Qom -- Imam Musa Sadr was the architect of peaceful coexistence among religious groups and inter-religious dialogue in Lebanon. An expert on the Middle Eastern affairs said, adding, contrary to the claims of the Libyan officials, Imam Musa Sadr never left Libya after he had entered this country in 1978, Unless there are authentic proofs, we cannot believe that Imam Musa Sadr is martyred, Talking to the TEHRAN TIMES on the sideline of a Congress held on Imam Musa Sadr, Mohammad Ali Mohtadi added, "He played a crucial role in bringing various Arab countries closer to each other to put an end to the Lebanese war," Mohtadi said.

Imam Musa Sadr was a Lebanese Shiite scholar who disappeared after entering Libya in 1978. The Libyan officials claim that he has left Libya for Italy. On the reason for holding a seminar on Sadr after 20 years, Mohtadi said, unfortunately due to disinformation of certain groups Imam Musa Sadr has remained unknown in Iran. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini decided to send a fact-finding committee to investigate the missing of Sadr, but close allies of Mr. Montazeri stopped the committee, he added.

The seminar on Imam Sadr may provide incentive for certain groups to launch an investigation into the case of the missing scholar and politician, he added. The two-day seminar on Imam Musa Sadr was sponsored by Mofid University of Qom. University professors and seminary scholars expressed their views about Sadr. A round-table discussion was also held on peaceful coexistence among religions on the sideline of the seminar.