The second part of the IFOP survey for Écran de veille, focusing on how Muslims in France perceive Islamism, reveals a significant foothold of Muslim Brotherhood ideology in the country. According to the study, 46% of Muslims surveyed say they feel close to at least one figure associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, the movement founded in Egypt in 1928 and often regarded as the ideological foundation of many contemporary Islamist currents.
Among the cited personalities, Tariq Ramadan—grandson of founder Hassan al-Banna—gathers 30% support, while nearly 20% express affinity with the views of Mohamed Morsi, former Egyptian president and Brotherhood member. More broadly, 23% of respondents say they feel close to the Muslim Brotherhood, and 13% to the Musulmans de France association (formerly UOIF), which promotes Brotherhood ideology in France.
The survey also highlights considerable backing for Islamist political activism: over 40% of respondents believe Islam should be defended by supporting explicitly Islamist candidates, parties, or electoral lists.
Other notable figures include:
- 36% of Muslims surveyed believe Western societies are facing a moral and spiritual void that only Islamic values can resolve.
- 33% think that Sharia law has universal application and should be enforced everywhere.
- Nearly 10% go further, stating that Sharia should be imposed by force.
Finally, over 20% consider that democracy is a Western concept incompatible with Islam.
These findings come amid ongoing tensions in France over issues of communitarianism and radicalisation. The survey, widely discussed in media and political circles, had already sparked controversy with its first installment, leading IFOP to file legal complaints after accusations of “ideological manipulation” by some political figures.
