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Sadr Foundation of Dearborn Continues the Legacy of Imam Moussa al-Sadr Through Charity, Community Support

Described as a non-governmental organization that seeks to bring about social justice, change and equality by working closely with local communities, as well as those abroad in Lebanon and other places in desperate need, the Sadr Foundation’s USA branch is headquartered in the east part of Dearborn, Michigan, where the largest Arab American community in the United States currently resides.

The USA chapter began in the early 1990s through women’s gatherings at homes in Michigan, where donations were collected for the Imam Sadr Foundation in Lebanon.

Events continue to be held annually and grow larger every year, including Ramadan iftars, women’s breakfasts, and more. Donations have been made to U.S. organizations such as the Children’s Hospital of Michigan, the New York City Fire Department in 2001, Wayne County Youth Fund, Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina Relief, and most recently to the Oakwood Center for Exceptional Families. Another well-attended event was its annual Eid-al-Fitr tradition of selling ice cream in honor of Imam al-Sadr’s legacy, with proceeds given to orphans in Lebanon.

The organization hosts its annual fundraising dinner at the Islamic Center of America on Ford Road in Dearborn each year, which is considered to be the largest mosque in North America and the oldest Shi’a mosque in the United States. About 1,000 guests turn out to support the Foundation at each year’s dinner, which highlights the organization’s charitable works and events throughout the year and raises funds for new projects to come.

The quote, “I and the one who helps an orphan will be together in paradise,” from Prophet Mohammed (saw) was the inspiration for the 2019 dinner, highlighting the organization’s tireless work on behalf of orphans in desperate need.

In March 2020, the Sadr Foundation will reach yet another milestone. The organization is expected to hold its 20th annual fundraising dinner, also at the Islamic Center of America.

The annual women’s breakfast is typically held at either Byblos Banquets or Bint Jebail Cultural Center in Dearborn in early November, and typically sees an attendance of about 500 ladies of the community. The breakfast is a way to give back to the many women who support the Foundation with their hard work and leadership each year.

Food drives are usually held twice per year by Sadr Foundation USA, once during the week before Ramadan and another during the Thanksgiving season. Hundreds of families have been fed over the years through the generous support of donors and hard-working volunteers.

In addition, Sadr Foundation USA is a proud supporter of Oakwood’s Center for Exceptional Families in Dearborn. Representatives from both the stateside organization and Lebanon have routinely visited the center in recent years, which supports local children in a holistic way, similar to the Sadr

Foundation in Lebanon.

The Center is the only place in southeastern Michigan — and one of the few in the United States — to offer fully integrated, family-centered care for children with special needs and their families. Since its inception in 1997, the Center for Exceptional Families has assisted thousands of children living in ten counties in southeastern Michigan. It collaborates with the University of Michigan-Dearborn to connect teachers with clinicians for the best possible outcome for all students in its care.

“It’s an exceptional facility that helps families navigate the sometimes confusing health care maze of resources,” said Hamid El-Sadr to The Arab American News about the organization. “Their holistic approach in dealing with individuals reminded me of what the Sadr Foundation aims to achieve as it assists those in need.”

The Foundation’s USA chapter supported and inspired by its parent organization in Lebanon, which strives to uphold its vision of “a world free of ignorance, poverty, disease and conflict, where individuals and groups actively participate in the development of their own communities and enjoy equal rights and opportunities regardless of their faith, gender, or any other difference.”

Many dignitaries from Lebanon have support the Sadr Foundation’s United States chapter in its mission to carry on Imam al-Sadr’s legacy.

George Kurdahi, a philanthropist, Maronite Christian and host of the Arabic version of ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’ is among the well known supporters of the Sadr Foundation and Imam al-Sadr’s mission.

Kurdahi was a guest speaker at the 2017 fundraising dinner.

“Imam Sadr did not only belong to the esteemed Shi’a communities, but to Lebanon at-large,” he said in 2017. “His words had an effect on me and I felt his thoughts were partially inspired by the Prophet Issa (Jesus),” he said. “I wish your organization will extend, expand, widen and reach all of Lebanon.”

Dr. Joeseph Jabbra, president of the Lebanese American University, is another one of the Sadr Foundation’s recent esteemed guests. Dr. Jabbra attended the 2018 Sadr Foundation USA banquet, speaking to the crowd about the uniqueness of the foundation and the message it carries, reflecting on the vision of Imam al-Sadar and the perseverance of Sadr Foundation Chairperson Mrs. Rabab Sadr in contributing to building a just and open society in Lebanon.

He spoke with Sadr Foundation representatives on extending better access to higher education to vulnerable segments of the population among other topics.

Dr. Jabbra was also accompanied by Syed Raed Charafeddine, the First Vice Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, and Sadr Foundation Director General Mr. Nijad Charafeddine during his visit in celebration of Easter, and he received the Imam Sadr Foundation shield as a token of appreciation and thanks.

The Dearborn area is home to many Arab Americans, both immigrants and native-born, who came over from their home countries seeking a better life in the United States, mostly through jobs in the auto industry in Dearborn, which is the home town of automobile industry pioneer Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company.

The headquarters for the Sadr Foundation’s USA branch is located at 4241 Maple Street, Suite 250A in Dearborn, and the charity’s phone number is 313-584-8230.

Its email address is SadrFoundationUS@gmail.com, and it also has a website, www.SadrFoundation.us. The USA branch’s Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/sadrfoundationus/.

Hamid ElSadr, the son of Imam Moussa al-Sadr, serves as the current president of the organization.

The Sadr Foundation USA is a team of committed volunteers working to continue his legacy, as well as his advocacy for women, orphans, and the underserved.

Through the promotion of interfaith dialogue and respect, and working to create a positive difference in the lives of children, youth and women by helping them achieve their full potential; the Sadr Foundation USA serves as a resource for Americans of all social, religious and ethnic backgrounds.

The Foundation raises awareness and funds to support its educational, social and charitable causes in the USA, and to support the Imam Sadr Foundation in Lebanon.

Donations to Sadr Foundation USA are tax deductible, and the foundation is authorized to accept Khums (alms). The foundation is an independent U.S. 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

The Story of Imam Moussa al-Sadr, and the Foundation’s History in Lebanon

Honored as an “interfaith hero” by author Daniel L. Buttry is his landmark publication ‘Interfaith Heroes,’ which chronicles great spiritual leaders including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi, Sadr Foundation Founder Imam Moussa al-Sadr dedicated his life to building facilities and organizations in support of women, orphans and the disenfranchised in Lebanon.

He served as a trusted interfaith leader and civil servant in the southern part of the country during the 1960s and 1970s, at a time where tensions between religious communities were high and the people needed his leadership and unwavering dedication to serving the people of Lebanon the most.

Al-Sadr is perhaps best known for his brave stand in support of religious tolerance and peace, during which he organized a simple yet courageous action in support of interfaith peace and harmony that would live on in the history books.

When some Muslim citizens in Tyre, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, decided to boycott a local ice cream shop because of the owner’s Christian religious affiliation, Imam al-Sadr took action.

He ended a Friday prayer service with a march to the ice cream shop. People followed, not knowing what was about to happen. When the imam arrived he ordered ice cream. Then the marchers all ate ice cream along with him, and the boycott was officially over.

Aside from many simple acts of kindness such as these, Imam al-Sadr was a man of God, leading by example in the Shi’a Muslim community and spending his days building religious and interfaith unity at a time marked by explosive tensions within his country.

Al-Sadr believed in a peaceful cooperation between faiths and was a strong advocate for inclusion of the minority Shi’a community on the political scene in Lebanon.

He is a participant in many Islamic-Christian dialogues, and eventually joined with a Catholic archbishop to co-found an interfaith social movement to help the poor and marginalized. He also organized a committee of Christian and Muslim spiritual leaders in southern Lebanon to work together on political and social causes shared by both groups.

Imam al-Sadr also cared deeply about the local community, working to serve through charitable projects and undertakings. His goal was to eradicate poverty and stimulate education for those who were struggling in Lebanon, including the many who were disenfranchised by the woefully inadequate main social and political systems in the country.

He founded many social institutions, vocational schools, kindergartens, health clinics and literacy centers over the years in his beloved home country.

On August 25, 1978, Imam al-Sadr and two companions, Sheikh Muhammad Yaacoub and journalist Abbas Badreddine, departed for Libya to meet with government officials at the invitation of Muammar Gaddafi to discuss issues related to the conflicts in Lebanon occurring during this time.

While waiting for an appointment on August 31st, the three dignitaries were seen boarding a car headed towards the airport, but disappeared, and have not been heard from since.

Despite Imam al-Sadr and his companions’ disappearance, his legacy has continued to this day through the generous support of the Sadr Foundation USA’s staff and donors, who continue to fund critical infrastructure programs serving the needy in both Metro Detroit and Lebanon.

Imam al-Sadr’s foundation started in humble beginnings in the city of Tyre and its suburbs with programs to support and aid the destitute and local communities.

Illiteracy programs were launched, public establishments were founded, and women were promoted and empowered by teaching them the arts of dressmaking, embroidery, and homemaking, and offering them first-aid training. Imam al-Sadr also created a kindergarten which he annexed to Al-Huda School. He also turned the first-aid training sessions into a higher technical school for nursing which is still operational today.

Imam al-Sadr’s humanitarian interests took on a purely developmental dimension based on field surveys and extensive studies, while giving special attention to the political issues of the time.

Although the disappearance of Imam al-Sadr on August 31st, 1978 halted his efforts to continue building up the state and its people, his determination lives on and so does his concern for children, youth, and women, and their everyday and developmental needs, with an obvious geographic focus on South Lebanon, particularly its far edges bordering Palestine.

Within this broad context, one can trace and gauge the impact of the development projects he created.

Any observer of his accomplishments in welfare and development can draw a direct connection with the work of what will later become the Sadr Foundation, as the foundation in its present form is a continuation of some of those achievements.

The foundation later was founded by supports of the cause of Imam al-Sadr in Lebanon. The U.S. chapter was created in hopes of providing additional support from the Lebanese American and other communities in both the U.S. and overseas.

The 1980s saw the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians from border towns as a result of bloody military operations. The repeated Israeli invasions and the destruction of towns and villages up to the 1982 invasion which reached the heart of Beirut, constituted a dire period in the modern history of the South and had consequential effects on the Sadr Foundation.

The foundation’s facilities sustained their fair share of damages as a result of the invasion.

Still, the Sadr Foundation has continued its work over the years, and remains a pillar of support, a lifeline for the poor and disenfranchised of Lebanon as well as United States communities, all thanks to the time and financial contributions of its generous member base and supporters worldwide.

During the aforementioned time, activities in “Medinat al-Zahraa” in Beirut were suspended due to plundering and destruction. Its students were displaced until the administration called them back through newspaper announcements and asked them to join the facilities near the Jabal Aamel vocational school in Burj Shemali, in the vicinity of Tyre. Prefabricated structures had been hurriedly installed on the site and equipped to be used as classrooms and accommodations for the girls. After the site was laid under siege, the administration proceeded to rent apartments in various locations in Tyre to provide the girls with dormitories and city schools were contacted to allow the girls to continue their studies.

The occupation withdrew from much of Lebanon in the mid-eighties, but maintained a southern safety zone that included UN peacekeeping forces. In parallel, relief, welfare, and medical activities began to be undertaken by the “Imam Sadr Foundation” by virtue of public notice of registration no. 19/a.d. in 1984 and arrangements were made to lay the cornerstone of its cultural complex on the coast of Tyre.

“By the grace of God, and thanks to the efforts of our sisters and brothers, we have signed a contract allocating 30,000 square miles of government-owned land in the heart of the city of Tyre, on the southern coast of the city, for the Sadr Foundation to establish a sizable cultural complex which shall comprise the following buildings,” the foundation’s 1984-85 annual report reads on page 7.

Among the facilities established included a secondary school for girls, public conference hall, professional orientation center for the families of orphans, handicrafts center, central administration offices, nursing school, orphanage, kintergarten, educational institute and girls vocational institute.

Today, with the exception of the public hall, the promise has been fulfilled. All the mentioned facilities have been completed and have remained as valuable assets to the local community, although some modifications were made to their function and purpose in keeping with the developing needs of the area.

The South in the 1990s was a fundamental partner to the rest of the country in shaping Lebanon’s post- civil war aspirations. It remained steadfast in engaging the most fearsome of all civil war chapters.

Lebanon is still years away from restoring all that was destroyed in all manner of wars, and meeting the complex needs of the millions of citizens that have suffered as a result of them.

While the last decade of the 20th century was sufficient to remove the physical, tangible imprint of war, two essential missions are still underway:

• Dismantling the narrow factional identities to build a unifying national identity;
• Strengthening the factors that fortify the country against risks and dangers which threaten security, the economy, and sovereignty.

On the eve of the liberation in 2000, the Lebanese areas were opened unto one another. This breakthrough had a considerable impact on the foundation as it prepared to meet expectations. It embarked on a path of self-discovery and definition of its future roles. It sought to institutionalize administrative development and to attract competent individuals. The foundation’s activities recorded a quantum leap in terms of geographic reach and number of beneficiaries, as well as in creating services and development initiatives built on the foundation’s body of experience in the area of welfare and charitable work.

As for the internal organizational structure, the foundation put together a comprehensive, multi- disciplinary team where women play a crucial role in planning, administration, and implementation.

The foundation staff worked hard to deliver welfare, healthcare, and educational services, as well as training and capacity building, with a special focus on women’s issues and the concerns of other vulnerable and at-risk groups. In order to implement its programs, the foundation established a number of institutes and centers across the South and in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

These areas were particularly affected by destruction, death, and displacement in the 2006 war which generated physical, organizational, and human losses that we would be hard-pressed to measure accurately. It was only natural that the entire staff and the majority of the student body and their parents would be affected by those circumstances and that these would have consequences on the performance and resources of the foundation in the short and medium terms.

During the war, normal operations were almost entirely halted. The only two centers that continued to provide services were located in Anquoun and Kafarhatta, relatively far removed from the shelling sites, not to mention the initiatives of a few members and employees who remained in Tyre and strove to support their municipality by delivering medicines for chronic and other diseases.

In addition to the damages sustained by many foundation facilities in Beirut and the South, the war disrupted the agreements signed with government and international bodies. Timeframes and the nature of deliveries were reconsidered in light of the changes in the priorities of the targeted populations.

Moreover, the social and living conditions of the staff were also under pressure as many lost their lives or were forced to leave to deal with the loss of family members, their houses, and property.

Sadr Foundation Lebanon Works to Meet Ongoing Challenges

Imam al-Sadr’s vision for Lebanon was one of a united country where education, faith, and serving those in need, especially women and orphans, takes center stage.

“Lebanon of tomorrow is a country of justice and equal opportunities. The place where values and freedom dwell,” he is famously quoted as saying on the Sadr Foundation Lebanon website,

ImamSadrFoundation.org.

In 2014, the Imam Sadr Foundation (ISF) of Lebanon celebrated 50 years of service, highlighting its rich history of serving the people, as well as its accomplishments, which included being given Special Consultative Status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 2002.

A non-governmental, non-profit organization just like its United States chapter, the Foundation began its activities in 1963 and has historically focused on fostering and providing basic rights to social, health and educational services while promoting tolerance and interaction between communities.

The ISF’s activities extend to three main areas: care and education for minors, women empowerment, and integrated primary healthcare. The Foundation strives to bridge between the various segments of Lebanese society to foster interfaith and inclusiveness by creating common causes, undertaking joint action and the exchange of knowledge.

Among the Foundation’s most important current projects in Lebanon is ECIL, which stands for Early Childhood Intervention Lebanon.

Its purpose is to broaden the access of special needs children between the ages of 0-3 years to a decent life by offering them individualized treatment in which parents can take part. ECIL works to build and strengthen the capacities of children (motor, intellectual, communication, social, emotional, and life skills) while offering guidance, support and training to parents. The staff includes psychiatrists, psychologists, educators, social workers, and various speech, psychomotor, physical, behavioral, and other therapists.

Comprehensive services are delivered in one central location, and weekly home visits are also offered to parents in accordance with Sadr Foundation Lebanon’s mission for serving and enriching the greater Lebanese society from the ground up.

Serving the people of Lebanon, which is one of the most vulnerable countries to unwanted outside influences by virtue of its structure and location, is far from easy.

But it is a cause Imam al-Sadr and has supporters have taken up with courage and strength on behalf of their beloved home country and its people.

“Lebanon is especially vulnerable to threats as it sits at close quarters to hubs of instability,” the Sadr Foundation website reads.

“Our prayer for our country is for it to be a model for peace and love to all humankind, but we have been so far destined to watch as it slips steadily towards the abyss of brutality and hatred,” Imam al- Sadr said about the country’s challenges.

The country went through especially difficult times as a result of the Civil War which erupted in 1975, and because of its combustive relationships with neighbors. Lebanon is characterized by the diversity of its denominational communities, with 19 officially recognized denominations. The last population census was conducted over nine decades ago, but the latest estimations indicate that the population today exceeds five million, around 400,000 of whom are of Palestinian extraction, about 1.5 million which are Syrian refugees, and another half a million of various other nationalities.

The country continues to take on refugees from these and other war-torn areas, and as a result its systems are at constant risk for being overloaded, and remains in constant need of extra support from those capable of making a difference, which is where the Sadr Foundation chapters both at home and abroad excel.

Lebanon has in place a liberal economic system, characterized by banking secrecy and the free circulation of money and goods. Public finance is plagued by the limited size of the tax base which barely exceeds 20 percent of the population. The country is also currently burdened by rising public debt, where the servicing of debt depletes a significant portion of the public budget. This adds pressure on investment allocations and securing social entitlements to the people, particularly the poorest and most marginalized among them.

Moreover, exposure to socio-economic threats is frequent, whether due to structural distortions and the lack of an integrated social policy, to the ongoing political tensions, or to the historic conflict with Israel and the invasions and destruction it produces. As a result, the situation described above has led the public sector to assume the position of passive receipt and reaction. The void created in services and relief provision is filled by civil society, NGOs, and international agencies.

Faced with these realities, the Lebanese society has produced civil and non-governmental organizations, associations, and networks which have had a long experience in delivering social, educational, and health services to preserve the minimal requirements for human dignity.

They have succeeded to a large degree in rescuing the Lebanese social fabric from erosion and full-on breakdown. These organizations have begun seeking to advance their roles towards a new formula that would move their stakeholders from the passive receipt of services to empowerment, increased self- reliance, and involvement in sustainable production, social, and cultural institutions and systems.

Amidst all of this turmoil, the Lebanese civil society remains divided at a certain level, highlighting the importance of independent civil service organizations like the Sadr Foundation that seek to support and unite the country’s diverse citizen base.

Imam al-Sadr has long been among the leaders in the country working to educate, feed, and otherwise help alleviate the many burdens faced by members of the Lebanese civil society.

Between 1962 and 1978, al-Sadr created dozens of centers, initiatives, and institutes. Rabab Sadr ran programs alongside him, taking care of the nursing, the trade school, and developing more programs.

The foundation has been extremely active, yet only embodies but a few of his many goals and visions for a stronger Lebanese society.

Life in Lebanon has not always been easy, but it’s been worth it, and the Sadr Foundation’s chapters both in the U.S. and overseas have pledged to continue their work on the front lines, helping to serve and build up the country in times of great need, which have continued in recent years.

“Moussa al-Sadr was one of those rare people who loomed so large in life that his shadow is still cast on Lebanese politics,” said A.R. Norton of Boston University, the keynote speaker at the conference on Shi’a, Modernity and the Legacy of Imam Moussa al-Sadr at the University of Michigan on March 14, 2008.

“But blurred shadows are no substitute for the presence of an extraordinary man, who might well have changed the course of history for the better, had he not disappeared tragically.”