Islamo-leftism: How a buzzword took over French political discourse

Article by Alexandre Météreau

On 12 March, a group of pro-Palestinian students blocked an amphitheatre at the prestigious Science-Po university in Paris. Towards the end of the demonstration, a student was reportedly prevented from entering the hall because she was Jewish. The occupiers threw her out, shouting 'Don't let her in, she's a Zionist'.  This event, which was antisemitic in nature, quickly became a platform used by populists to spread their message of hate.  

Several right-wing figures, including the leader of the far-right Reconquête party, Éric Zemmour, and the philosopher Michel Onfray, have denounced what they perceive as an alliance between Islamist ideologies, which they boldly associate with pro-Palestinian demonstrations, Islam and terrorism, and left-wing university students. There's a worrying trend at the moment of linking pro-Palestinian sentiments with Islamism and terrorism. Cases such as this are used to perpetuate these misconceptions, overlooking the nuanced complexities of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the diversity of opinion within the pro-Palestinian movement.  

Both Eric Zemmour and Michel Onfray denounced the 'Islamo-left' at work in French universities. But what is Islamo-leftism? What does it mean, and can it be equated with an attack on Muslims?   

Let's find out. 

Islamo-leftism in French political discourse   

A neologism, Islamo-leftism describes a perceived political alliance between the left political spectrum and Islamist movements. It is mostly - if not exclusively - used by right-wing figures to discredit the left and its alleged collusion with radical Islamic ideas.  

The term appeared in French political discourse after the first Islamic terrorist attacks in France in 2012. At the time, the far-right politician Marine Le Pen used it to describe an alleged alliance between "Islamic fanatics" and the French left.  

Since then, it has been used by all sides of the political spectrum. Its use in French political discourse has increased in the last five years, particularly since 2020, when former French education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer denounced it as "an ideology that leads to the worst by far". 

A convenient catch-all word to discredit the left and stigmatise Muslims.  

Above all, Islamo-leftism is a manifestation of the standard anti-Islam trope of the 'Islamisation' of Western societies. In this particular case, the perceived "invasion" of French society would be aided by the complacency of a certain section of the political class.   

But the most striking aspect of Islamo-leftism is its semantic emptiness. As Professor Christian Delporte puts it: "Today, 'Islamo-left' has become a buzzword. We don't really know what it means anymore. All we know is that it's offensive".   

Obviously, this term is used - and abused - by the political spectrum of the right to discredit its opponents, who are accused of facilitating the decline of so-called French "traditional values", another common theme of the populist right.  

In conclusion, while the use of the term 'Islamo-leftism' is not a frontal attack on Islam, it still contains loaded assumptions about the religion and its adherents - namely, the Islamisation of Western societies and the cultural incompatibility of Islam with the Western way of life. It also distracts from antisemitic incidents that should be condemned by civil society. Instead, these incidents are now being used to spread anti-Muslim hatred.   

As part of the Get the Trolls Out project, each partner organisation will carefully monitor the use of the term and promptly report any instances of its use for stigmatisation, incitement to violence or any other form of religiously motivated hate speech in accordance with the law.