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Jehan Sadat (, Zhīhān al-Sadāt : al-marʼah allatī ḥakamat Miṣr! WorldCat entry. ; ; 29 August 1933 – 9 July 2021) was an Egyptian human rights activist and the First Lady of Egypt, as the wife of Anwar Sadat, from 1970 until her husband's assassination in 1981. As Egypt's first lady, she greatly influenced the reform of the country's civil rights legislation. Advance laws, referred to as the "Jehan Laws", have given women in Egypt a range of new rights, such as the right to child support and custody in the event of divorce.
As a teenage schoolgirl, she was intrigued by Anwar Sadat as a local hero, through following reports in the media about his adventures, in addition to his courage, loyalty, and determination in resisting the British occupation of Egypt. She heard many stories about him from her cousin, whose husband was his colleague in resistance, and later in prison.
It was at her 15th birthday party that she first met her future husband Anwar Sadat, shortly after his release from prison, where he had served two and a half years for his political activities.
The couple married on 29 May 1949, after some hesitation, and objections from her parents to the idea of their daughter marrying a jobless revolutionary. He was 30, while she was 15. Anwar Sadat was subsequently part of the core members of the Free Officers Movement that led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan.
Jehan and Anwar Sadat had four children: three daughters and one son.
Sadat became First Lady of Egypt in 1970, and used her platform to touch the lives of millions inside her country, serving as a role model for women everywhere. She helped change the world's image of Arab women during the 1970s, while undertaking volunteer work, and participating in non-governmental service to the less fortunate.
After visiting wounded soldiers at the Suez front during the Six-Day War in 1967, she founded al Wafa' Wa Amal (Faith and Hope) Physical therapy Center, which offers disabled war veterans medical and rehabilitation services and vocational training. The center is supported by donations from around the world and now serves visually impaired children and has a worldwide known music and choir band.
She also played crucial roles in the formation of the Talla Society, a cooperative in the Nile region which assists local women in becoming self-sufficient, the Egyptian Society for Cancer Patients, the Blood Bank, and SOS Children's Villages in Egypt, an organization that provides orphans new homes in a family environment.
She headed the Egyptian delegation to the United Nations International Women's Conferences in Mexico City and Copenhagen. She founded the Arab-African Women's League. As an activist, she hosted and participated in numerous conferences throughout the world concerning women's issues, children's welfare, and peace in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America.
On 6 October 1981, Sadat's husband was assassinated by members of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad during the annual victory parade held in Cairo to celebrate Operation Badr. This ended both his presidency and her period as First Lady, which had lasted for nearly 11 years.
In 1986, Sadat was controversially paid a salary of $350,000 to teach for three semesters by James B. Holderman at the University of South Carolina. (subscription required)
After completing her education, Sadat became a teacher at the Cairo Artist and Performance Center.
She also wrote an autobiography, A Woman of Egypt (), published by Simon & Schuster in 1987, as well as poetry in Arabic language, under a pseudonym. Her second memoir, My Hope for Peace, was released in March 2009.
Jehan Sadat died on 9 July 2021, at the age of 87. Prior to her death she had reportedly been battling cancer. After being honored with a state funeral in Cairo, she was buried next to her husband at the Unknown Soldier Memorial.
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