born 1928, Qom, Iran disappeared Aug. 31, 1978, Libya? Iranian-born Lebanese Shite cleric. The son of an ayatollah, he received a traditional Islamic education in Qom and in Al-Najaf, Iraq, and also briefly studied political economy and law at Tehrn University. In 1960 he moved to Lebanon, where he became involved in social work among the country's largely disfranchised Shite community. In 1968-69 he formed the Higher Shite Islamic Council to promote the community's interests, and in 1975 he formed a militia, Amal, to defend the Shite community in the Lebanese Civil War. He and a small entourage disappeared while on an official trip in Libya. The Libyan government disavowed any knowledge of what became of the cleric and his companions; his disappearance has remained a highly controversial mystery