It wasn’t always like this. There was a time when you saw women in Muslim-majority countries wearing swimsuits on public beaches, going to university. There was a time where Islamic countries were embracing progressive ideals, moving forwards not backwards.

The alliance between the left and Islam isn’t new.

People in the West fear being labeled ‘Islamophobic’ more than anything else.

When my mother grew up in Egypt, you didn’t see hijabs everywhere. Maybe in villages, on older women, but not in big cities or universities. Then, in the early 1980s, the idea of political Islam became popular.

When I left my former life married to an Al-Qaeda terrorist, I gained the freedom to think, to question. It was intoxicating. Learning, asking questions—it was delightful. I couldn’t stop. I’m an incredibly curious person, and all my life, I had to suppress that trait to survive.

As a woman in Islam, if you dare to be noticed in any way, it’s considered shameful.

Growing up, another word I heard often was “Awrah,” which means shameful nakedness. Not just your body or hair, even your voice is Awrah. If you’re a woman, merely speaking out loud is shameful. Singing is especially immoral. In Iran, women are imprisoned for singing. (1/3)

I have spoken to hundreds of women who have had similar experiences across the West—who have been let down by law enforcement because of cultural relativism, the progressive ideal that we shouldn’t hold other cultures to our own standards, even when those standards are the law.

Victory parades for defeats. Losses recast as wins. From Egypt’s 6th of October War to Saddam’s “Mother of All Battles” to Hezbollah’s “divine victories,” the pattern is clear: defeat becomes celebration. History is rewritten, children are indoctrinated, and tragedy is glorified as triumph.

It’s time to stop tiptoeing around the truth. Jihadists are not hiding their intentions—they tell us exactly what they stand for. And it stands in stark contrast to the values of tolerance, freedom, and coexistence.

At 19, my life was stolen from me. They found the perfect tool of control—a man who embodied terror.

For years, I was a prisoner in every sense. But motherhood awakened a fire in me. I wasn’t just fighting for myself anymore.