Once An Arafat Man: The True Story Of How A Plo Sniper Found A New Life

Once An Arafat Man: The True Story Of How A Plo Sniper Found A New Life

Product Description Tass Saada was a PLO sniper and Arafats 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. Youll embrace Saadas engaging story. Youll be enthralled by his conversion and the biblical teaching regarding Arabs and Ishmael. Youll be encouraged by his changed life and the story of hope in reconciliation through Jesus. Dont miss this enlightening true story by Tass Saada, written with Dean Merrill. 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 Arafats chauffeur. With co-author Dean Merrill (In the Presence of My Enemies), Saada retraces his lifes 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. Saadas 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. Ones 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.