Nasser Vs. Sadat

NASSER
Jamal Abd al-Nasser was, and to some still is, one of the most popular political figures in the world. He is viewed as a liberator and an inspiration, although some consider him a dictator.

As president, he nationalized the Suez Canal in 1956 and liberated farmland from feudal lords, returning the land to its original owners. He built the High Dam and many other projects across Egypt. Nasser united with Syria from 1958 to 1961 with discourse targeting the Arab world, which was problematic, as it created many enemies for him. Nasser’s problems also included relying heavily on army officers to rule Egypt, which led to many incidents of abuse. He was tough on the Islamists, who attempted to assassinate him while he was giving a speech—a speech he continued even after being shot.

Upon his death in 1970, he left behind a humble house and very few material possessions, a rarity in the Middle East for a man of his stature.

SADAT
Anwar al-Sadat originally wanted to be an actor and appeared in several films. At a later point he was caught contacting the Nazis, which led to his imprisonment by the British. He escaped, was forced out of the Egyptian Army, and lived in hiding for some time. He later served with King Faruq, formulating a connection with the notorious Black Guards. Somehow, however, it seemed he joined the Free Officers movement. It was rumored that on the night of the revolution in 1952, Sadat went with his wife to a movie theater where he started a fight so he would have an alibi in case the revolution failed.

Sadat was obsessed with his appearance. Rumor has it that he would walk miles just to save his fare money for the ironing of his shirts and suits. The day he was assassinated, Sadat refused to wear a bulletproof vest underneath his tailored army uniform. His outfit was created by Pierre Cardin—the famous French fashion designer—to emulate a Nazi uniform. Sadat was killed by the very Islamists to whom he gave power early on in his command. He did so to reconcile the quashing of their movement and execution of many of their leaders by his predecessor, Nasser, and to counter the leftists who ruled the street and the universities
at that moment.

At the time of his death, Sadat’s wealth was estimated to be hundreds of millions of dollars. He is not popular in the Arab street, but is somewhat popular in Egypt proper. He is credited with establishing peace with Israel, and ending a long-lasting state of war, which led to an influx of US aid. His policy, known as the era of al-Infitah, opened Egyptian markets to international trade.