In November, Ifop published, on order of the monthly Screen savera survey on the “relationship to Islam and Islamism of Muslims in France”, dedicated to the practices of this religion in the country. The study was able to generate ink in numerous press titles. Notable fact, according to the revelations of Liberationthe director and numerous “consultants” ofScreen saver appear in a large case of alleged interference by the United Arab Emirates.
A month later, the magazine is once again establishing itself in the media landscape with the second part of its survey relating to “the establishment of the Muslim Brotherhood” in France. A report this time devoted to political and ideological representations linked to Islam, including the influence of political Islamism through Brotherhood.
Membership in Brotherhood over-represented among young people
To measure the “degree of influence of political Islamism”, the press title, which defines itself as “dedicated to resistance to extremism and fanaticism in all their forms”, analyzed the responses obtained by Ifop from a sample of 1,005 people of Muslim faith residing in mainland France. Overall, the survey depicts a minority influence of the Muslim Brotherhood among those surveyed but more anchored among the younger generations.
According to the second part of this study, consulted by the Figaro“23% of Muslims in France aged 15 and over” say they are “close to the Muslim Brotherhood’s current of thought”, to varying degrees – more than half (52%) being “far away”. Support for the Muslim Brotherhood movement seems to be strongly indexed by age, with many more young people being in favor of this ideology: there are 32% among Muslims under 25 and 27% among 25-34 year olds. A figure which drops dramatically among those aged 35-49, to only 11%, then 16% among those aged 50 and over.
As for those surveyed who define themselves as close to the brotherhood, 38% say they share certain Islamist positions and 49% most. The pollsters were also interested in one organization in particular: the Musulmans de France association, designated in a government report as being linked to Brotherhood. 13% of Muslims questioned said they were close to it. Among the latter, 24% say they share certain Islamist positions, 46% most.
Asked about Sharia – Islamic law – 33% of respondents consider that it is intended to apply throughout the world. Among these respondents, 88% are in favor of gradual application, through preaching and education, while 9% mention the use of coercion or force.
Several complaints against the first part
The publication of the first part, a month ago, had its share of controversies. Denouncing “leading questions”, “minority results put forward for polemical purposes” and “amalgamations”, four departmental councils of Muslim worship (CDCM) then filed a complaint. And their lawyers Raphaël Kempf and Romain Ruiz, agree: this survey “violates the principle of objectivity established by the law of July 19, 1977 relating to the publication and dissemination of opinion polls”. For its part, the LFI parliamentary group contacted the public prosecutor, denouncing “support for speech inciting discrimination, hatred or violence”.
Statements contested by Ifop, which defended its methodology and announced that it was filing a complaint against two deputies from France Insoumise denigrating this investigation. “I regret these controversies, I regret these slanders, I regret these accusations which put part of my team in danger. This is why the IFOP decided to file a complaint against two deputies from La France insoumise who put a target on our backs,” declared Monday evening on BFM-TV, Frédéric Dabi, general director of the polling institute.
In May 2025, the government also commissioned a report on the Muslim Brotherhood. The study warned of a “threat to national cohesion” with the development of Islamism “from below”. Two months later, Emmanuel Macron announced several “obstruction measures” to better fight against Islamism, in particular through financial sanctions and increased surveillance of associations.
