What is Islamo-leftism?
You have four hours.
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ludovic MARIN / AFP
On February 14, Frédérique Vidal denounced "Islamo-leftism" which, according to her, "plagues society", and in particular the university.
To tackle this, the Minister of Higher Education and Research asked the CNRS to conduct an investigation.
But his words quickly sparked a controversy within a political class very polarized on the very definition of the word, and its application to the debate on the university.
But what are we talking about exactly?
20 Minutes
takes stock.
This is the term that is the subject of debate.
Since the Minister of Higher Education Frédérique Vidal pointed out, on February 14, the "Islamo-leftism" which, according to her, "plagues society as a whole and the university is not impermeable", the Controversy has not fallen between those who support his position and those who disapprove of it, demanding his resignation.
The minister ended up regretting on Monday on RTL that her request for an investigation into the university turned into a "controversy".
And Frédérique Vidal to ensure that her priority remained "the question of students".
How did we get here ?
What is "Islamo-leftism"?
That's the whole point.
This neologism was born from the pen of a political scientist, Pierre-André Taguieff, in 2002. In a column published on October 26, 2020 in
Liberation
, he explains the context in which he coined this term.
At the time, he referred to "a de facto militant alliance between Islamist circles and extreme left circles, in the name of the Palestinian cause, set up as a new universal cause".
The term was then taken up by essayists, journalists and politicians of all stripes, from Marine Le Pen, in 2012, to Bernard-Henri Lévy, a philosopher claiming to be left-wing, in 2008.
But few are those who define this concept, which they use most often to denounce the proximity or supposed laxity of certain elected officials and left activists towards Islamist movements.
During the presidential campaign of 2017, “two lefts” fret on this subject, when the entourage of Manuel Valls accuses his opponent of the socialist primary Benoît Hamon of complacency with “the Islamo-leftist movement”.
Today, the terms remain controversial, because they are not based on any scientific reality for some, or only serve as a rhetorical weapon to stigmatize the left or to disqualify a political opponent according to others.
Why are we talking about it again today?
On February 14, the Minister of Higher Education Frédérique Vidal pointed out to CNews “Islamo-leftism” which, according to her, “plagues society as a whole and the university is not impermeable”.
"What we observe, in universities, is that there are people who can use their titles and the aura they have - they are in the minority - to bring radical ideas or to promote ideas. activists, ”she continued, causing an uproar on social networks and in the world of research.
It was not, however, the first time that a member of the government evoked the expression during this five-year term, since the Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin had already accused, in early October, rebellious France of "Islamo-leftism".
Regarding universities, Jean-Michel Blanquer had judged after the assassination of teacher Samuel Paty that Islamo-leftism was wreaking havoc there, targeting the student union Unef and LFI.
This time, Frédérique Vidal used this term when it seems to target more broadly academic activists.
The government spokesman, Gabriel Attal, thus supported the minister on Sunday in the Grand Jury RTL / LCI / Le Figaro, citing "situations [which] challenge", such as "plays, conferences are prevented to stand ”.
However, if we look back on recent cancellations of events in universities, they were the work of various groups, ranging from the Representative Council of Black Associations in France (Cran) for a play at the Sorbonne in Paris, to LGBT associations ahead of a conference at Montaigne University in Bordeaux, for example.
So many movements that have little to do with "Islamo-leftism".
What were the reactions to Frédérique Vidal's comments?
At the National Assembly on February 16, the Minister confirmed having asked the CNRS, the public research body, "for an assessment of all the research" taking place in France, in order to distinguish what falls under research. academic and what comes under activism.
"I have been questioned [... by academics who say they themselves are prevented by others from carrying out their research," she explained.
On the left, this exit provoked an outcry (except on the part of Manuel Valls).
Jean-Luc Mélenchon attacked the minister who, according to him, "wants to decide what can be done as research at the university" and a government which "got drunk on words against Islam".
The boss of the PS Olivier Faure judged him the accusation of the minister "extremely serious" The ecologist Yannick Jadot demanded the resignation of Frédérique Vidal, like the 14,000 signatories of an online petition.
More nuanced, François Bayrou, boss of the MoDem and ally of the majority, judges that "Islamo-leftism" is not "the first problem of the university".
The position taken by Frédérique Vidal, on the other hand, was rather well received on the right, at Les Républicains and at the National Rally.
“The university is hostage to an ideology which, instead of studying reality, is looking for culprits,” LR MEP François-Xavier Bellamy denounced on Twitter on Monday.
The spokesperson for RN Laurent Jacobelli told him to "support the finding" of the minister.
"Islamo-leftism, we see it everywhere," he told the Talk du
Figaro
.
This term designates, according to him, "the help of a part of the left to the trivialization of the Islamist ideas".
“These left-wing people […]… seek out a clientele (electoral), even if it means renouncing the values of the Republic,” he denounced, naming the Generation-s parties and rebellious France.
As for the CNRS, it agreed to participate in the study, while deploring an "emblematic controversy of an instrumentalisation of science".
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