Once an Arafat Man: The True Story of How a PLO Sniper Found a New Life

by Tass Saada

Other authorsDean Merrill (Primary Contributor)
Paperback, 2010

Status

Checked out
Due 23 March 2024

Call number

248.2

Publication

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (2010), Edition: 1, 256 pages

Description

At age 17, Palestinian Tass Saada ran away to become a PLO sniper, onetime chauffeur for Yasser Arafat, and a Muslim immersed in anti-Israeli activity. As a man he moved to America, started a family, and eventually became a Christian. Then he risked retribution as he returned home to share his faith with his family and former boss. Once an Arafat Manis a story of the ultimate triumph of love over hatred, of reconciliation over divisions. It's a story that can inspire us all to overcome the conflicts in our own lives.

User reviews

LibraryThing member fredamans
Tass Saada's story was one I am going to remember for a long time. I will talk about it with my friends, and I will recommend it to all I talk to. This book was powerful!
You have to read this with an open heart and mind. I'm not going to say it's easy to swallow always, because it's not, but if it
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were easy, it wouldn't be real.
To see where the author came from, the world of complete hatred. To be blessed to have found the love of God, and is now Christian. His own family went from wanting to kill him, to respecting him.
An amazing story, one that I can't get enough of. You REALLY need to check it out, and read it yourself. Don't give up on it either.
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LibraryThing member sparkleandchico
On the face of it this seems to be a miraculous story of redemption--a Muslim Palestinian refuge Fatah fighter becomes a Christian and his life is dramatically changed. Well that is what happens and his conversion seems genuine, proven by the test of time.

However, I was disturbed by the details of
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the many murders he committed and the fact that he didn't face justice (prison) for them. I realise it was a war situation but some of these people were shot in cold blood. The Bible offers forgiveness through Jesus but I believe there are still earthly consequences for our actions and that he should at least have made attempts to face the punishment for his crimes by owning up to them specifically. The author apologises to his Jewish brothers after he is saved but are words enough in this situation?

The author seems to be very much led by subjective experiences. His conversion itself seems a little strange. He is with his rich Christian friend who begins reading from the first chapter of John. He is then lifted into the air by an invisible force and thrown onto his knees. This is the apparent moment of conversion. He cries out to God to forgive Him suddenly realising that Jesus is God. God does draw us to Him but would He force someone onto their knees resulting in them being confused about what has happened afterwards? Conversion is a work of grace in the heart not an act of violence.

From that moment on he follows what he believes is the Spirit but which results in some seemingly reckless decisions. He believes God is telling him to finance a project the result of which will work in his favour. But he later determines that he is instead to counter-sign the purchase of a property on behalf of someone else, basically standing as surety. He then sets off in a van on an individual crusade to warn people of the dangers of Islam leaving his wife for lengthy periods without company. This having been repeatedly unfaithful to her prior to his conversion to Christianity. He references visions that are apparently sent by God at various points along the way to guide him. But what about the Bible, that should be our main point of reference for guidance.....He also documents the visions and dreams of a number of his Muslim brothers who have actually seen Jesus in their dreams. He suggests that God has to work in that way in areas where the Bible is banned.

I am concerned as well that he twists Scripture in relation to events in the Middle East concerning the ongoing Israeli/Palestinian conflict. I am not going to get into an theological debate (I hope) about this matter. Suffice it to say that Ishmael was the product of a sinful union between Hagar and Abraham. God was gracious and determined to have compassion on Hagar and to bless Ishmael. But Ishmael was blessed and not chosen. Isaac was the chosen son that fulfilled God's plan and purpose for the future of Israel. The author even goes as far to suggest that the Bible should read Abraham, Ishmael and Jacob instead of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He believes that God's plan was still for Ishmael as the first born son to receive as much of the blessing as Isaac. It is easy to see why the author has allowed himself to interpret things in this way but we cannot just change Scripture to make it more in line with our own desires.

He astonishingly claims towards the end of the book that not only did he know Yasser Arafat from a young age but that he had meetings with him after he had converted. He claims that he shared the Gospel with Arafat and that the aged leader had tears in his eyes. But maybe he goes a step too far by claiming that Arafat was converted to Christianity prior to his death after praying the "Sinner's Prayer" with an Evangelical Pastor. The author implies that it was his initial intervention that set up the opportunity for this prayer....Google suggests that RT Kendall was the Pastor. Despite these suggestions Arafat in his will asked to be buried near to a mosque, not you might think the actions of a newly converted Christian, but God alone knows the heart. I have already documented my concerns about the 'Sinner's Prayer' in a blog so I will spare you the details but this is another example of the dangers and false assurance it can offer.

The author rightly claims that the only peace for the Middle East is found in Jesus. But he seems to believe that he has the answer to the problems in the Middle East and that this peace can be achieved prior to Jesus' return.

Once again I'm surprised by the many 5 star reviews. Whilst I'm sure his conversion was in the end genuine, I find some of the content concerning and would hope for discernment to be exercised when reading this book.
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LibraryThing member capturingphi
In any conflict, problems only escalate when both sides fail to understand the perspectives of the other. In his autobiography, Tass Saada gives readers a fuller picture of life in the Middle East, as well as hope for how peace may find a foothold in the war-torn region. Once an Arafat Man also
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leads readers to a deeper appreciation for Arabs and Muslims and their place in God's world.

Growing up as a Muslim in the Middle East, Tass Saada experienced the resentment and hatred that led him and his brethren to use violence to achieve their goals. As a young man, Tass was a trained sniper for Fatah, a Palestinian rebel group. Later moving to the U.S. and marrying an American, Tass found that without Jesus Christ, a person is empty no matter where he/she lives. The tale of his conversion is truly inspirational and will leave the reader in awe of the True God.

After accepting Christ as his Savior, Tass followed the Lord with the same passion he followed Yasser Arafat as a youth. He started a non-profit organization called Hope for Ismael to help the people of Palestine, youth and adult alike, to find true peace and healing.

Readers looking for a magic solution to the problems in the Middle East will be disappointed, but Tass certainly points the way to what should be done to bring peace--individual people loving their neighbors through acts of love and service, sympathizing with the pain and hurt others face. This is a quick read and rarely bogs down in preachy language. Readers should come away with a fuller respect for those most Americans have considered "enemies" without truly knowing why.
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LibraryThing member celticlady53
Tass Saada is a man who started his life hating the Jews and when he was old enough at the age of 17, he ran away and joined the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) as a Fatah fighter. Tass and his friends killed Jews in Israel. They attacked Christians in Jordan. They even went as far as
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throwing hand grenades in to their homes. Tass was born in Gaza and raised in Saudi Arabia where the Palestinians and Jews hated each other and were constantly fighting. The more violent the better, he once even tried to assassinate a prince of an Arab country.

The first part of the book goes into this part of Tass's life as a terrorist, about the strict rules of his Muslim religion, and of course his family. He tells how he became a friend and chauffer of Yassir Arafat (thus the title). Arafat was a hero to Tass and he would gladly give up his life for this hero.

The second part of the book tells how Tass comes to America in 1974 and moves to Columbia, Missouri where he had a friend. He stays with this friend for awhile, gets his GED and meets Karen (his future wife). She at first wants nothing to do with him but he does win her over. Karen had a baby to raise and she does agree to marry him. At the beginning he did marry her so he could get his Green card. Tass and Karen had a daughter together and with a son (Karen's from a previous relationship) and they settled into married life. Tass's family of course were not accepting of the marriage as he was supposed to marry a girl within his own Muslim religion. Tass goes on into the restaurant business, starting at the bottom and working up until he was managing a restaurant with the goal to open his own at some point.

The third part of the book tells how Tass meets a man, Charlie Sharpe, and with Charlies help over a period of time learns to love. Charlie teaches him about Jesus and and the Bible. He realized in his heart that God does exist and he wants Jesus in his life. As the story goes on to tell how Charlie wants to open up a church in Missouri and have a Christian community where he could also have a school for troubled kids who needed guidance. Tass sell their restaurant and move to Missouri to do what they can to help. Tass ends up working in the kitchen, starting all over at the bottom, Karen started teaching 4th grade at the school.

Tass, after becoming a Christian feels that it is his duty to educate the the Muslims and Jews and how they need to accept God into their lives and to live peacefully with each other. As a result Tass travels around the country, giving talks and speeches. He even goes back to Gaza to again try to educate the Muslims and Jews.

I did enjoy this story and I learned more about the strife in the Middle East and why they were actually fighting. I had never heard of Tass Saada of course and I was impressed by this man who overcame his hatred and learned to love because he brought Jesus into his life. He was also willing on his travels back to Jordan to face whatever charges there might be because of his PLO actions. I would recommend this book highly.
I received this book from Tyndale for review.
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LibraryThing member bobhayton
Once an Arafat Man: The True Story of How a PLO Sniper Found a New Life is a fascinating read. As the title indicates, this is a true story of a former Fatah fighter. Tass Saada was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza strip. His parents left their land in Israel at the encouragement of
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the neighboring Muslim countries. After the failure of the 1948 war, they (with many others) were displaced. He grew up in Saudi Arabia and later Qatar.Saada, like many young frustrated Palestinians, grew to respect Yasir Arafat and his rhetoric about Palestinians standing up for their rights. He fled from his home and joined the movement in its infancy. As a teenager he became a sniper and fought in many terrorist skirmishes.Eventually his father’s influence brought him back out of the Fatah, just before Black September’s chaos, and he wound up ultimately in America. There for many years he succeeded in business and lived the American dream, with its money, prestige and also its sinful vices. Then he met Jesus, and the rest is history!His story of conversion is amazing, and the transformation in his life and family is dramatic. God had his hand on this man and eventually he became the founder of Hope for Ishmael a non-profit organization that aims to reconcile Jews and Muslims, and that also aids the many Palestinians caught in the crossfire of the Middle-East conflict. God took Tass from being a one-time chauffeur to Arafat, and allowed him to share the Gospel with the Muslim leader in the final years of his life.Saada’s story is a celebration of God’s grace. Along the way, Saada has some wise Gospel words to speak about the Middle-East conflict. He finds the Bible’s honorable treatment of Hagar and Ishmael to have special significance in our understanding of this conflict. He also stresses God’s promise in Ez. 47: 21-23 that “the aliens [foreigners:] who have settled among you and who have children… along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.” (NIV)His story will also challenge you to see God’s hand at work in your own life. This book will open your heart to the suffering of the Middle-East and give hope! I highly recommend this quick read. May Jesus be exalted in the Middle East!My thanks go out to Tyndale House Publishers for providing me with this review copy as part of the Tyndale Blog Network.
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LibraryThing member MtnGoat
Powerful account of a life transformed by Jesus Christ!
LibraryThing member Medievalgirl
Good salvation testimony- but the title and cover is perhaps a little deceptive, as the subject left the Middle East at an early age, and only the first few chapters actually spoke of his life 'As an Arafat man'
LibraryThing member rsairs
I'm a Christian believer, and open to the idea of the miraculous. There is something about the book that seems as if what were underlying truths and events have been embellished or romanticized. They didn't need to be. A less dramatized telling would seem more authentic and be more thrilling--a
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life transformed, a new life dedicated to good work, to peace in the name of Christ. Some of the claims are frankly hard to take at face-value, and all of those are beyond the reach of any kind of validation. At one point he seems to describe the Trinity in modalist terms. Some of his exegesis might be a bit of a stretch, but worthy of discussion.
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Language

Original language

English

Physical description

256 p.; 8.1 inches

ISBN

9781414334448

UPC

031809134443
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