Musa al-Sadr

Musa al-Sadr, also spelt Moussa Sader and many other variants, was a prominent Shi'ite religious leader in Lebanon.

He was born in Qom, Iran in 1928 to the prominent Sadr family of theologians. His father was Ayatollah Sadr al-Din Sadr, while Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr was his cousin. He originally did not want to be a cleric and instead chose to study politics at Tehran University, but was eventually convinced by his father and in 1953 moved to Najaf to study under Ayatollah Sayed Muhsin al-Hakim and Abdul Qasim Khui.

The Sadr family was originally from Lebanon, and in 1960 Musa al-Sadr accepted an invitation to become the leading Shi'ite figure in the city of Tyre. Al-Sadr, who became known as Imam Musa, quickly became one of the most prominent advocates for the Shi'ite population of Lebanon, a group that was both economically and politically disadvantaged. He was widely seen as a moderate, demanding that the Maronite Christians relinquish some of their power, but as pursuing ecumenism and peaceful relations between the groups. He was a vocal opponent of Israel, but also attacked the PLO for endangering Lebanese civilians with their attacks. In 1969 he was appointed as the first head of the Supreme Islamic Shi'ite Council, an entity meant to give the Shi'ites more say in government. In 1974 he founded the Movement of the Disinherited to press for better economic and social conditions for the Shi'ites. He established a number of schools and medical clinics throughout southern Lebanon, many of which are still in operation today.

Al-Sadr attempted to prevent the decent into violence that eventually led to the Lebanese Civil War, but was ineffective. In the war he at first aligned himself with the Lebanese National Movement, and the Movement of the Disinherited developed an armed wing known as Afwaj al-Mouqawma Al-Lubnaniyya, better known as Amal. However, in 1976 he withdrew his support after the Syrian invasion on the side of Maronites. Al-Sadr had long had good relations with the Syrians. For the next two years his influence over Lebanese affairs was greatly reduced.

In August 1978 al-Sadr and two companions departed for Libya to meet with officials from Qaddafi's government. Al-Sadr and his companions were never heard from again. It is widely believed that he was killed by Qaddafi, but the reason for this has never become known. Libya has consistently denied responsibility, claiming that al-Sadr and his companions left Libya for Italy. Some others have reported that al-Sadr remains secretly in jail in Libya. Al-Sadr's disappearance continues to be a major dispute between Lebanon and Libya.

After his disappearance on August 31 al-Sadr became viewed as a martyr and as the spiritual leader of Lebanese Shi'ites. His mysterious disappearance fit well into Shi'ite belief in the Hidden Imam and al-Sadr became a powerful symbol. The Amal Party remains an important Shi'ite organization and looks to al-Sadr as its founder.