principle guiding force in life, he later came to understand that religion had to be made to accommodate the demands of twentieth century technology, and of practical politics. Thus, while Sadat was virulently anti-Jewish in his early years, he later became the first Arab leader to enter into a peace treaty with Israel. Thus, eventually Sadat came to see faith as the ground of political strength, not as the guide to policy making.
As a young man Sadat also evidenced a love of reading, and a sense of the dramatic. In later life, Sadat would use his talent for theatricality to his political advantage. Though it, at times, made him appear melodramatic or even clownish, Sadat's conscious manipulation of mood, clothing, voice ,a nd gesture were an integral part of his political style and force. For Sadat, "costume became substance. As president, Sadat always dressed the part. . . . His theatrical sense of timing and costume helped him develop his image as a statesman" (Lippman, p. 192).
To Sadat, the peasantry, despite its limitations, was the ideal aspect of society. He believed that peasants were closer to God, more honest and loyal than urban dwellers, and that their reverence for the family was the cornerstone of social order and stability. His dream, often expressed, was to return one day to his peasant roots (Sadat, 1984, p. 16).
This portrait of youth schooled in the simple ways of the peasantry, however, is only a part of Sadat's complex character. Sadat was a devout Muslim and was said to have possessed a streak of asceticism. However, the public image of Sadat is that of a worldly, well-dressed, affluent man who enjoyed lush offices and a luxurious personal residence on the banks of the Nile. There was a saying popular in Cairo during his presidency that "Sadat dresses in the latest fashion while we sleep ten in a room" (Israeli, 1985, p. 6). This apparen
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