In Remembrace of Imam Musa as-Sadr

By: S. Nawabzadeh

Yesterday on the 31st of August, was the 40th anniversary of the day on which the renowned religious and political leader, Imam Musa as-Sadr mysteriously disappeared during an official visit to the Libyan capital, Tripoli, following a meeting with Libya’s dictator Mu’ammar al-Qadhafi.

Despite optimism over the past decades that the venerable scholar of Qom, Iran, who molded the long oppressed Shi’a Muslims into a highly integrated community, might be alive – languishing in some prison in Libya – no concrete facts have emerged, even after seven years since the tyrant Qadhafi met his deserving death.

Qadhafi, the coward that he was, evaded every inquiry by the Lebanese and Iranian authorities into the whereabouts of his guest, with Tripoli’s official statement being that he left Libya for Rome.

The Italian government for its part has continued to deny that Imam Musa as-Sadr ever landed in their country, claiming that on August 31 an unaccompanied briefcase arrived at Rome, in which there was nothing to provide any clue to the passenger who never boarded the Alitalia flight from Tripoli, except for a letter in Persian addressed to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (AS), who was in exile in holy Najaf in those days with the people throughout Iran holding massive rallies for his return.

Since the Italian government has never given the supposed briefcase to the family members of Imam Sadr, its claim about the alleged letter and its contents have never been confirmed.

Imam Sadr is not alone in his disappearance (imprisonment, murder or whatever it could be called). The two Lebanese citizens accompanying him, religious scholar Sheikh Mohammed Yaqoub and journalist Abbas Badreddin, have also met the same fate.

Following Qadhafi’s downfall in October 2011 there were conflicting reports of the place of imprisonment or burial of the three persons, with their families, especially Rabab as-Sadr the sister of the charismatic leader, hoping that he was still alive, and might be rescued.

Now, seven years later with Libya turned by the West into a patchwork of contending militias, hopes have diminished. The Lebanese people, however, believe that their revered leader was the victim of Qadhafi’s murderous instincts following an argument between the two during the meeting, as disclosed by former Libyan officials.

Born in holy Qom in 1928 to Ayatollah Sadr od-Din Sadr, after completing his religious studies in the seminary and later graduating from Tehran University in economics in 1953, Seyyed Musa as-Sadr left for holy Najaf, Iraq, for higher academic studies.

On his return to Iran, he received invitation form the Lebanese ulema, and in 1958 decided to leave for Beirut, following the passing away of the great Lebanese scholar Ayatollah Seyyed Sharaf od-Din Musawi.

In the next twenty years, the charismatic Musa as-Sadr molded the long oppressed Shi’ite Muslim community of Lebanon into a force to reckon with by founding the Amal movement, whose present head is Lebanese parliamentary speaker, Nabih Berri.

He preached religious tolerance and never discriminated between Shi’a and Sunni Muslims, or for that matter against the Christians of Lebanon, who also greatly respected him. He remains an icon revered by all Lebanese, including Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary General of Lebanon’s legendry anti-terrorist movement, the Hezbollah.

The posters of the gently smiling, tall and handsome Musa as-Sadr have never disappeared from the streets in Shi’ite areas in the capital Beirut and in south Lebanon.

One of Sadr’s famous sayings -- "Israel is an ultimate evil” -- is very popular among the Lebanese, who also believe possible Zionist involvement in his disappearance.

Whatever the facts, neither Lebanon, which indicted Qadhafi in 2008 nor the Islamic Republic of Iran, will ever give up their efforts to determine the fate of Imam Musa as-Sadr.