CAIRO: Former First Lady Jehan El Sadat said that her family will not pursue legal action against an Iranian film about her late husband, President Anwar El Sadat.
In an interview with TV show El Beit Beitak, El Sadat said the film doesn’t undermine her husband’s legacy, which she described as “a blossoming tree that has been stoned by the Iranians.
“[The film] upsets me, but I won’t do anything and won’t intervene in state affairs. My family and I respect the state and its system and won’t cross our limits, said El Sadat, who is still in contact with her old friend, the Shah’s widow. The Iranian film titled Assassination of a Pharaoh, argues that Sadat was assassinated for signing the 1978 Camp David Accords that led to a 1979 peace treaty with Israel, the first by an Arab country.The former first lady said that Iran’s stance against Sadat was triggered by his decision to give asylum to the Shah following the Islamic Revolution; a stance she described as “unfair .
The Shah, she explained, stood by Egypt during the 1973 October war. So when he died Egypt had to treat him like an emperor, she added.
She said the film shouldn’t be given much attention, but expressed her happiness with the Egyptian government’s response to it, referring to Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit’s strongly condemnation of the Iranian documentary, calling such works irresponsible.
Individuals, even if they were related to the late President, should not intervene in state matters or try to resolve the problem on their own, she added, in reference to Roqaya El Sadat’s intention to sue the filmmakers.
Jehan said that Roqaya, Sadat’s daughter from a former marriage, was free to do what she believes is right. – Additional reporting by AFP
