After 30 years, Imam Sadr's message of unity lives on

Beirut -- BEIRUT: When Amal representative Hassan Zeineddine introduced March-14 allied parliamentarian Ghassan Tueni on Tuesday at an exhibition commemorating the 30th anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Musa Sadr, it was a moment that might have made the missing cleric proud.

Reaching out across sectarian and political lines was what Sadr, who founded Amal, was all about, according to organizers of the exhibition. The Iranian-born Lebanese Shiite cleric, who disappeared during a trip to Libya in 1978, was a strong proponent of Lebanese national unity and a fervent opponent of war.

These were the traits that Tueni - who was a friend of Sadr - remembered during his brief address. He recalled his fondest memories of Sadr in the 1970s, when the two would travel together and talk for hours.

Tragedies both countrywide and personal have befallen Lebanon since those days. There was, of course, 15 years of civil war. And in 2005, Tueni, who is the publisher of the Lebanese daily An-Nahar, lost his son Gebran Tueni to a car-bomb assassination. None of that history lessened the elder Tueni's memories of Sadr. "[Sadr] was a kind man and he had many humanitarian qualities," Tueni said. "He was also a tough man."

Those characteristics were also emphasized throughout the multimedia exhibition, which a group representing graduates of Lebanese universities organized with the support of the Tourism Ministry and under the patronage of Speaker Nabih Berri.

Art works repeatedly called attention to Sadr's legendary commitment to interfaith dialogue. A model of Noah's Ark held a copy of the Quran alongside the Bible. The boat's sail framed a portrait of the missing imam. "He is the captain," explained Rabab Moustafa, a volunteer curator at the exhibition and recent Lebanese University graduate. "This piece shows that we have to have unity. You can't have a country by yourself."

Other works on display highlighted Sadr's writings, speeches and political activities. There was a gigantic version of the last letter the imam sent from Libya, and a copy of the speech he delivered in Kabbouchiyeh Church in Beirut in 1975, on the eve of the Lebanese Civil War. In it, he called for all Lebanese from every region to come together to preserve peace. It was a highly unusual moment, especially in those times of sectarian tension: a Muslim religious man preaching before a Christian congregation and calling for unity. But his dreams of peace unraveled a few months later with the start of the 1975-1990 Civil War.

"He was like Ghandi - a man of peace," Moustafa said.

Elsewhere, three-dimensional dioramas - all the work of student artists - depicted Sadr at various stages in his life. Photos showed him meeting with politicians and religious representatives from every side of the torturously complicated Civil War. In addition to practically every Lebanese notable of the day, they included Syrian president Hafez Assad and Egyptian president Gamal Abdel-Nasser.

In 1978, Sadr visited Libya to meet with Moammar Gadhafi's government, and vanished under suspicious circumstances. No reliable information has ever emerged about his fate. If alive, he would be 80 years old.

"We don't know if he is alive or dead - but we hope he will come back," Moustafa said as Sadr's voice played over the sound system. "We need him in these days."