Rabab al-Sadr Charafeddine (Arabic: رباب صدر; born 4 April 1944[1]) is a Lebanese activist and president of the Imam al-Sadr Foundation. She is the sister of disappeared Shia imam and political leader Musa al-Sadr.[2][3][4][5]

Rabab al-Sadr Charafeddine
رباب صدر
Rabab al-Sadr in January 2022
Born (1944-04-04) 4 April 1944 (age 80)
NationalityLebanese
Known forCharitable work, advocacy
Relatives

Early life

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Rabab al-Sadr was born in Qom, Iran on 4 April 1944. Her father, Sayyid Sadr al-Din al-Sadr, died when she was nine years old. In 1959, at the age of 15, she and her brother moved to Tyre, Lebanon, their ancestral home.[1]

Education and family life

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In her youth, al-Sadr studied fashion design and painting at an Italian university. She completed a doctorate in philosophy in 2017, with the topic "The practical philosophy of the imam Musa al-Sadr".[6]

She is the sister of political leader, Shia imam and Amal Movement leader Musa al-Sadr.[2]

Al-Sadr was married to Hussein Charafeddine at age of 16. They have four children, including Raed Charafeddine and Najad Charafeddine.[7][8] She has eleven grandchildren.[6]

Career

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Al-Sadr is the president of the Tyre-based Imam al-Sadr Foundation, a non-governmental organization in southern Lebanon.[2][9][10]

The foundation traces it roots to the Dar al-Fatta ("Girls' House") founded by Rabab and Musa al-Sadr in 1962, three years after their arrival in Tyre. This organization taught women skills such as knitting, embroidery, housekeeping, and first aid. After Musa's disappearance on 31 August 1978, Rabab took over the management. Since then, the foundation has grown to its current state, providing education, social, and health services.[1]

During the Lebanese Civil War, al-Sadr traveled Lebanon trying to convince women to not let their male family members partake in the war, as well as offering guidance and services to those affected by the war.[7] Also during the war, she negotiated for the release of victims of kidnapping on both sides.[6]

On 13 August 2017, al-Sadr was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Malta for her cooperation with the organization.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "رباب الصدر - المُناضِلة من أجل كرامة عيش الفتيات والنساء المهمَّشات ومِن أجل الحوار بين الأديان". تعددية. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  2. ^ a b c McMahon, Janet (21 May 2001). "Sadr on Southern Lebanon". Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. No. June 2001. American Educational Trust. p. 90. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Papst empfängt Chefin schiitischer Wohlfahrtsorganisation". Vatican News (in German). The Holy See. 15 February 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Lebanese Activist Rabab Al-Sadr, Sister Of Imam Musa Sadr, Bursts Into Tears: Why Should We Live Like This? We Have Become Like Bangladesh And Afghanistan". Memri TV. 31 August 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Confidences hommes et femmes". Magazine Le Mensuel. 2016-10-06. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
  6. ^ a b c Antonios, Zeina (10 April 2017). "Rabab Sadr, ou l'osmose avec les milieux chrétiens pratiquants". L'Orient-Le Jour (in French). Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  7. ^ a b Khudr, Adele (1995). ""Seventy-Five Percent of Any Society Comes from Women and Her Efforts" - An Interview with Rabab As-Sadr Charafeddine". Al-Raida. XII (70&71): 17–18. doi:10.32380/alrj.v0i0.881. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ Von Bliss, Dita (26 February 2019). "Trois dames gagnantes à l'applaudimètre". L'Orient-Le Jour. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  9. ^ Haddad, Emmanuel (8 October 2018). "Liban. Moussa Sadr, la présence de l'absent". Orient XXI (in French). Orient XXI. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  10. ^ GAMWOMEN. "Rabab al-Sadr - Global Association of Muslim Women - GAMWomen.org". gamwomen.org. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
  11. ^ Noun, Fady (18 August 2017). "L'Association libanaise des chevaliers de Malte honore Mona Hraoui et Rabab Sadr". L'Orient-Le Jour (in French). Retrieved 28 March 2022.
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