AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): An analytical study on left-wing populism in Europe finds that, unlike the far right, this current adopts an inclusive approach toward ethnic and religious minorities, including Muslims, but that support for Muslim religious demands at times clashes with its secular agenda.
According to the analysis, left-wing populists usually reject narratives such as “the incompatibility of Islam with Western values” or “the inherent tendency of Muslims toward extremism,” and seek to remove Islam from the sphere of security threats. Instead, they frame issues such as climate change, capitalism, and social inequality as the main security challenges.
In France, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing populist current and the party La France Insoumise (LFI), is seen as a prominent example of this approach. Unlike right-wing politicians such as Marine Le Pen, who portray immigration and Islam as cultural threats, Mélenchon identifies capitalism and the climate crisis as the principal dangers to national security.
At the same time, Mélenchon has a critical background regarding religion. In previous years, he supported the law banning religious symbols in public schools and the prohibition of full-face coverings in public spaces, and even described Islamophobia as a contested concept. Such positions have been common within France’s secular left.
In recent years, however, his outlook has shifted. Mélenchon now views Muslims as part of France’s “new popular classes,” facing discrimination and economic marginalization. In his view, “the people” are not a culturally homogeneous community but rather disadvantaged social classes.
The analysis indicates that although Mélenchon avoids securitizing Islam, he still employs the populist “friend–enemy” logic and redirects the notion of threat away from Muslims toward the financial oligarchy, far-right parties, climate change, and what he calls “state authoritarianism.” The unofficial slogan of this approach is described as, “The enemy is the banker, not the Muslim.”
Following recent terrorist attacks in France, Mélenchon, while condemning violence, warned that terrorism should not be treated as a phenomenon linked solely to Muslims. He described expansive security policies, states of emergency, and mass surveillance as ineffective and discriminatory, arguing that they deepen social divisions.
He has also repeatedly stated in recent years that Islamophobia is as dangerous as antisemitism and that French society has taken on a new form through racial and cultural diversity that must be accepted rather than rejected.
The study nevertheless stresses that while left-wing populism has created political opportunities for Muslims and other marginalized groups, it may simultaneously generate new tensions by introducing new “enemies.” In particular, after the Gaza war, Mélenchon’s party’s positions against Islamophobic and pro-Zionist regime narratives have been accompanied by accusations of concealing antisemitism under the banner of anti-Zionism.
In its conclusion, the analysis says the strategy of left-wing populism in France has succeeded in removing Islam from the sphere of security threat, but maintaining a balance between religious minorities and the secular base of society remains one of the central challenges facing this political current.
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