The Vanished Imam: Musa al Sadr and the Shia of Lebanon
Sayyid Musa al Sadr came to Lebanon in 1959 and disappeared during a visit to Libya in 1978. What begins as a narrow study of a relatively minor figure becomes a sensitive and probing analysis of current Middle Eastern society. Ajami elucidates, for the general reader as well as the specialist, a charismatic and enigmatic man, combining religious and political leadership in contemporary Lebanon, a country torn by religious and political conflicts. In portraying this striking individual, Ajami brilliantly illustrates the religious and social conservatism of the Shiite community. He avoids the facile characterization of fanatic and provides an understanding of the tensions building in the Shiite community before erupting into bloody civil war and fueling international terrorism. Highly recommended. Elizabeth R. Hayford, President, Assoc. Colls. of the Midwest, ChicagoCopyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.