French organization denounces 'instrumentalization' of Muslims in controversial survey

ISTANBUL

The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) on Thursday criticized a new Ifop poll on Muslims in France, accusing it of reinforcing "stigma" and contributing to a climate of rising Islamophobia.

In a statement, the council said the survey, commissioned by the magazine Ecran de veille, was presented as "a snapshot of the relationship between Muslims in France and Islam and Islamism," but in reality amounted to "yet another attempt to stigmatize French citizens of Muslim faith and their religious practices."

The CFCM warned that some of the poll’s findings and interpretations were “questionable,” noting that they had already been “widely adopted and exploited by Islamophobic circles” to portray Muslims as an “internal and existential threat” to French society.

The council also pointed out that the poll itself contradicts narratives promoted by far-right groups.

“Other data, notably the fact that Muslims do not represent more than 7% of the French population, particularly undermine the ‘great replacement’ theory,” it said.

The CFCM said the survey’s approach contained “numerous methodological biases” that rendered its conclusions “approximate, erroneous, and lacking in scientific value.”

Addressing the survey’s claim that young Muslims are “more rigorous and more radical” than older generations, the CFCM said this reflects well-known response biases.

According to the council, older respondents often underreport their religious practice, while younger Muslims may overstate their religiosity “in reaction to a context of strong stigmatization.”

The CFCM also highlighted inconsistencies, pointing out that the survey’s suggestion that 35% of Muslims attend Friday prayers, around two million people, is incompatible with the maximum capacity of mosques in France, which it said is under 500,000.

It further warned against interpretations that appear to pit French law against Muslim religious practices, such as ritual slaughter.

The practice is “perfectly legal” and concerns both Muslim and Jewish communities, the council reminded.

The CFCM concluded with a call for responsibility and caution in interpreting polls on sensitive religious issues.