Did Gaddafi kill or had Khomeini killed: Who is Musa Sadr?

Imam Musa, one of the leading figures in Lebanese politics and the founder of the Amal Movement, went to Libya in July 1978 with his two assistants accompanying him, and after this visit, he and his team were never heard from again. Although it was claimed that Musa Sadr, who was planning to meet with Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi, was killed by Gaddafi, this claim was never proven.

Musa Sadr al-Din al-Sadr (Arabic: موسى صدر الدين الصدر‎‎; 4 June 1928 – disappeared 31 August 1978) was an Iranian-born Lebanese scholar and political leader who founded the Amal Movement.

Shati, one of the most elegant hotels in Tripoli, the capital of Libya, was hosting a very important guest. Lebanese Shiite leader Musa Sadr was in Tripoli to attend the ceremonies for the 9th anniversary of Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi's inauguration and to meet with Gaddafi. While considering alternatives for Sadr's accommodation, it was not difficult to choose the Shati Hotel. Located on the shore of the Mediterranean, right next to the beach licked by the waves, this place was not too far from Gaddafi's palace.

On August 25, 1978, Musa Sadr, who came to Tripoli from Beirut International Airport, was accompanied by his close colleagues Sheikh Mohammed Yaqub and Lebanese journalist Abbas Bedreddin. Sadr wanted to consult with Gaddafi on the spiral of civil war into which Lebanon was spiraling at the time, and to gain official Libyan support against Israel's aggression.

Gaddafi, who came to power by overthrowing King Idris es-Senusi on September 1, 1969, made a quick introduction to the hot issues of the Middle East despite his young age and managed to attract the attention of all actors in the region. Musa Sadr also found it logical to take advantage of Gaddafi's agility and enthusiasm. Sadr's plan was to establish the widest possible alliance front by visiting other Arab countries after Libya.

According to the program that Gaddafi's protocol officers presented to Sadr and his team, the Libyan Leader would receive the Lebanese delegation at 13.00 on Thursday, August 31, 1978. Sadr, who rested for a while after he set foot in Tripoli, spent his time with some meetings and contacts until the appointment, which was the reason for his visit.

As the agreed time approached, an official convoy of several black cars arrived at the hotel's doorstep. Musa Sadr, Sheikh Muhammed Yakub, and Abbas Bedreddin got into the vehicles reserved for them. The convoy's exit to the main street in front of the hotel was the last recorded image of Sadr and his entourage.

His family, who could not hear from Musa Sadr for a while, started to check the official channels out of curiosity. His wife Pervin and his sister Rabab could not get any results from their attempts, which they started together with the officials of the "Supreme Shiite Islamic Council", which Sadr had led since 1967.

According to the official statement made by the Libyan administration, there was no meeting between Musa Sadr and Muammar Gaddafi. Libyans argued that Sadr and his entourage went straight to the airport on August 31st, instead of going to an appointment with Gaddafi, and got on a plane to Rome to reach Italy. Italy, in its counter statement, stated that the Lebanese delegation never landed in Rome. In the following period, the investigation committees that Lebanon sent separately to Libya and Italy could not reach any results.

As of August 31, 2018, the fate of Musa Sadr and his friends, 40 years after his "disappearance", continues to be a secret. Although his family has occasionally made claims that Sadr is alive, it is considered unlikely that the Shiite leader, who should now be 90 years old, is still being held "somewhere".

There is no evidence for this either, but the probability is higher compared to other possibilities. But still, "Why would Muammar Gaddafi have Sadr killed, whom he had officially invited to the country?" It is not easy to find the answer to the question. Moreover, while the attention of the whole Middle East and the Arab world is on Sadr...

An interesting claim was made in the book "The Fall of Heaven - The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran" by British historian Andrew Scott Cooper, published in 2016.

According to Cooper, the Ayatollah Khomeini front, aware of the communication between the Shah and Sadr, eliminated Sadr in collaboration with Muammar Gaddafi.

It is known that a communication channel already exists between Shah's regime and the Shiite ulama in Iraq. One of the most concrete proofs of this is the visit of Shah's wife, Farah Diba, to Najaf in October 1978, just as anti-regime demonstrations shook the streets of Tehran. Farah Diba, who visited Ayatollah Ebu'l-Qasim al-Hôyî, one of the most influential figures of the Shiite world, at his home, even bought a ring from him "to bring luck". It is known that Hôyî, who has a great reputation among Shiites, took a distant attitude towards the "Islamic Revolution" that took place in 1979. Ayatollah al-Hôyî was one of Musa Sadr's highly respected teachers.

Musa Sadr, who was born in the city of Qum, Iran, in 1928 as a member of the Sadr family, famous for its clergy, completed his basic education in Iran and Iraq. Always aware of his Lebanese roots, Sadr settled in Najaf, Iraq in 1953, a year after his father's death. In 1957, at the age of 29, Sadr visited Lebanon for the first time and decided to reside in the town of Sur in the south of the country. Thus, Sadr, who started living in Lebanon in 1960, made a name for himself with the direct communication he provided to the public and the charitable associations he established.

Sadr, who warmed up to politics at the end of the 1960s, advocated for Shiites to participate more actively in the life of the country and to express themselves in Lebanon. While these efforts brought him closer to various factions of Lebanese Christians, they did not prevent him from establishing friendly contacts with the Sunni majority in the country.

While political alliances and rapprochement were changing every day in Lebanon in the 1970s, Musa Sadr became an indispensable and charismatic political figure. From the influence of his family on the Shiites to his personal influence, it was no longer possible to ignore Musa Sadr in Lebanese politics.

The civil war that broke out in 1975 would lead Musa Sadr to establish an armed Shiite organization: “Afvâc al-Muqavema al-Lubnâniyye”. Or in short: Emel. Receiving support from the Palestine Liberation Organization led by Yasser Arafat at the point of military training, Emel was an interesting formation with its liberal and leftist colors. Sadr also had good relations with Syrian President Hafez Assad, who seized power in a coup within the Baath Party in 1970.

In terms of the recent history of the Middle East, the importance of Musa Sadr is that he created political awareness among the Lebanese Shiites and mobilized the masses. After his steps, the Shiites gained a remarkable place in Lebanon, both politically and militarily. The Hezbollah organization also grew and flourished by inheriting the legacy left by Musa Sadr. On top of this, when Iran's support, which intensified after 1979, is added, it can be said that Iran followed the path opened by Sadr.

Nevertheless, it is a fact that cannot be overlooked by many historians: Had Musa Sadr lived, it would not have been possible for Hezbollah to dominate Lebanese politics and state strata. Sadr's physical presence could also have had a limiting effect on Iran's influence over Lebanon.