Is ‘Islamo-Leftism’ a Form of Conspiracy Theory? Mainstream Islamophobia in French Politics

Recent studies have explored the link between Islamophobia and conspiracy theories and focused on the word “Islamo-leftism”, which is used to indicate the alleged ideological and electoral proximity between Muslims and the Left. This paper builds on Zia-Ebrahimi’s argument (2023) that Islamo-leftism is based on conspirational thinking and linked to the “conspirational racialization” of Muslims. It argues that Islamo-leftism is an embryonic conspiracy theory that should be taken as seriously as other conspiracy theories against religious minorities (e.g. Judeo-Bolshevism), since it delegitimizes left-wing groups and academics working on Islamophobia as intellectual accomplices of political violence committed in the name of Islam. Conceptually, the paper contributes to ongoing debates on Islamophobia and conspiracy theories by unpacking which elements of conspiracy theories are present or absent in the discourse on Islamo-leftism. Empirically, it selects France as case study and carries out research on how Islamo-leftism has been used in the National Assembly (French lower house) and on X (formerly Twitter). The findings show that Islamo-leftism is a word employed not only by far-right parties, but also by mainstream Right and Left ones. The paper identifies four main targets of the putative Islamo-leftist conspiracy: institutions; gender relations; universities; Jewish people. The paper firstly discusses the contested origins of Islamo-leftism. Secondly, it reviews the literature on conspiracy theories and Islamophobia. After presenting its methodology and findings, the paper unpacks the essential elements of conspiracy theories present in Islamo-leftism. Finally, it concludes that Islamo-leftism is an embryonic conspiracy theory that should not be underestimated because of its potential discriminatory effects and its generalizability to other countries where Muslims are securitized