“Israel, Judaism, and Jews challenge Islam and the Moslem people. ‘May the cowards never sleep.'” — (Hamas’ Founding Charter, Article 28)

This statement and many like it come straight from Hamas’ Founding Charter, which outlines the organization’s motivations in its own words. If we follow the Marxist narrative of “believe the victim,” allowing Hamas to be the victim, shouldn’t we believe these terrorists when they say their fight is a struggle of the “Moslem people” against the Jews? The Israel-Hamas war is more than geopolitical—Hamas believes it is religious.

Unfortunately, few Christians in the West study the religion of Islam. Such study is crucial to understanding the larger Middle East conflict. Not every Muslim believes like Hamas, but there is a reason why many of the world’s most ruthless terrorist organizations are Islamic—and Hamas is no exception.

The Qur’an In Context

The Qur’an, Islam’s “holy book,” has a long, oral history. Islamic doctrine admits its founder and greatest prophet, Muhammad, was an illiterate caravan robber. This so-called pinnacle of manhood claimed Jibril, an angelic messenger claiming to be Gabriel, visited him and gave him the true, final word of God (Sahih Bukhari 4953, Qur’an Surah 93), which needed restoring (Qur’an Surah 33:38–40). 

Islam rejects Trinitarian doctrine (Qur’an Surah 4:171) in favor of a new message in the form of a book added to the prior Scriptures (Qur’an Surah 15:9), similar to Mormonism. Unlike Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, Muhammad was not a con-artist prior to his proclaimed revelations. Rather, Muhammad, according to the Quran, was terrified of his initial visit from Jibril, having been violently “pressed against” (Sahih Bukhari 4953), with possible sexual undertones of molestation.

Fleeing the cave, Muhammad feared he had become demon-possessed and repeatedly tried to throw himself off mountaintops—only to have Jibril forcibly stop him every time (Sahih al-Bukhari 6982). His later proof of Jibril’s angelic authenticity included Jibril’s physically appealing form (Nawawi 40:2) and the fact that Jibril was not Black (Ishaq 243). Islam historically associates the color black with demonic, subhuman attributes, another similarity to historical Mormonism. 

Is it any wonder that the first Arabic critics of Islam, who hailed from Muhammad’s own tribe, identified Jibril as Satan (Sahih al-Bukhari 1125)? With this demonic origin, it is only natural that Islam claims to be the enemy of the Jews and Christians (Qur’an Surah 5:51). The Qur’an states that at Jesus’ return, our Messiah will “break the cross” (an attack on Christianity) and “kill the pigs” (an attack on Judaism, likely in the Temple), eventually “abolish[ing] the Jizya” (a tax demanded of Jews and Christians), implying the death of all Jews and Christians (Sahih Bukhari 2222, Qur’an Surah 8:39).

Hamas’s Genocidal Islamic Instruction

Hamas, a militant Islamic organization, religiously follows these principles today. Its stated desire is to kill Jewish people. Hamas seeks a second Holocaust, which it believes is the universal aim of Islam:

“The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.” —(Hamas’ Founding Charter, Article 7)

Hamas continues to find its primary guidance, inspiration, and motivation in Islam. Its members believe their struggle is religious, and they conduct their warfare as such. Saul Alinsky, the father of the modern Left, wrote in his book Rules for Radicals, “[Do not] forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical… Lucifer.” Lucifer was the role model in crafting the modern Left and Islam. Satan’s footprint is evident in the tactics Hamas and other Islamic terror organizations employ.

Hamas follows the Islamic teaching that breaking treaties with non-Muslims is acceptable and encouraged (as was the case with the Islamic conquest of the city of Mecca in AD 630). This is clear by its consistent use of suicide bombers and stated rejection of any peace (Hamas’ Founding Charter, Article 13).

Additionally, deception is considered aspirational, with Allah himself being credited in the Qur’an as the “best of those who plot” (Qur’an Surah 3:54). In fact, the Qur’an teaches that Christianity itself came into existence due to one of Allah’s deceptions (Qur’an Surah 4:157). How much more should Allah’s followers emulate their god’s tried and true historical precedent of deception—and being the best at it? Hamas sees no limit to such imitation, and neither does the original deceiver, Satan. 

Finally, the Qur’an posits that a true prophet will wantonly slaughter all enemies, including civilians (Qur’an Surah 8:67), before taking prisoners. Is this not exactly what we see Hamas doing in its use of civilian human shields, its rampant murder and destruction on October 7, and its continued calls to worldwide jihad?

Hamas And Israel’s Spiritual Conflict

Obeying Islam’s commands turns any truly observant Muslim organization into terrorists. Islam’s encouragement to lie and deceive like Allah renders Hamas dangerously corrupt. It will say one thing, do another, and tell its followers a third. What Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran advocate for is a consequence of what they believe and in whom they believe.

To bring any real, lasting change to Israel and the Middle East, Muslims must cease following Allah. If they continue to believe in this deceiver, no authentic change can come. As the apostle Paul says, Israel may obtain superficial peace, but it will prove only a deception (1 Thessalonians 5:3). The antidote is Christ, not a continued tolerance of Satan.

All must repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15) for any real, lasting change to come. The conflict between Hamas and Israel is not merely geopolitical; it is spiritual. Satan’s followers pit themselves against God’s promises to Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3; 17:7–8). Who will you, your church, and your country stand with: God or the Devil? There are only two choices, and they lie before us, confirmed both in God’s Word and Islam’s testimony.

Keegan Milsten is a Field Ministries Representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry.