Christian Soldier in Lebanon's Civil War
In 1975, when Lebanon's civil war erupted, Assaad Chaftari was a twenty-year-old Christian eager to defend his people. He bought his first gun—a Kalashnikov—at a Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Beirut.
"In 1975 when the incidents started, I was ready," he recalled.
Over the next fifteen years, Chaftari rose through the ranks of the Christian Kataeb militia. His responsibilities were grim: protecting Christians, detecting spies, interrogating prisoners, demolishing enemy headquarters, and planning assassinations. He did things he would later struggle to name.
Questioning His Christian Faith
Then something began to change.
"I started asking myself questions," Chaftari said. "What kind of Christian was I? I was killing in the name of Jesus, but what did Jesus actually teach?"
The weight of his actions became unbearable. He sought out Father Fadi Daou, a Maronite priest, and began a long journey of repentance. What he discovered shook him to his core: the Christ he had claimed to fight for commanded him to love his enemies and pray for those who persecuted him.
Public Apology and Forgiveness
In 2000, Chaftari did something unprecedented. He published an open letter in a Lebanese newspaper apologizing to all those he had harmed during the war. "I committed acts during the war that I deeply regret," he wrote. "I ask forgiveness from all those I injured, directly or indirectly."
The response was immediate and divided. Some praised his courage. Others, including fellow Christians, called him a traitor. But Chaftari pressed forward.
"I really believe there's a price to pay for peace," he said. "The first price I paid was standing in front of the Lebanese almost naked with what I did. Whatever price to pay to avoid new civil wars, I'm ready to pay."
Messenger of Peace and Reconciliation
Today, Chaftari works for peace alongside former enemies. He travels the country sharing his story, meeting with those he once fought against. Some have forgiven him. Others cannot. He accepts both.
"This is what I've been doing since then," he says. "If one person can change, perhaps others can too."
