Okab Sakr or Oakab Saker ( ar, عقاب صقر; born 4 March 1975) is a Lebanese journalist and politician who lost his father before he was born during the beginning of the

Lebanese civil war The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...

. Sakr won a seat in the Lebanese parliament on 7 June 2009, and one of few

Shiite Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...

politicians that support, the mainly Sunni Muslim and Christian, 14 March movement.

Early life and education

Okab was born in

Chyah Chiyah () is situated in the west region of the Lebanese capital of Beirut and is part of Greater Beirut. Location Chiyah is located in the southwest suburbs of the capital Beirut, bordered by Haret Hreik, Ghobeiry, Hadath, Hazmiyeh, Furn-el- ...

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

on 2 October 1975. He was raised by his mother under difficult economic conditions. His family is from Zahle,

Bekaa Valley The Beqaa Valley ( ar, links=no, وادي البقاع, ', Lebanese ), also transliterated as Bekaa, Biqâ, and Becaa and known in classical antiquity as Coele-Syria, is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon. It is Lebanon's most importan ...

and they are Lebanese Shiite Muslims. From The DEA Beirut Okab received a bachelor's degree in philosophy, then received a master's degree in social psychology and a higher education degree also from (DEA) in political sociology.

Career

Sakr worked as a teacher for two years at USJ's Islamic and Christian Studies Institute, contributed to the establishment and management of the Permanent Dialogue Center. He also worked as assistant managing editor for ''

Al Balad Al-Balad ( ar, البلد) is the historical area of Jeddah, the second largest city of Saudi Arabia. Balad can literally be translated as "The Town." Balad is the historic center of the City of Jeddah.Baker, Razan.Tales of Old Jeddah" ''Arab N ...

'' newspaper. He is manager of the New Opinion Center, and a member of the Arab Working Group on Muslim- Christian Dialogue. He is also general coordinator of the Arab Forum for Dialogue and Citizenship.

Political affiliation

Sakr joined the "Lebanon First" parliamentary bloc.

Controversy

Sakr was allegedly involved in arming the insurgent in the Syrian civil war. At first he denied his involvement, but admitted it when '' Al Akhbar'' and OTV published audio tapes of him making arms deals with Syrian insurgents. Sakr later claimed the tapes were edited, and that he only provided Syrians with milk and blankets. On 12 December 2012, Syria issued an arrest warrant for

Saad Hariri Saad El-Din Rafik Al-Hariri ( ar, سعد الدين رفيق الحريري, translit=Saʿd ad-Dīn Rafīq al-Ḥarīrī; born 18 April 1970) is a Lebanese-Saudi politician who served as the prime minister of Lebanon from 2009 to 2011 and 2016 ...

, Sakr and Media Coordinator for Free Syrian Army

Louay Almokdad Louay Almokdad ( ar, لؤي المقداد; born 20 December 1982) is a Syrian-British politician and businessman. He was born in 1982 in Damascus, Syria. Education He studied in Damascus until high school, and graduated from the American Un ...

due to their alleged activities of arming and providing financial assistance to the Syrian opposition. In December 2012, Sakr claimed that

Jamil Al Sayyed Jamil Al Sayyed ( ar, جميل السيد; born 1950) is a Lebanese politician, a current Member of the Parliament of Lebanon, and the former head of Lebanon's Sureté Générale or Lebanese General Security Directorate. He was arbitrarily detai ...

had been allegedly in the car with

Michel Samaha Michel Samaha ( ar, ميشال سماحة; born 9 September 1948) is a former minister of information and minister of tourism in Lebanon, and a longtime politician and intelligence operative. Samaha is known for his long and close relationship wit ...

along with a third person while transferring explosives from Syria to Lebanon to carry out terrorist attacks.

Personal life

Sakr is married to Nadine Falah.

References

External links

*
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sakr, Okab 1975 births Living people Lebanese journalists People from Zahle Lebanese Shia Muslims Members of the Parliament of Lebanon