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Book Discussion: My Hope For Peace
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A clear-eyed plan for peace in the Middle East, from the distinguished educator, humanitarian, and widow of the late Egyptian president Anwar Sadat.

The 1978 Camp David Accords, brokered by Jimmy Carter between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, culminated in the signing of the historic Israeli-Egyptian Peace Treaty the following year, the first agreement in which an Arab country recognized Israel and an agreement that has held up to this day.

Jehan Sadat was there at Camp David, and on the thirtieth anniversary of this historic event she brings us a unique polemic for peace. My Hope for Peace answers a set of three challenges: challenges to Sadat's faith, challenges to the role women play in that faith, and, most of all, challenges to the idea that peace in the Middle East is an unattainable dream. In the heart of the book, she lays out not only the fundamental issues dividing the Middle East, but also a series of steps that will lead to their resolution.

Sadat draws on her personal experiences—from her career as first lady of Egypt to her further and yet greater commitments to peace in her widowhood—to explain plainly and frankly the historical, political, and religious underpinnings of the peace process, which many in the West have yet to understand. Along the way, she outlines the origins of modern Islamic terrorism, something she has confronted both politically and personally; she addresses the attendant misconceptions about her faith; and she debunks many of the myths of Muslim womanhood, not least by displaying the clear-eyed passion and political acumen that have earned her worldwide admiration.

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Understanding the Middel East
By nickobo Apr 8th 2009 at 5:00 pm EDT (Updated Apr 8th 2009 at 5:00 pm EDT)
Any book that helps communicate what we have to do to gain peace in the Middle East is important for everyone to read. To have it be written by someone with such intimate knowledge of the progress that has already been made in the region is a rare treat. I am not surprised that it took a woman in the political arena to write the book. When are other leaders from other Middle East countries going to do the same and make some gesture toward peace? It seems things are headed the other direction instead. Iran is a dangerous threat, and even though not in the Middle East, North Korea is testing missiles.