmitted to military service. Then Nasser invited him to join the ranks ...