We will not bend or fail until the
blood of every last Jew from the youngest child to the oldest elder is spilt to
redeem our land! – Yasser Arafat.
When the bombs blasted overhead and
the staccato fire of guns ripped through al-Karameh in March of 1968, young
Taysir Saada stood amid it all, gun in hand, ready to defend his people and
reclaim his land. Fatah, under the leadership of Yasser Arafat, defeated the
Israeli forces in a victory that energized that energized the Palestinian
cause.
Taysir—known as Tass—had grown up
as a wandering Palestinian. Born in a tent on the Gaza strip, Tass grew up as a
refugee without a true homeland. His childhood was spent in Saudi Arabia and
Qatar, where he grew to hate the Israelis who had left his people without a
home. At the age of 17, Tass ran away from home and joined Fatah to fight for
the Palestinian cause. As a soldier, he hated and taught others to hate.
But other things were in store for
Tass. After fighting for Fatah, he found himself in America. And in America, he
found Christ…or better yet, Christ found him. In 1993, twenty-five years after the
fight at al-Karameh, Tass Saada gave his life to Jesus Christ.
From Hate to Love to the story
between, Once an Arafat Man details
the life of Tass Saada, once Arafat’s chauffeur now missionary to his people in
the Gaza Strip. Suspenseful, sobering, terrifying, enlightening, engaging,
enthralling, powerful, heart-wrenching, emotional…there just aren’t enough
superlatives to convey the wide range of feelings and thoughts that Tass’s incredible
story takes its reader through.
As you read about his time in
Fatah, you weep at the brutality and yet come to understand the rage and furor
of the Palestinian people. In a culture that judges worth by the amount of land
one owns, those without a country are considered the most despised. Tass takes
us beyond the stereotypes and shows us the lives of real men who fought for a
cause they believed just. Then, taken through Tass’s early years in America as
a manager of a top-notch restaurant, the reader comes to a collision with the
Cross.
In a remarkable conversion
experience, Tass became a follower of Jesus Christ. From this point on, the
book tells of Tass’s formative growth in Christianity and his Muslim family’s
enraged reaction when he told them of his conversion. The reader is taken on
the journey through the beginning of Tass’s ministry Hope for Ishmael. From riding around the country asking to speak in
churches and mosques, to getting the chance to again meet and share the Gospel
with his former leader, Yasser Arafat, Once
an Arafat Man is a truly remarkable story.
In a day when the very term Arab
stirs up negative emotions in the minds of many, this book is a much-needed
look into the perspective of the Palestinians, and what great works God is
doing amongst the children of Ishmael today.
The children of Ishmael and the children of Isaac have lived close to each other in this region from ancient times. Through the peace that comes from Yasooa/Yeshua/Jesus, we can recover the family relationship that has been lost. - Tass Saada
Note: Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or ARC.
1 comments:
This book is a must read for anyone wanting to understand the heart of God toward all of Abraham's children. It is an exciting read. I have known Tass for 10-12 years and recommend him and his ministry to all.
Post a Comment