The latest edition of 'The GOODNews Paper' published by Challenge Newsline, featured an article highlighting Tass and the book.
Let There Be Peace
As the innocent suffer in the Middle East, Tass Saada’s
story proves that love can triumph over hatred.
The division of the former British mandate of Palestine and the creation
of the state of Israel in the years after World War II have been at the heart
of Middle Eastern conflicts for the past half century.
Tass Saada is a former Palestinian Fatah terrorist turned
Christian peace envoy. His is a story of
triumph of love over hatred, reconciliation over persistent division.
Born in the Gaza Strip in 1951, Tass grew up a Palestinian
refugee in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. He
learnt to hate Israel for its attitude to the Palestinian people.
At the age of 17, Tass ran away from home to become a PLO
sniper and chauffeur to his hero Yasser Arafat.
In Tass’ autobiography ‘Once An Arafat Man’, he graphically describes
the depth to which his hatred took him.
He was a trained killer. His nickname
was as brutal as his life – Jazzar, ‘butcher.’
Reconciliation with his family was his escape route from the
violence. He returned to Qatar and then
moved to the US to complete his academic education. America for Tass was indeed a land of
opportunity. He went to college, married
Karen and started a family, found work and prospered. But anger still ruled his
life.
The turning point came when Tass was confronted by his
valued Christian friend and mentor. ‘…So
the thing is this, Tass. If you want to have the peace I have, you must love a
Jew.’
‘I froze in my tracks,’ writes Tass. ‘Charlie knew me very well. He knew about my past with Fatah. He knew I hated Jews with a passion.’ He then asked me what I knew about Jesus
Christ.’
‘He was a prophet,’ Tass said.
‘Actually, he’s more than a prophet,’ Charlie said. ‘He is God’s son. He’s the only God.’ To Tass this was blasphemy.
Tass couldn’t wait to end the conversation but out of
respect for his friend, he stayed to listen when Charlie got out a Bible.
‘I must not touch that book!’ Tass said. ‘It’s God’s Word!’
‘The truth was,’ admits Tass, ‘I couldn’t figure out the
words coming out of my mouth.’
Charlie began to read. ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God.’
(From John’s Gospel)
‘The instant he said, “Word”, I began to shake.’ This reminded Tass of his holy book. ‘Hearing the Bible say essentially the same
thing, that Jesus was the Word of God, struck deep to the core of my being.’
Before he knew it, Tass was on his knees. A light came into his field of vision and he
heard “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.” ‘I didn’t know that these words were a
repetition of what Jesus said during the Last Supper. As far as I was concerned, they were a
message from Jesus to me.
‘I knew this God loved me.
“Oh, Jesus, come into my life!
Forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour!”
A sense of peace and joy rushed into my heart.
Charlie led Tass in a prayer of salvation.
‘I felt as if I were starting my life all over again.’
That wasn’t the end of his story. God had many things to teach Tass and his
family, not the least the love he put into Tass’ heart of the Jewish
people. Tass and Karen set up a ministry
amongst children and young people in Gaza.
Last year they were forced to relocate to Jericho. Today Tass heads up an organization dedicated to reconcile Arabs and Jews – Hope for Ishmael.