Lebanese society is widely characterized as a sectarian society, and religious violence in Lebanon has been regarded as a consequence of sectarianism, which became particularly prominent in Lebanese society during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Sectarianism in Lebanon constitutes part of the colonial legacy left by the British, French, and Ottoman Empires as a result of their involvement in the Levant. This study seeks to examine the rejection of the phenomenon of sectarianism in the thought of Imam Musa Sadr. In this regard, the experience of Sayyid Musa Sadr, as a reform-minded Shiʿi cleric and a reformist faqīh (Islamic jurist), is investigated. Accordingly, dialogue is presented as one of the most influential approaches for engaging with
a pluralistic world marked by contradictions, wars, and conflicts, and particularly as an approach for the development and advancement of societies, especially in the Middle East, where, despite decades of efforts, the flames of war have continued to spread across many national borders. On this basis, Sadr’s dialogical approach is introduced as an effective method for overcoming these seemingly endless conflicts through confronting sectarianism. The study adopts a mixed-methods design, employing both discourse analysis of the writings and thought of Sayyid Musa Sadr and in-depth interviews with Iranian and Lebanese scholars who possess extensive familiarity with his thought and works. The findings demonstrate how Sayyid Musa Sadr, by emphasizing dialogue and coexistence among religions and Islamic schools of thought during the 1960s to the 1980s, substantially contributed to reducing tensions within Lebanon’s sectarian society.