French Minister Sparks Uproar with Call for University ’Islamo-leftism’ Probe

"I think that Islamo-leftism is gangrening society as a whole and that the university is not impermeable to it. The university is part of society," the minister said on the CNews set last Sunday, announcing her wish to entrust the CNRS with an investigation "on all the currents of research on the subjects in the university" in order to distinguish "what falls under academic research from what falls under activism, opinion." She notably mentions university research on post-colonialism.

On Tuesday, the minister was questioned by MP Bénédicte Taurine (LFI) who said she was shocked "by these witch hunts worthy of another regime" during the question-and-answer session in the National Assembly. "I was questioned about what we see emerging in universities, namely academics who say they are prevented by others from carrying out their research, their studies," she replied.

Vidal’s remarks elicited a reaction from the Conference of University Presidents (CPU). In a statement, it "expressed its astonishment in the face of a new sterile controversy on the subject of Islamo-leftism at the university," stressing that "Islamo-leftism is not a concept." "The CPU is thus surprised by the instrumentalization of the CNRS whose missions are in no way to produce evaluations of the work of teacher-researchers, or to clarify what falls under "activism or opinion," the body indicates. It is calling for "urgent clarifications" on the investigation requested from the CNRS.

"The university is neither the matrix of extremism, nor a place where emancipation and indoctrination are confused," it had already retorted in October, after similar remarks by the former Minister of National Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer.