Abdulkareem Bakkar elected as General Secretary of United Against Sectarian Fanaticism

28 June 2022

The general meeting of United Against Sectarian Fanaticism (UASF) has elected the General Secretariat for its current term, which runs for two years until mid-2024, in what is seen as the official launch for this organisation which counters sectarian fanaticism.

Abdulkareem Bakkar was elected General Secretary with Anas Altikriti deputy General Secretary, Hassan Safadi official Spokesperson, Adnan Hmidan Secretary and Mehmet Siddik Yildirim as Treasurer.

The Secretariat also includes, Kinda Hawasli, Ragdaa Zeidan, Salahuddin Miqati, Omar Rawabhi, Malik Amaira and Kamil Kozbar, and has established its headquarters in Istanbul in the Turkish Republic, where it is registered as a civil society organisation.

UASF aims to counter all forms of racial and sectarian fanaticism, and to expose the violations attributed thereto, as well as raising awareness on all issues related to this serious form of social disease, and to establish the principles upon which co-existence, acceptance, mutual respect and justice based upon fraternal values can be spread.

Upon his election as General Secretary, Abdulkareem Bakkar said: “This project comes from the principle that all people are equal when it comes to human dignity, and no one should be discriminated against when it comes to their public rights, regardless of their gender, belief, race or nationality, nor should their humanitarian, political or social rights be undermined.

Bakkar added: “Racism and sectarianism are ethical anomalies, where an individual or a group of people falsely attribute to themselves positive traits, and to others negative characteristics. We have therefore made it our objective at UASF to counter such fanaticism and to restrict its destructive impact upon the present and future of our nations”.

When asked, he responded by firmly denying that this would somehow clear regimes, dictatorships or groups who commit crimes by employing sectarianism or sectarian rhetoric and stressed that “on the contrary, those elements would be pursued, exposed and put to account through various justice platforms, while at the same time not implicating the rest of their community who had nothing to do with the crimes committed, but rather chose to co-exist with all others in peace and justice”.

Noteworthy that United Against Sectarian Fanaticism was established towards the end of 2021, and was registered as a Charitable Organisation in Turkey in April 2022, with its present Secretariat elected on the 19th of June 2022.

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