Day in history: 45 years since the disappearance of Shiite spiritual leader Moussa al-Sadr

(31 Aug 2023)
LEBANON MISSING CLERIC ANNIVERSARY

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

LENGTH: 2:37

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Unknown location, Lebanon - 28 July 1975
++4:3++
1. Various of Lebanese Shiite cleric Moussa al-Sadr who disappeared in August in 1978
2. Al-Sadr addressing followers after destruction cause by fighting in the first weeks of the Lebanese civil war which started in April 1975
3. Tilt-down from minaret of mosque

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Unknown location, Lebanon - 4 July 1975
++4:3++
4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Moussa al-Sadr, Lebanese Shiite cleric who disappeared in August in 1978:
"This is a conflict between the oppressor and the oppressed, whichever way you deem someone as oppressor or oppressed. The battle sprung out of this struggle, going all the way back to the days of Adam, God's elite; to Noah, God's prophet; then Ibrahim (Abraham), God's companion; to Mousa (Moses) who spoke with God; Eissa (Jesus), the spirit of God; then Mohamed, God's beloved; and Ali, God's devoted."

5. Various of al-Sadr praying with followers ++MUTE++
6. Al-Sadr leaving building, applauded by supporters ++MUTE++
7. Al-Sadr in car, militia men with automatic weapons ++MUTE++

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Beirut, Lebanon - 4 October 1975
8. Clerics shaking hands with al-Sadr as he enters building where religious figures were meeting to call for peace
9. Security outside building
10. Pan of religious figures during meeting

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Beirut, Lebanon - 14 September 1978
11. Various of people holding up posters of al-Sadr and demanding answers about his mysterious disappearance the previous month
12. Newspaper headline reading (Arabic): "The country is in a state of imbalance"
13. Poster of al-Sadr on traffic sign

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Beirut, Lebanon - 28 February 2011
14. STILL: Lebanese school students carry pictures of al-Sadr, who went missing with his two companions during an official visit to Libya in 1978, as they display two pictures of late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi on the ground with Arabic writing that reads: "You enemy of Islam, confess where did you kidnap Imam al-Sadr," during a protest

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Qana, Lebanon - 31 July 2006
15. STILL of Lebanese person wearing a shirt with the portrait of al-Sadr as he stands in the rubble of buildings hit in Israeli missile strikes
STORYLINE:
Every year, the date August 31 marks a somber day for some in Lebanon, the anniversary of the disappearance 45 years ago of prominent Lebanese Shiite cleric Moussa al-Sadr.

He went missing during a visit to Libya in 1978.

The cleric’s family believes he may still be alive in a Libyan prison, though most Lebanese presume al-Sadr is dead. He would be 94 years old.

Al-Sadr was the founder of a Shiite political and military group that took part in the lengthy Lebanese civil war that began in 1975, largely pitting Muslims against Christians.

Born in the Iranian holy city of Qom, al-Sadr came to Lebanon in 1959 to work for the rights of Shiites in the southern port town of Tyre.

In 1974, a year before Lebanon’s 15-year civil war broke out, al-Sadr founded the Movement of the Deprived, attracting thousands of followers.

The following year, he established the military wing Amal — Arabic for “hope” and an acronym for the militia’s Arabic name, the Lebanese Resistance Brigades — which later fought in Lebanon’s civil war.

The group is headed by Lebanon’s powerful Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.




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