My Hope for Peace

by Jehan Sadat

Book Overview

From the former First Lady of Egypt, New York Times best-selling author, crusader for women's rights, and widow of the slain Nobel Peace Prize winner Anwar Sadat, comes a timely, clear-eyed... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416592199
• ISBN13: 9781416592198
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

It was interesting to read a moderate Muslim's view on things

Though this book contains information about Jehan Sadat's life and her husband, it's focus is more on the political than the personal. Jehan grew up in a middle class family in Egypt, and her father was Muslim while her mother was a Christian. I found it very interesting to see her view (as an educated Muslim woman) of events in the Middle East, on Islam, and on women's rights. She discusses the history of Egypt (from about 1928 through 2008), of the modern idea of political Islam, and of the beginnings of modern terrorism (i.e. suicide bombings and such). She also discusses the recent history (1917 to 2008) of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. She lays out what she believes needs to be done in order to achieve peace in the Middle East and stop terrorism. She also describes the basic beliefs of Islam as well as some of it's history. She quotes statistics to support her statement that most Muslims do not support terrorist actions even if the terrorists defend those actions using verses from the Qu'ran. In this section, she respectfully compares the teachings of the Qur'an with those of Christianity (rather than the Bible--a good number of the practices and teachings she points out are Catholic doctrines rather than verses from the Bible or teachings also shared by Protestants). Finally, she discusses what the Qur'an has to say about the rights of women versus what various modern societies have imposed on women. Jehan is a feminist and is clearly very passionate about women's rights. She describes her work to improve women's rights in Egypt. Obviously, she describes the history she gives from an Arab viewpoint. She is generally level-headed, fair, and doesn't jump to conclusions about her subjects. She doesn't hide the mistakes that were made, but she does paint her husband and Egypt in the best possible light. Though I don't agree with all her views, she makes a lot of important points. Overall, this book was very informative while still being easy to read and understand. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in recent history or word affairs, especially those interested in the Middle East. Different Time, Different Place Book Reviews http://differenttimedifferentplace.blogspot.com/

Give Peace a Chance

In heartfelt eloquence, Jehan Sadat brings to life the work of her husband for peace in the Middle East, while covering a number of topics to bring into proper focus what it truly means to be a Muslim. While a pair of chapters - "Toward Peace" and "(Anwar) Sadat's Principles" - that cover 65 of the 190 pages will be of interest to any reader wishing for a concise primer on diplomacy in the Middle East, it is the juxtaposing of October 6, 1981, and September 11, 2001, that is the foundation for the book....and the most chilling. A pair of names - Ayman Zawahiri and Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman - that became familiar to Americans when terrorism struck New York City had their fingerprints on the successful plot to assassinate Egyptian President Anwar Sadat during an annual military parade on that October day. And it is through such violence that attempts are made to divide and conquer. "Fear is a most effective tool in killing the soul of an individual - and a people," Anwar Sadat had once said. And Jehan Sadat chronicles how "fear" has oftentimes displaced "waging peace" on a global diplomatic scale, interpersonal level and within the self. A description of the real Islam tackles such misconceptions as "Islam is Monotheistic," "Islam Incites Terrorism and Is a Violent Faith" and "Islam Is Against Democracy." The "pillars of Islam" - the declaration of faith, prayer, almsgiving, fasting, pilgrimage - are highlighted, as Jehan Sadat delves into the birth of "political" Islam in Egypt, the rise and evolution of the Muslim Brotherhood and "fundamentalist" Islam. The ambitious opening pages explore the 1967 Six-Day War, 1973 October War, 1978 Camp David Accords and the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and her husband. The foundation for the last one-third of the book is the chapter, "On Being a Muslim Woman," which delves into Jehan Sadat's personal journey of faith and brings into the spotlight the work of feminist pioneers in Egypt. "I have always said that those working for peace and harmony in the world will never be unemployed," she writes. "Peace, not only the peace between nations or quarreling parties but also the sense of peace that seeks a permanent home in our hearts and souls, is a conscious decision, a mindful, deliberate act." In an era when there is so much fear - from Main Street and beyond - it does seem like the right time to give peace a chance.

Required reading

This is an exceptional book by a special person. It should be required reading for anybody who hopes for peace in the Mideast, and most especially for the many Americans who understand very little about the Muslim world, preferring to lump a billion or so people together as "Them". Mme. Sadat is lucid, compassionate, not at all bitter, educated and worldly wise. She appreciates all points of view, with one overriding end; to bring some measure of peace and understanding. She should be greatly admired for eschewing bitterness and for her painstaking efforts to set forth what the issues really are, without prejudice yet with a sense of justice.

An intimate, very readable chronicle of the Middle East conflict

My Hope for Peace is a collection of essays on topics pertinent to the Middle East conflict in general, and specifically on the relationship between Israel, Egypt and the Palestinians by Dr. Jehan Sadat, widow of assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and now a resident of the USA and professor of political science at the University of Maryland. Dr. Sadat is much more than an acute observer of history, she is one of its participants. As a close advisor to her late husband, the author writes knowledgeably not only of the outward form of relations between deeply divided nations and peoples, cultures and religions but of the inner processes relating to them. My Hope for Peace provides a brief, yet detailed and very balanced introduction into the nature of Islam, its followers and its variants and accurately counters the monolithic and almost cartoonishly inaccurate picture of Moslems painted in the US media with images of Osama bin Laden, men in ski masks dynamiting themselves in crowded public spaces and women being brutally whipped for daring to challenge the bondage often imposed on them in certain Middle Eastern countries (the author brings a refreshing and incisive feminist analysis to her writing, not a point of view frequently ecountered in works dealing with Islam). In Dr. Sadat's work we become acquainted with the other billion Muslims whose only hopes are for peace, justice and a decent, dignified life for all and learn that the sensationalism of the Western media is not simply not representative of the religion of Islam, but is foundationally at odds with its fundamental doctrines. This is an extraordinarily well written book with a personal, intimate style that will instantly engage its reader in building a better understanding of Islamic history and the Muslim people. I thoroughly enjoyed this work, and recommend it strongly for every person concerned with Middle Eastern peace and justice for its peoples. Hopefully Dr. Sadat's book will be as widely read as it deserves and help to enlighten some readers who may be unfamiliar with Muslims, Islam and Middle East history. The intimate, story-telling style of the book will make it an enjoyable and profitable read for experts as well.

Yes, it *could* happen (in our lifetime) ...

Dr. Jehan Sadat writes with first hand knowledge of the peace process and her hopes that remain alive for this to happen in our lifetime, in the Middle East, between Israel and the Palestinians. The book is partly an autobiography, partly modern day Middle Eastern history, and partly a revelation of Mrs. Sadat's personal faith in her Muslim religion. She discusses her ideas with clarity and precision. Her husband, President Anwar Sadat, was the first leader of a predominantly Muslim country, in fact, a neighboring country to Israel, who dared to take the courageous step of recognizing Israel's right to exist. He paid dearly for the peace initiative he proposed in 1979 between Egypt and Israel. Mrs. Sadat writes that President Sadat did the unthinkable, he visited Israel and addressied the Knesset, the legislative body of Israel proving his sincerity toward achieving a lasting peace with his former enemy. He knew the risks and boldly stood up for what he believed ... This is an important book by an influential Muslim woman leader who has built a new life for herself since the assassination of her husband. She speaks with experience, knowledge and authority. She dares to address difficult and complex issues related to achieving peace between the Palestinians and Israelis. She demonstrates how both of them are accountable for decisions and actions that have hindered the peace process in the past. While some may criticize that the book is overly simplistic in that it does not address the long standing hatred between the two parties, the historical realities and consequences of the various recent wars, current terrorist tactics and daily clashes, and the economic and logistic realities in creating a Palestinian state/country, nevertheless, the book is relevant and brings to focus that the peace process is a viable reality in our lifetime. Now, getting the two parties to agree to the details ... that is the major factor on which this whole matter hinges. This book is most highly recommended for anyone interested in achieving peace in this region of the world. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]