French Circles Are Striving To Mobilize Against The Muslim Community

The French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP) has once again provoked Muslims by publishing figures and percentages related to the Muslim community in France. These figures and percentages lead anyone who sees them to question the intentions of those behind the study and the motives driving it, as it creates a state of discrimination among members of French society based on religious and then ethnic background, considering that the majority of the Muslim community members are from Algeria and its neighbors and some African countries.

The study stated that young generations of Muslims in France are increasingly turning to religiosity, adhering to Islamic rituals, and supporting Islamic movements. It also claimed that the majority of young people prefer Sharia law over the laws of the French Republic. This contradicts the desire of French authorities for the integration and assimilation of the Muslim community into French society, despite the French constitution’s emphasis on secularism and religious freedom.

The study, which was revealed on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, covered the period from 1989 to the present and included 14,244 individuals, including 1,005 Muslims, aged 15 and above, residing in France. It indicates that mosque attendance among young people under 25 increased from 7 percent to 40 percent over 36 years. Mosque attendance among young Muslims also rose to 84 percent in 2025, and adherence to Ramadan fasting among this age group increased from 51 percent to 83 percent.

It also highlighted the rise in the percentage of veiled girls from 16 percent to 45 percent, which is 3 times what it was in 2003, a year that witnessed widespread debate on the topic. The study also noted Muslims’ strengthening of their religious identity in the face of a French society perceived as “hostile,” according to the study, in addition to the growing “rejection of mixing” and the refusal to exchange greetings with a person of the opposite sex through “kissing,” as well as prioritizing Islamic rules over the laws of the French Republic.

The study also focused on the growing presence of what it called “political Islam” and spoke of what it termed “an Islamic revival based on strict religious standards, gradually becoming more attracted to an Islamic political project,” depicting the Muslim community as a separate society from French society, in contradiction to the separatism law enacted by the French President.

This study has caused anger among the Muslim community in France, which has begun to feel more than ever that it is being targeted by French political parties. This was considered an attempt to mobilize against the Muslim community in France, as stated by Saad Laanani, a representative of the Algerian community in France, in a conversation with “Echorouk.”

According to the representative, the Muslim community in France primarily refers to the Algerian community. A distinguishing feature of this study is that the percentage of adult Muslims in France increased from 0.5 percent in 1985 to 7 percent in 2025, an increase of approximately 15 times, indicating a very significant development within 40 years.

In the opinion of MP Saad Laanani, the purpose of the study is to “intimidate French public opinion about Muslims, especially Algerians. Those behind this have begun to conflate Islam, immigrants, and Algeria, and they seek to stir up public opinion, which serves the interests of the far-right. It is worth noting that French law prohibits religious-based statistics because it discriminates between French citizens.”

According to the speaker, the study aims to perpetuate a false notion that “the Muslim community in France adheres to the teachings of Islam and places them above French law, the French state, and its ancient secular character. This is a very significant fallacy, because Muslims, including Algerians, revere their religion and respect French law, and they never interfere in the country’s affairs. We believe that the Islamic religion and its followers are subjected to many pressures and injustices, as they are deprived of their natural and ordinary rights stipulated by French law.”

The representative concludes by saying that “these statistics are, in fact, targeted. They indicate the growing influence and power of the Muslim community in France, especially the Algerian community, whose electoral voice has become very significant in future elections from now on.”

He stressed that “the Muslim community is peaceful and wants to live in safety, and it is keen to enjoy ordinary rights and does not want privileges as some other religious communities enjoy. It also respects the difficult situation of French society and does not want to destabilize it, with its wisdom and maturity.”