On this date in 1970, Anwar Sadat (1918–1981) was elected President of the Arab Republic of Egypt. Born in the Nile Delta village of Mit Abul Kom to a large family, he rose from modest beginnings to a stage of world history, guided by faith, conviction, and a belief that courage can change the course of nations.

With Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Sadat helped negotiate the Camp David Accords (1978), a landmark step toward Middle East peace. Sadat and Begin shared the Nobel Peace Prize that year, recognition of a statesman who, by his own words, made a “sacred mission” of reconciliation.

“He who cannot change the very fabric of his thought will never be able to change reality,” he said. With the treaty that followed, Egypt became the first Arab state to formally recognize Israel’s right to exist — an act of vision that inspired many and angered others.

At a Cairo military parade in 1981, while reviewing the troops, Sadat was assassinated by extremists within his own army. He had long understood the risk and chose to walk toward it anyway, believing peace was worth his life.

There was something profoundly spiritual about that kind of courage, a faith that love and understanding could heal what politics never could. His legacy endures as a reminder that true leadership is measured not by conquest, but by the courage to love humanity more than oneself.