DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Under the banner “A Nation’s Trust”, the Al Amal Social Foundation commemorated the 48th anniversary of the disappearance of Amal Movement founder Imam Musa al-Sadr and his two companions during a large gathering Wednesday evening at the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights.

The event featured Lebanese Member of Parliament Dr. Ashraf Baydoun, representing Amal Movement leader and Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and was attended by elected officials and representatives of religious, social and community organizations from across Metro Detroit.

The commemoration came as Lebanon continues to face Israeli attacks and residents of the south remain committed to the path of resistance established by Imam al-Sadr more than half a century ago. That legacy also includes his advocacy for coexistence and his struggle against economic deprivation and social and political marginalization.

Imam al-Sadr and his two companions, Sheikh Mohammad Yacoub and journalist Abbas Badreddine, disappeared during a visit to Libya in August 1978. Their fate remains unknown. Al-Sadr founded numerous social and educational institutions and helped establish the Amal Movement.

Community activist Khalil Hashem served as master of ceremonies.

Sayed Hassan Qazwini, religious director of the Islamic Institute of America, began his remarks by moving beyond the traditional question of Imam al-Sadr’s fate after 48 years. Instead, he posed what he described as a more urgent question: What place does al-Sadr’s philosophy occupy in Lebanese consciousness and practice today?

Qazwini said the missing imam did not view Lebanon as a map divided among religious sects, but as “a civilizational message founded on pluralism and coexistence.”

He said al-Sadr placed human dignity at the center of a project that transcended political parties and religious communities.

Imam al-Sadr’s message is a civilizational founded on pluralism and coexistence. – Imam Qazwini

Qazwini explained that al-Sadr’s work grew out of the poverty and marginalization suffered by residents of southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley. He established social and educational institutions to prepare young people and empower women.

The 1974 launch of the Movement of the Deprived, Qazwini said, reflected al-Sadr’s conviction that “poverty and injustice have no identity or religious sect.”

He added that al-Sadr’s establishment of the Lebanese Resistance Regiments — known by the Arabic acronym Amal — was driven by the need to protect Lebanon and its territory against Israeli attacks. Al-Sadr had described Israel as “absolute evil.”

“When Israeli attacks against the south were repeated, al-Sadr realized that the deprived needed schools and hospitals just as they needed the weapons that would protect their land and dignity,” Qazwini said. “That is how the resistance he envisioned was born — a resistance defending the entire nation, not serving as an alternative to the Lebanese state.”

Qazwini also emphasized al-Sadr’s exceptional openness toward Lebanon’s different religious communities. He recalled that al-Sadr entered churches and spoke from their pulpits because he believed the mission of religion was to serve people regardless of their origins, backgrounds or beliefs.

Al-Sadr, he said, “understood early on that Lebanon could not be governed through domination or the exclusion of others, because the strength of every sect lies in the strength of its partners, and the strength of all begins with a strong Lebanon.”

Al Amal Social Foundation

Mohammed Mansour, president of the Dearborn-based Al Amal Social Foundation, said al-Sadr, who helped lead the social and political awakening of Lebanon’s Shi’a community, remains for members of the Lebanese diaspora “a presence that never disappears, a path that never grows old and a trust that does not expire with time.”

A presence that never disappears, a path that never grows old and a trust that does not expire with time. – Mohammed Mansour

Mansour stressed the foundation’s loyalty to al-Sadr’s path and to “the bearer of his trust, Speaker Nabih Berri.”

He also reviewed a series of development and youth initiatives launched by the foundation with support from community members during August, the month in which al-Sadr disappeared in 1978.

The programs included the “Bag of Hope” initiative, which benefits more than 70 university students in Lebanon, and the seventh annual Imam Sadr shooting tournament.

The foundation also launched the Imam Sadr Soccer Tournament to bring young members of the Lebanese community in Metro Detroit together in a healthy and competitive athletic environment.

In the scouting and educational fields, Mansour formally announced that Al Amal Scouts–Imam Sadr Scouts had become an official member of Scouting America while preserving its Islamic culture and identity.

The foundation also launched its first Imam Sadr Scout Camp during the previous month, along with women’s and media activities intended to strengthen and develop the Lebanese community in Metro Detroit.

Remarks by Lebanese MP Ashraf Baydoun

Baydoun opened his remarks by conveying greetings from Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to the Lebanese community in Michigan.

He praised community members for supporting the causes and prosperity of their homeland and invoked the philosophy of Imam al-Sadr, who “made the human being a cause, the elimination of deprivation a mission and national unity and coexistence a project for Lebanon, the nation of the message.”

Lebanese MP Ashraf Baydoun speaks at a Dearborn Heights gathering marking 48 years since Imam Musa al-Sadr’s disappearance, Wednesday, Sept. 9. – Photo by Abbas Shehab

Baydoun represents the South III electoral district, which includes Nabatieh, Bint Jbeil, Marjayoun and Hasbaya. He was elected to Parliament from the district in 2022.

“Today, we commemorate a Sadrist imam from Jabal Amel whose vision transcended sects, regions and divisions,” Baydoun said. “He believed that Lebanon’s strength lies in its people and that human dignity and social justice form the foundation of the nation.”

“The disappearance of Imam al-Sadr is not merely an occasion to commemorate,” he added. “It is about reviving a path. It is a cause of justice, truth and responsibility for all of us that does not diminish with the passage of time.”

The disappearance of Imam al-Sadr is not merely an occasion to commemorate. It is about reviving a path. It is a cause of justice, truth and responsibility for all of us that does not diminish with the passage of time. – Lebanese MP Ashraf Baydoun

The Amal Movement lawmaker highlighted the difficult conditions Lebanon is enduring because of continuing Israeli attacks.

“I know that with every sunrise, you awaken to a silent, tearful and painful question: What remains for our children in the south that we loved and planted in our hearts like jasmine?” he said. “What has become of us, and what remains of our towns and our memories?”

“These concerns are not unfamiliar to you after all these crises,” he added. “They are the concerns of every Lebanese person who carries the homeland in their heart.”

Baydoun said Berri continues to view the Lebanese diaspora as an inseparable part of Lebanon and as a national and human asset. He said the speaker places great importance on the diaspora’s concerns, capabilities, reach, presence and role.

Baydoun said the Israeli attacks had displaced residents of more than 60 towns and villages. He praised Berri’s leadership during what he described as a critical period in Lebanon’s history.

“Amid the consequences of war and the Israeli attacks — and the destruction, losses, displacement and burdens they have caused — the priority remains protecting Lebanon and its people, preserving internal unity and preventing national pain from turning into another national division,” Baydoun said.

He added that Lebanon could not withstand further fragmentation and instead needed to mobilize its national capabilities, deepen constructive dialogue, end hostilities and secure an immediate Israeli withdrawal to the internationally recognized border. Those steps, he said, would pave the way for the safe return of displaced residents and reconstruction.

Speaking emotionally about the devastation inflicted on towns and villages in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, Baydoun recalled landmarks in his hometown of Bint Jbeil.

“When I say Bint Jbeil, I know I am not merely saying a name,” he said. “I am speaking of a home and a garden. I am speaking of a mother and a father. I am speaking of the road to Abdul Latif Saad School and Bint Jbeil Public High School. I am speaking of the village fields, the Grand Mosque, the Thursday Market, Masoud Hill and other places.”

Baydoun concluded by emphasizing that protecting education and empowering young people are essential to preventing the will of southern Lebanon from being broken.

“If we do not want the will of the south and its people to be broken, we must look toward the future — and the future depends on education,” he said. “No one dies from hunger, but it is unconscionable to deprive our children of an education.”

He called for academic and educational empowerment to become the community’s real weapon in confronting ignorance and building the future.

The ceremony also included artistic presentations. Engineer and poet Mohammad Farhat recited a poem recounting major chapters in al-Sadr’s life, including his role in promoting coexistence, establishing the Lebanese Resistance Regiments to confront the Israeli occupation and enduring an enforced disappearance that made his principles more deeply rooted.

The Al Amal Scouts–Imam Sadr Troop also presented a performance embodying authenticity and the preservation of Arab and Islamic identity within the Lebanese American diaspora.