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SPEAKING FREELY
Imam's ghost stalks Arab summit
By Rannie Amiri
Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have
their say. Please
click here if you are interested in contributing.
Imam Moussa al-Sadr was a Qom and Najaf-trained philosopher who became
one of Lebanon's most revered religious and political figures. Answering the
call to become imam of Tyre, he moved to Lebanon in 1960. For the next two
decades, his tireless devotion to enfranchising the marginalized Shi'ite
population while maintaining respect for, and tranquil relations with, all of
Lebanon's many confessional groups won him wide praise. Sadr helped to
redistribute needed resources to the country's underdeveloped and impoverished
south. With the institution of an array of social welfare programs, he quickly
gained the reputation as a genuine reformer.
He became head of the Supreme Islamic Shi'ite Council in 1969, making him the
de facto leader of Lebanon's Shi'ite community. In 1974, he founded the
"Movement for the Disinherited" which continued to advocate for Shi'ites'
political and socio-economic rights. Its armed wing, "The Lebanese Resistance
Detachment", became better known by its acronym, AMAL (or "Hope") which
persists today as a political party.
The complete biography and works of Moussa al-Sadr are beyond the scope of this
article. What brings us to the present conflict between Lebanon and Libya,
however, centers around Sadr's 1978 visit to Libya. In August that year, Sadr
and two of his companions - Sheikh Muhammad Yaqoub and journalist Abbas
Badreddine - flew from Beirut to Tripoli, Libya, to meet Gaddafi and other
government officials.
They were never heard from or seen again.
It is believed that on the orders of Gaddafi, Sadr and his two aides were
imprisoned and/or murdered. His motivation for doing so remains murky, although
he very well may have regarded Sadr as a religious or political rival. Gaddafi
denies any knowledge of their fate, saying they had left Libya for Italy. After
August 31 though, no trace of them was found in either country. Other than
contending the three had departed for Rome, Gaddafi has refused comment on the
matter entirely.
In an October 1978 article entitled "An Imam Is Missing", Time magazine
recounted that although Sadr had flown to Libya to allegedly attend ceremonies
celebrating Gaddafi's ascent to power, a flight to Italy was booked in his name
the day before those celebrations took place. The crew did not report seeing
him on the plane and Italian police found no evidence he had been in Rome.
As Time reported: Whatever the explanation of Moussa Sadr's
disappearance, troubled Lebanon had lost a potent moderating force in the Imam.
As a political as well as spiritual leader of the country's most impoverished
community, he had founded technical schools, sports centers and medical clinics
for the poor. He had repeatedly attempted to head off bloody sectarian strife.
Thirty years later, on August 27, 2008, Gaddafi and six other Libyans were
indicted by Lebanese courts for Sadr's disappearance, charging them with
conspiring to kidnap and false imprisonment. Although long presumed dead, there
are still those who believe that Sadr remains incarcerated.
In a recent report, the English-language website of Lebanon's
government-aligned daily An-Nahar (no friend of AMAL, Hezbollah or any of the
Shi'ite-affiliated parties) said: Sadr was a towering figure in Lebanon
as he was trusted by political leaders from across the spectrum. He personified
the essence of Lebanon's national unity and many believed that Lebanon could
have been spared the agony of civil war had Sadr been there. In
light of Gaddafi's indictment and presumed involvement in Sadr's disappearance,
there are now calls for Lebanon to boycott the Arab League summit in Tripoli -
the same city where he went missing.
Both the vice president of the Higher Shi'ite Council, Sheikh Abdul-Amir
Qabalan, and AMAL head Nabih Berri said Lebanon should not participate in it
until all questions regarding Sadr's mysterious disappearance are fully
answered. President Michel Suleiman has very publicly asked of the Libyan
government, "Where are Imam Moussa al-Sadr and his companions? We need to
answer this question."
Gaddafi has already threatened to expel the 20,000 Lebanese nationals living in
Libya should a boycott take place and institute other "painful" measures as
necessary. This notwithstanding, Lebanon should still boycott the summit.
Although historically nothing of substance has ever emerged from these
gatherings, Lebanon now has the opportunity to send a powerful message before
it even convenes.
With a boycott, it would say that the lives of great men who were instrumental
in uplifting the downtrodden, who crossed sectarian lines to promote communal
harmony, who fought for the betterment and welfare of the Lebanese people, will
never be forgotten.
For a country that has endured so much in the way of civil strife since the
disappearance of Imam Moussa al-Sadr, the leaders of the 21 other members of
the Arab League would do well to appreciate what Lebanon has to say about
justice and principle.
Rannie Amiri is an independent commentator on the Middle East.
(Copyright 2010, Rannie Amiri.)
Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have
their say. Please
click here if you are interested in contributing.
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