Trump Honours Sadat with USA’s Highest Civilian Award

In the 1970s, following October 6th war, President Anwar El-Sadat decided to take the battles off the ground and onto negotiation tables instead, becoming the first Arab and Muslim leader to sign a peace treaty with Israel, which subsequently made him the first Arab to win the Novel Peace Prize.

President Donald Trump seems to hold El Sadat's legacy in high regard, which is evident in him signing a legislation which will bestow the Congressional Gold Medal - the highest civilian award in the US - on the late president for his contributions to peace efforts in the Middle East.

The bid to honour Sadat was lobbied for by The Friedlander Group, a New York-based Jewish-centric lobbying firm, Isaac Dabah, an Israeli clothing tycoon, and Egyptian businessman and ARTOC's managing director, Shafik Gabr. The legislation passed through congress in August, and has now been ratified by Trump. 

Sadat was assassinated on the 6th of October 1981 by Islamist jihadists who declared him an infidel for establishing peace with the Jewish state. He remains a widely popular figure in Egypt, and his policies and legacy continue to influence Egypt and the region today.

Photo: Time Magazine