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

Tass Saada (Author), Dean Merrill (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 2008

Tass Saada was a PLO sniper and Arafat's chauffeur, a Muslim immersed in anti-Israeli activity. As a young man he came to America, where he started a family, changed his faith, and began reconciliation with Jews. Later on he returned to Qatar to face his family and former boss, Arafat, with stories from his new life in Christ. The encounters are astounding. You'll embrace Saada's engaging story. You'll be enthralled by his conversion and the biblical teaching regarding Arabs and Ishmael. You'll be encouraged by his changed life and the story of hope in reconciliation through Jesus. Don't miss this enlightening true story by Tass Saada, written with Dean Merrill.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Author Saada, born in the Gaza Strip and reared as a refugee in Saudi Arabia and Auatar, became a sniper for the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as a young man. He also served as Yassar Arafat's chauffeur. With co-author Dean Merrill (In the Presence of My Enemies), Saada retraces his life's journey from hatred to love in Once an Arafat Man: The True Story of How a PLO Sniper Found a New Life. Saada encountered Christ in a Damascaus road-like experience when he relocated to America at the age of 23. This experience not only infused his life with purpose, but also shifted his theological understanding and perspective on interracial and interfaith relationships. After all, for a Muslim to worship Christ is to risk life and limb, yet Saada counted the cost, even facing his relatives with his newfound faith. This book is a fascinating window into the book of Genesis, Islamic culture and the Arab-Israeli conflict. More importantly, it is a story of the ultimate hope rooted in Christ, the Savior of all--including Jews and Muslims. --Christian Retailing, October 13, 2008

Review

Saada was a trusted assistant to Yasir Arafat in the late 1960s, soon after Fatah was established. His remarkable story is one of youthful violence and frustration; then he moved to the United States at age 23 to study engineering. He married an American woman, had a successful career in the restaurant business, and, in 1993, underwent a conversion to evangelical Christianity. He has written a moving personal story that will especially satisfy readers who believe in the transformative possibilities of America and the power of faith to alter lives. Saada's experience depicts well the unfortunate situation of the Palestinian diaspora in Arab countries and the circumstances culminating in the Jordanian-Palestinian violence of "Black September" 1970. Clearly, Saada intends to focus on the many circumstances that transformed his attitudes and activity after experiencing a miraculous religious conversion, culminating in his work in the West Bank and Gaza and his creation of "Hope Kindergarten" in the Gaza Strip. Perhaps the best part of his account is his reconciliation with Israelis and his role as a peacemaker. One's reaction to his proposals will likely depend on how one reacts to his life experiences as a whole. Recommended for large public libraries.--Zachary T. Irwin, Pennsylvania State Univ., Erie Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; 1 edition (September 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414323611
• ISBN-13: 978-1414323619
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tass Saada is a former Muslim and the founder of Hope for Ishmael, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to reconcile Arabs and Jews. Born in 1951 in the Gaza Strip, Saada grew up in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. He worked under Yasser Arafat as a Fatah fighter and sniper. Years after immigrating to America, he became a Christian.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Story of Redemption, October 30, 2008

By 

Jeff Miller "Consuming Worship" (Aubrey, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Once an Arafat Man: The True Story of How a PLO Sniper Found a New Life (Hardcover)

Once an Arafat Man's sub-title couldn't be a better synopsis of the book in general, "The true story of how a PLO sniper found a new life." The opening sequence of the book reads like some of the best action oriented fiction out there, but you have to keep in mind that not only are the related events actual parts of our world history, but they are also a first-hand account of the man writing the book.

I don't want to give away a ton of what goes on in the book and steal that pleasure from you, but the book is a real eye-opener for someone like me who has always been a firm (sometimes zealous) supporter of Israel. When you peek into the life of a Palestinian born in a tent near the beginnings of the last century's conflict between Jews and Arabs, you cannot help but have your worldview shifted somewhat--maybe not so much a shift in thought but an increased clarity because of learning about the other side of the issue.

Make no mistake, just as Tass Saada affirms in latter parts of his autobiography, Israel has a right to exist, and the Lord Himself promised them the land. But, also make no mistake that the Palestinian people have been abused, treated as non-entities at times, and used as political pawns by forces on all sides of the conflict. That's enough to make any people group be filled with animosity and hatred.

I think Once an Arafat Man is a book we should be paying close attention to, especially in our current, post-9/11 world. If you want some insight as to how a young child can go from being a mother's sweet little boy to someone willing to give their very life for a cause--willing to kill everyone who stands in their way--then you need to read the story of Taysir Abu Saada.

In some ways, Tass's story struck me how closely it parallels that of Paul the apostle at some points. Here is a man who not only served as a sniper for Arafat's Fatah, but in his spare time he personally persecuted Christ-followers in Jordan. Yet, for all of that, you can read the hand of God upon him throughout his life, protecting him from death and harm when, by all rights, he should have died many times over.

Once and Arafat Man is, from beginning to end, a story of redemption. Again, like Paul, Tass Abu Saada was not a good man, something he admits to himself in the book. Here is the story of a man who could easily be totally broken today. A man who, because of the choices he made in life, could find himself completely alone and bereft of everything--family, fortune, faith--and again by all rights should probably find himself there. Such is the transforming and redemptive power of Christ.

Even when Tass is tricked by his own family into leaving Fatah, his dabbling with learning the French language, and eventual exodus to snowy Missouri, were all part of God's leading on his life. It seems, in hindsight, that step by step over time, God purposefully led Tass away from his hate-filled life among his people into a very personal experience with Jesus Christ.

Tass's conversion to Christ is in of itself extraordinary, and the subsequent transformation of not only himself, but his entire family was a wonder to read. It was very similar to some of the stories you read about in the book of Acts, how God gets ahold of and transforms an entire family. Most importantly, you can see that the transformation of heart in the Abu Saada family was complete as you see where each of them are today, years after their conversions. There's not a one of them who is not actively ministering in some way today. (It was pretty cool to learn more about Ben and read a little bit of his part of the family's story.)

One of the most interesting parts of the book for me was to read a former Muslim's take on Scripture, specifically how an Arab saw the book of Genesis. Folks, I think we Westerners have to admit that sometimes our viewpoints on the Bible are skewed, just as Tass learned his own view had been colored by his background and education.

Split into three sections, the book brings us through Tass's life all the way up to the present, telling about where he is now and what he is doing with his life. Tass has a vision of reconciliation between Arabs and Jews, something that has met with nothing but failure for decades, if not centuries. It is only through Jesus Christ and His love expressed through His people that true reconciliation will be found.

Go back and do a careful reading of Genesis with "Palestinian" eyes and get a glimpse of God's plan for the Arabs and Jews. It's a beautiful thing. The children of Issac and Ishmael living together in peace and harmony in the land God promised them all. Only something that could be done through God's work through Jesus Christ.

Of interest in view of current events, something we should pay very close attention to in the coming days, is learning something of the mindset of the Arab/Muslim world. Here's a quote from pages 197-198:

This pattern of finessing the truth, of saying one thing but doing another, is epidemic in Middle Eastern politics. It explains why progress is often so excruciatingly slow. It also illustrates the desperate need on all levels, from high government halls to the common street, to speak honestly and accurately about one's intentions.

There is a cultural problem here, in that lying is viewed within Islam as an acceptable tactic if it advances the goals of the religion. To help the cause of Allah by misleading an infidel is perfectly noble. Thus, Arab leaders are infamous for duplicity with Israel and the Western nations.

In fact, they even practice it among themselves.

I could go on and on about this book, but then there would be no point in you buying it and reading it yourself. I would encourage you to click one of the links above and buy this book from Amazon, you won't regret it, and your eyes will be opened to the Arab mindset and the grace of God in ways you've never seen before.

I'd also encourage you to follow the Once An Arafat Man blog for updates about the book, news about Tass's ministry in Palestine, and more insight into the goings on in the Middle East.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, inspirational testimony, November 12, 2008

By 

Benjamin Benjamin "binyameen" (San Antonio, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Once an Arafat Man: The True Story of How a PLO Sniper Found a New Life (Hardcover)

I bought this book immediately after hearing the author (Tass Saada) speak in person at a messianic congregation up in Dallas. I had no idea who the guest speaker was that day.

Within 5 minutes of his talk, I knew something was very different about this man. He spoke with incredible sincerity when he asked the Jewish people present for forgiveness because of what Palestinians like him had done. He talked about about some of his history, the work he had been doing in the Middle East, his message of reconciliation. Tears came to my eyes and many others during the course of his talk. When he mentioned that he had been a sniper and had actually killed people, and how the faces of those he had killed still haunted him to this day; you could hear a pin drop in the room. I was reminded of the Apostle Paul, who once persecuted the Church, but was struck down by a blinding vision and helped change the course of history. Tass had a similar life changing experience, and seeing him in person give his story was an incredible experience. He is genuine, his conversion is sincere. He stood in front of a group of mostly Jewish Christians and asked them for forgiveness, and is now friends with a former Israeli soldier in the congregation. To think that at one point these two people hated each other's guts, but now because of the love of God they have forgiven each other and consider themselves to be brothers, just amazes me.

So I bought the book and had Tass sign it, and I just finished reading it. At first I was a little disappointed because the writing style seemed to be very "Reader's Digesty". That is, it was very simple to read, the facts were stated without too much elaboration, etc. The little boxes on the pages highlighting a quote from the same page also reminded me of Reader's Digest. But, I decided to continue reading and to ignore that. Trust me, the book gets extremely interesting very fast, so don't put it down. He has an incredibly testimony. I realized that first, his first language is not English. Second, this book was originally published in the German language, and was translated from German to English with a little bit of journalistic revision. It was written for a very broad audience (hence the easy reading style), which is very good because everyone needs to hear this story. It will touch and inspire you.

To summarize the entire book, it is simply this: Only Christ can bring true reconciliation between groups of people that have hated each other for ages. The only times I have seen sincere repentance, shedding of tears, embracing, between Jews and Arabs, is when both parties have accepted Christ into their hearts. He is the Prince of Peace, and only He can bring about true peace. This is the greatest truth of this book.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tass Is the Real Deal!, December 7, 2008

By 

C. G. Adams "C. Geoffrey Adams, Ph.D." (Kansas City, MO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Once an Arafat Man: The True Story of How a PLO Sniper Found a New Life (Hardcover)

This book has great personal meaning for me. There was a time when I knew Tass only as Ben's dad. Ben was the boyfriend, then husband, of our youngest daughter's best friend. Ben was a bright, dedicated member of our church. He now serves as worship pastor at a local church we helped to start some years ago. I also knew Tass, as did many in Kansas City, as a highly respected restaurateur.

We knew that Tass was of Palestinian origin, but he had lived for many years in our city and seemed perfectly adapted to his new homeland. Little did we know that Tass had a past as a Palestinian warrior/sniper and former aide to Yasser Arafat. This book is the story of how he came to faith only a few months after his son Ben, on a separate but parallel track under the supernatural guidance of a loving God.

When Ben came to Christ in his late teens, he was naturally fearful of how his Muslim dad would react. Some in our church started a 24/7 prayer chain for him, and three months later Tass experienced a truly amazing encounter with Jesus that you can read about in this book.

Once I started this book I literally could not put it down. The first part of the book is candid and can be disturbing as Tass shares his background as a displaced Palestinian and the resulting build up of anger and bitterness that pushed him into his life as a terrorist. Like Saul of Tarsus, he sincerely thought he was doing God and his people a favor by killing the enemy. As interesting as you might find this section of the story, the account of his journey to faith in Christ is even more so. If you are a resident of Kansas City, you will immediately be drawn to places and people you know. The story will leap with life off the pages. Anyone, though, will find this book an emotional, educational and edifying read.

Though I read an early release of the book, I have waited until today to write this review. This morning in our church services we had a homecoming with Tass and his family. Tass and Karen now minister in Israel, and it has been a number of years since we have seen them. I can only tell you that his testimony is genuine, authentic and anointed. He is no slick, professional "Christian" celebrity or superstar with a a personal agenda and inflated ego. Tass is the real deal. You must read this book. His transformation is as genuine as that of Saul of Tarsus.