Algiers – A recent opinion poll in France has sparked significant controversy, with allegations surfacing that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is behind a disinformation campaign targeting the Muslim community. The poll, conducted by the French institute IFOP, has been widely criticized for its methodology and potential to fuel Islamophobia.
Reports indicate the survey, funded by entities with suspected links to Emirati intelligence, presented a skewed portrayal of the relationship between Islam and Islamism among French Muslims. The poll claimed a dramatic increase in the number of Islamists, from 0.5% in 1985 to 7% in 2025. Critics argue this figure is being used to legitimize far-right rhetoric and policies targeting Muslims in France.
The study further suggested a “growing re-Islamization phenomenon among young people” and asserted that a significant percentage of respondents supported the partial implementation of Islamic law in France. These findings have been met with strong condemnation from political, religious, and media figures.
The Grand Mosque of Paris denounced the study for transforming “naive statistics into a discourse of danger.” Abdallah Zekri, head of the Observatory Against Islamophobia, argued the poll was designed to “feed television programs with security alarmism.” Left-wing parliamentarians have labeled the survey an “Islamophobic hoax” aimed at demonizing young Muslims as an internal enemy, pointing to the limited sample size of just over 1000 people, including only 149 veiled women.
Investigations reveal that the poll was funded by Écran de Veille, a magazine published by Global Watch Analysis, a website known for its opposition to political Islam and its targeting of groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and Qatar. Further investigations suggest links between the magazine and a British shell company, Countries Reports Publishing, as well as individuals implicated in a broader UAE-funded disinformation and espionage network managed by Swiss intelligence firm Alp Services.
This controversy highlights the growing concerns about foreign interference in French domestic affairs and the potential for disinformation campaigns to exacerbate social tensions and promote Islamophobia.
