Tass Saada

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 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.… (more)

A wonderful true story by a former Muslim terrorist who became a Christian, about his life and his self-described journey from hate to love.

The author's heart for reconciliation between Muslims, Jews, and Christians in and beyond the Middle East is very evident, and his wisdom, insight, and unique perspective are informative and enlightening. The author has a very gripping and engaging life story - both his exploits as a young Palestinian Fatah fighter who was close to Yasser Arafat, and the miraculous events of his conversion and reconciliation with his family. Themes of grace, redemption, forgiveness, and reconciliation are greatly displayed throughout, and the book made me cry at least once, which is rare for me in books.

I definitely recommend this book along with several other amazing autobiographies I've read about similar conversions. 4.5 stars.

Content warning: This book contains violence, blood, and descriptions of battle and killing. It's not gratuitous or overly detailed, but it's realistic, vivid, and recounts real events, and it may bother some readers.… (more)

I gave up on this in the end. I had the same issues with this as with the author's auto-biography Once an Arafat Man although at least that contained an interesting story. The first few chapters defining different terrorist groups and how they link back to Islam was worth reading. Unfortunately, the author then heads off down his favourite path--God's plan for Isaac AND Ishmael. He reinterprets historical and biblical events to support the idea that the descendants of both men are blessed but in different ways. There are whole chapters on this. I noticed that a lot of readers have thanked the author for pointing out a viewpoint that has never been expressed before. There is a reason why generations of careful Bible study and examination have never espoused this view.....

The author then spends the rest of the book talking about how to make peace with the terrorists by not inflaming the situation. He speaks of Jews and Arabs living peacefully side by side. I obviously believe that all things are possible with God but think it more likely that God will use the events in the Middle East to bring about the end of the world when the time is right. I feel that the author paints an unrealistic picture and his idealism does not present a solution for world peace.

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Tass Saaada was a terrorist. He was a sniper for Yasir Arafat's Fattah organization. Since those days he converted to Christianity, and founded a non-profit, Hope for Ismael, that works to bring reconciliation between Jews and Arabs, and now spends a bunch of the year ministering to children in the Middle East. He wrote Mind of Terror (with Dean Merrill) to describe what motivates terrorists, and how we ought to respond to it.

978-1-4964-1394-9Part one describes the terrorist mindset, and the root causes of terrorism This includes an examination of honor and shame in Mid-Eastern cultures and reasons why they hate the west. Saada says that among the reasons people become a terrorist include the violent loss of loved ones, the firm belief that another person's faith is corrupt, disgust at Western society's decadence, a desire for the return of your homeland, discrimination and maltreatment, and the US backing of modern Israel state. The reasons for terror are a mix of ideological commitments and personal experiences.

Part two surveys an evaluates the various responses Westerners make to terrorism in our world: worry, fighting back, naive political solutions, or just chalking it up to end times prophecy. Against these Saada points us, in part three, to the Jesus way. He explores God's plan for Isaac AND Ishmael, explores the mind of peace, and discusses how we can neutralize terrorism and share the love of Jesus with our Muslim neighbors. The closing chapters profile Christians who are working among Muslims.There are some really helpful things here about questioning our personal assumptions and being gracious to our Muslim neighbors.

Increasingly, our lives are lived between acts of terror: New York, Boston, Paris, Orlando, Nice. So much of the rhetoric discusses how we can combat the terrorists: stamp out ISIS, destroy their networks, mete out revenge. Saada brings the perspective and insight of one who has been involved with terrorism in the past. He understands the root causes and the futility of some of our responses. Yet he has been transformed by the grace of God through Jesus Christ and desires the same for those in his heritage. This book is neither a fear mongering book or Pollyanna. Terror is real and it destroys lives. But the solution to it is not politics, or war or benign neglect. It is the robust love of Jesus. This is a good book if you would like to understand more of the roots of terrorism and what a Christian response looks like. I give it four star.

Note: I received this book from the Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my honest review.… (more)