Assaad Chaftari: From the Militia to Fighting For Peace

I have had the privilege of meeting Assaad Chaftari a few times now. He is a gentle man, a man of peace, a man of forgiveness who nevertheless witnessed and indeed played an active part in the horror of the Lebanese civil war. Assaad was a senior intelligence officer in the Christian militia called the “Lebanese Forces” and was responsible for the deaths of many.

Assaad’s life changed through being introduced to the work of “Initiatives of Change” and as he began to turn his back on the sectarianism of the Civil War and embrace Reconciliation. In 2000 he came to prominence by printing a letter of apology in all of the Lebanese national newspapers. He apologised for what he had done, to those who he had killed and to their families and he offered forgiveness to those who had tried to kill him. Assaad has said “I would venture into the jaws of hell if my story could shift just one person's views and move them away from violence.”

This is the first of our podcasts where we look at Lebanon and the tragedy of that country but also the beauty of those like Assaad who seek to pursue peace in the face of the devastation of war. Assaad is a member of a peace group called “Fighters for Peace” which brings together former enemies from the Lebanese Civil War and uses their stories to change hearts in the Lebanon of today.

In this podcast we don’t discuss the current events of political change and unrest in the country. We focus more on the universal themes of peace and reconciliation that have been out worked through Assaad’s life. This is one of our most important podcasts I think we have released because it deals with such first hand experience of war.