I know what it is to live under the grip of radical Islam. I know the cruelty, deception, manipulation, and way words are twisted to justify evil. I lived it. I was part of it.
But I also know this: Evil cannot hide forever.
The world watched as Hamas paraded Israeli hostages through the streets, using them like bargaining chips, pretending to be merciful as they reluctantly released a handful of innocent souls — people they never had the right to steal in the first place.
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And as I watched this unfold, I saw the face of radical Islam — the face I know all too well. It is the face of deception covered in a fake mask of peace. It is the serpent pretending to be merciful while still dripping with the blood of the innocent.
But the mask always slips. Always.
Terrorists cannot hide their true colors
The handover of Israeli hostages was supposed to be a controlled process, a display of order. Instead, it was chaos.
Terrorists shouted “Allahu Akbar” as they forced hostages into their vehicles. Gunmen surrounded them, barking orders, treating them like property instead of human beings. Hostages were shoved, yelled at, and humiliated — some visibly terrified, others physically weak from captivity. Crowds of Hamas supporters gathered to cheer — not for freedom, not for peace — but for the power and dominance of those who took what was never theirs.
This is not the behavior of people who want peace. This is not the heart of those who claim to be oppressed. This is the true face of radical Islam — an ideology that thrives on power, terror, and destruction.
They may try to play the part of the righteous and merciful as if they seek justice, but their actions betray them.
Because when you are truly good, truly just, truly merciful, you don’t have to put on a performance. Goodness doesn’t need an audience. But evil does.
I have lived this manipulation
I have seen this manipulative, twisted mindset up close.
I was raised in a radical Muslim environment where hatred for Israel, for Jews, and for the West was drilled into me like a sacred duty. I was taught that we were the victims and that our suffering justified any action — no matter how violent, no matter how cruel.
I believed the lies. I was blind.
And then I saw what true love looked like. I saw the real mercy of Jesus Christ. And I realized that Islamic extremists don’t want peace. They want submission. They want total dominance. And when you refuse to bow, they will take you by force.
That is what we saw in the hostage handover. Not mercy. Not remorse. Not regret for their actions. We saw the same spirit that has fueled terror for generations — a spirit that rejoices in pain and death.
They want you to forget who started this war
Let’s be clear: Hamas started this war. They attacked innocent Israeli families on October 7, 2023, slaughtering babies, raping women, and burning people alive in their homes. They kidnapped 250 Israeli civilians and international workers — not soldiers, but families, children, grandmothers, and babies still in diapers. They used Palestinian civilians as human shields and used hospitals, schools, and mosques as terror bases.
And now?
They want the world to believe that they are the victims. They want to rewrite history. They want you to forget the horrors they committed and focus only on the response.
And the world, blinded by propaganda, is falling for it.
Even as they hand over hostages with guns in their backs, barking orders at them like cattle, people still try to excuse them.
Where is the outrage?
If Hamas had done this to another people group, the outrage would have shaken the world. But because Israel fights back because Israel refuses to be slaughtered without resistance, the narrative shifts.
The deception of radical Islam is powerful. It has silenced nations. It has infiltrated governments, universities, and even churches.
But truth will always rise.
And the truth is this: Radical Islam is an ideology of destruction, not peace. Israel has the right to defend itself against annihilation.
What happens next?
The hostages who were freed will carry their trauma for life. Some will never speak about what they endured — the horror, the pain, the captivity that stripped them of their dignity.
And yet, they are the lucky ones. Because many hostages will never return.
Some have already been brutally murdered. Others are still being held in darkness, tormented, and possibly suffering even worse fates.
Meanwhile, the world debates whether Israel has the right to rescue them. The hypocrisy is suffocating.
The mask is falling
The world just saw it with their own eyes — radical Islam cannot pretend to be righteous for long. No amount of propaganda, victimhood narratives, or staged photo ops can cover the cold reality of their actions. And if we do not take a stand now, that hatred will only grow.
The truth is before us. The mask has fallen. It’s time to wake up.
Isik Abla was born in Istanbul, Turkey, and raised in a Muslim home. Today, Isik’s programs are broadcast in over 200 countries on six continents in multiple languages available to all the Middle East and North Africa. Ministry content is provided in English, Turkish, Arabic, Indonesian, Farsi, and Urdu. As a Muslim background believer, she is uniquely positioned, knowing the culture, language, and social norms, to share the good news of Jesus Christ authentically and relationally to Muslims.
