What we’re reading

In Son of Hamas, Yousef
finds Jesus and freedom.

Written by Floyd Brobbel

Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef

The principal at my son’s school had the grade 11 class read Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef. He challenged parents to read the book as well, so I picked up a copy.

Yousef is the eldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founding member of Hamas. Hamas is the largest and most influential Palestinian-Islamist militant movement and is considered a terrorist organization by many governments. For years, young Yousef assisted his father in his political activities while being groomed to assume his legacy. Everything changed when Yousef decided to follow Christ.

This book will have a profound influence on anyone searching for a true and lasting peace, as Yousef himself concludes, “The message of Jesus—love your enemies—is what finally set me free.”  

Given a copy of the Bible, Yousef was touched by this revelation after reading the Sermon on the Mount. He found Jesus’ words incredible, and each verse seemed to touch a wound in his life.

“I had money, power and position in my former life” Yousef writes, “but what I really wanted was freedom.  And that meant, among other things, leaving behind hate, prejudice and a desire for revenge.”

The power of God’s love revealed through his Word is astounding. It can breathe into the darkest, hardest and most hopeless life to bring about a change. It brought freedom to Yousef who found that the real prison he was in was one of his own making. It can also bring change to the Middle East.

“Truth and forgiveness are the only solution for the Middle East,” writes Yousef. “The challenge, especially between Israelis and Palestinians, is not to find the solution. The challenge is to be courageous enough to embrace it.”

There is much brokenness in the lives of people all over the world. Many wounded people cling to hate and seek revenge. But, if Jesus is the only real hope for peace in the Middle East, doesn’t it make sense that He is the only solution for peace in our lives?

Yousef’s transformation came as a result of embracing Jesus and His words and finding healing from a life of bitterness and hate. We must pray that there will be more in the Middle East who will also find the courage to embrace the Word.