Washington D.C., November 08, 2024 – Hostage Aid Worldwide’s president Nizar Zakka and U.S. citizen Fadl Badreddine met with Dr. Massad Boulos, the representative of President Trump, in Michigan on Thursday, 25 October to discuss the forced disappearance of Fadl’s father, journalist Abbas Badreddine and the impact this unresolved case has had on the Badreddine family and the Shia community throughout the years.
The Trump Administration has had a consistent track record of prioritizing hostage and unlawful detention cases and of putting emphasis on bringing hostages and wrongfully detained Americans home. We believe that with President Trump’s help, the Badreddine family and the American Shia community can gain some closure.
Hostage Aid Worldwide represents the case of Abbas Badreddine in the United States and before the United Nations Human Rights Council and has been working on the case for over a year. HAW has closely coordinated efforts to set a pivotal meeting with Dr. Massad Boulos, Trump representative. The meeting marked an important step toward the rapprochement of the Muslim Shia community that has long felt marginalized, as both Dr. Boulos and Mr. Fadl Badreddine stressed the emotional and cultural importance of resolving this decades-old case for the American Shia community that the Badreddine family are members of as well as the global Shia community.
Musa Al Sadr, a highly respected religious and political figure, disappeared alongside journalist Abbas Badreddine and Mohammed Yaacoub in Libya in 1978 under mysterious circumstances. The unresolved case has left a lasting impact on the global Shia community, including the Shia American population, particularly in Michigan. For decades, the Badreddine family has sought closure, advocating for an investigation into their father’s fate. Despite international efforts, the case remains unsolved.
During the meeting, Dr. Massad Boulos showed his strong support to Badreddine’s family and expressed the President’s commitment to alleviate the suffering of U.S. citizens. Hostage Aid Worldwide believes the incoming presidential administration can leverage its diplomatic influence and push for renewed efforts to investigate the case of Musa Al Sadr and Abbas Badreddine, which has left the Badreddine family and the wider Shia community in uncertainty for more than four decades.
The meeting underscored the critical importance of this case not only for the Badreddine family but also for the broader Shia community in the U.S. and the Middle East.
Hostage Aid Worldwide emphasized that completing the investigation and finding answers would be a profound gesture toward healing a community that has long felt marginalized.
Hostage Aid Worldwide remains steadfast in its mission to support families of hostages and individuals who have disappeared, and commits to working diligently to seek justice and closure for the Badreddine family and all those impacted by the unresolved disappearance of Musa Al Sadr and Abbas Badreddine and we feel confident that President Trump’s new administration will do the same.
