Jehan Sadat: Egypt's first lady who transformed women's rights
Jehan Sadat was sitting in the stands, just a few metres away from her husband, when gunmen opened fire at a military parade in Cairo.
Her life partner, Anwar - then president of Egypt - was hit by several bullets and died two hours later in hospital. It was 6 October 1981, and Jehan's decade-long spell as Egypt's first lady came to an abrupt halt.
Jehan, who has died at the age of 88, spent most of her life dedicated to promoting social justice and female empowerment in Egypt, and continued to do so decades after her husband's very public assassination.
"She led change and inspired generations to come," says Noha Bakr, a political studies affiliate professor at the American University of Cairo.
A tough proposal
Born in Cairo in 1933 to an Egyptian father and British mother, Jehan experienced a diverse upbringing, celebrating Christmas and eating cornflakes for breakfast instead of the usual Egyptian fare of fava beans, as well as devotedly fasting each year during the Muslim festival of Ramadan.
Her dislike for gender inequality stemmed from her school days when she was advised by her parents to focus on subjects such as sewing and cooking, in preparation for marriage, as opposed to the maths and sciences that could have led to a university career.
"I have always regretted that decision. I would never allow my daughters to close off their futures that way," she wrote in her autobiography, A woman of Egypt.
She first met her future husband Anwar, a former army officer, at the age of 15 on a visit to her cousin's house - not long after he was released from prison for fighting against British control in Egypt.
Her mother in particular was reluctant to allow the marriage of her daughter to a divorced revolutionary nearly twice her age, but he won her over in a conversation about Charles Dickens. "He is intelligent. He has character. He will take good care of you. And you will never be bored," her mother told her.
They wed in 1949 and enjoyed a marriage lasting more than three decades, having four children together.
First lady in the spotlight
Just three years later, her husband became a household name after joining a coup led by Gamel Abdel Nasser that ousted the British-backed king in Egypt from power, and changed the course of Egyptian politics forever.
Anwar Sadat went on to take several high-level posts, culminating in his election as president, after Nasser's death in 1970.
Jehan was determined to play a more active role than the wives of previous leaders and was frequently photographed alongside her husband on official visits abroad and in more intimate settings, at home with their family.
Post a Comment