The 20th anniversary of the murder of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat came and went Saturday with virtually no public ceremonies in a land still deeply divided.

Sadat, considered a courageous hero by some and a traitor by others, was killed by Muslim extremists during a military parade on Oct. 6, 1981.

The assassins were opposed to his peace treaty with Israel. They believe the deal was orchestrated by the United States, and ended up betraying all true followers of Islam.

Sadat memorial

"He gave them all the power that they never expected, and they killed him brutally," says Mohamed Ouda, a prominent Egyptian journalist. "They described him as the enemy of Allah (God)."

The radical fundamentalists hoped Sadat's death would topple the government and put Egypt in the hands of Islamic rulers. But vice president Hosni Mubarak retained control and remains leader today.

On Saturday, state television played a recent speech by Mubarak that praised Sadat's role in the 1973 war against Israel. But it did not include any references to the assassination itself, six years later.

Poster for 'Days of Sadat' movie

"This decision had set for the war a great, noble aim – namely peace based on justice in order to realize security and stability for all parties," Mubarak said.

Radio stations played patriotic music, and newspapers acknowledged Sadat's passing. But in a country run by a government that has never lifted emergency powers invoked after the assassination, there was no grand public memorial service for mourners.

Thousands continue to flock to cinemas, however, to see a new film: The Days of Sadat. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States appear to have pushed up ticket sales for an already popular movie.

Washington believes that at least one of the militant groups behind Sadat's murder is linked to Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the deadly hijackings in the United States.

Five men were executed after the assassination. Hundreds were imprisoned, including Ayman al-Zawahri, leader of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Some militant leaders declared a truce with the government in 1997. But al-Zawahri refused and he fled Egypt to join bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist network, according to American intelligence reports.