Jihan Sadat

One on One

Jihan Sadat

Riz Khan meets the former First Lady of Egypt.

Last Modified: 22 Aug 2007 10:07 GMT

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Riz Khan with Jihan Sadat

She was 15 when she met her hero and fell in love. She became First Lady to a nation and supported women's rights throughout the Middle East. But as her husband worked for peace in the region, the fairytale ended before her eyes with an assassin's bullet. Riz Khan interviews the widow of Anwar Sadat, the former Egyptian president.

It is as an advocate for peace and the rights of women that Jihan Sadat has made her mark over the years.

Born in Cairo to an Egyptian surgeon and a traditional English mother, she followed politics from an early age and admired the charismatic national hero, Anwar Sadat. Soon after being released from prison for his resistance against British rule, Sadat met the young Jihan at her 15th birthday party. Despite their age difference, a romance was born.

As First Lady of Egypt, Jihan Sadat used her influence to advocate for women, the poor and infirmed. She fought for the passage of legislation granting women greater rights, and believed that education was the key to women's advancement in society.

Then, in one tragic moment, her life changed forever. Jihan Sadat has learned to move on and rebuild her life for the sake of her children. Having gone back to college at the age of 40 to earn her Ph.D she now teaches in America and speaks out for peace and women's rights around the globe.

This episode of One on One aired from 18 August 2007.

Watch part One here:

Watch Part Two here:

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