Reviewed by SUSAN E. RICHARDSON
The Mind of Terror by Tass Saada
If you’ve ever watched a news report of terrorism and wondered, “What makes people do such horrible things?” then The Mind of Terror is the book for you. Author Tass Saada speaks from the inside, a former Muslim who was once part of Yasser Arafat’s al-Fatah militia. Since finding Jesus, he has dedicated his life to promoting peace between Arabs and Jews.
Before we can hope for peace, we need to understand why people turn to terrorism, not to condone or accept that approach, but to begin bridging gaps. Greatly differing worldviews lay the foundation for tension. Saada then explains six mind-sets that lead to terrorism.
As an American Christian, several parts of his explanation made me wince as I came face to face with the understanding that people in this part of the world do not hold us in great respect. Reasons vary, but if we want to reach these people for Christ, we need to rethink our approach.
The second section book addresses various possible solutions to terrorism. These are familiar if you’ve seen any discussion of the situation. In the third section, Saada suggests a better way, a radically peaceful way to handle terror.
His response can sound overly simplistic, but the results speak for themselves. The approach is foreign to our number-based emphasis on conversion and requires time, but the fruit in changed lives speaks volumes. Anyone truly interested in reaching the Muslim world and stopping terrorism will find The Mind of Terror helpful and challenging.
