"Mussa al Sadr was one of those rare people who loomed so large in life that his shadow is still cast on Lebanese politics. 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." Thus the concluding words of professor A. R. Norton (Boston University), the key-note speaker of the conference on 'Shi'a, Modernity and the Legacy of Imam Mussa al Sadr' held at the University of Michigan on March 14th and 15th, 2008. The conference was hosted by the University's Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, and co-organized by Sadr Foundation - USA.

 

Other speakers included sayyed Mustafa al Qazwini of the Islamic Educational Center of Orange County (California), who addressed the impact of Imam Sadr's works on the Lebanese Shi'a community; professor Liyakat Takim from the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Denver, who spoke about the impact Imam Sadr had on Shi'a jurisprudence; and professor Rula Abisaab of the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University.

 

The conference was concluded by a panel discussion. Among the participants were two sons of Imam Sadr: sayyed Sadreddine Sadr and sayyed Hamid Sadr.