An insult to Muslims": why the latest Ifop poll is being challenged in court

The Departmental Councils of the Muslim Faith (CDCM) of the Loiret, Aube, Bouches-du-Rhône and Seine-et-Marne have mandated lawyers Raphael Kempf and Romain Ruiz to file a complaint against unknown persons with the Paris judicial court. The plaintiffs accuse this poll of violating the "principle of objectivity" imposed by the law of July 19, 1977. According to the lawyers, the study is based on "biased questions" and highlights minority results for polemical purposes. They describe this work, commissioned by the Écran de veille magazine, as an "insult to the Muslims of France" that contributes to "distilling the poison of hatred" in a context marked by a 75% increase in anti-Muslim acts in 2024.

Methodological biases and amalgams denounced

Beyond the legal action, the religious authorities criticize the methodology used. A source from the CDCM Loiret points to problematic formulations and a risk of inaccurate interpretations that are harmful to the image of part of the population. The Musulmans de France (MF) federation, for its part, deplores the amalgamation between assiduous religious practice and radicalism, recalling that scientific studies generally separate these two aspects.

The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) has also spoken out, regretting the use of "vague" terms and poorly mastered by the respondents themselves, such as "sharia", "Salafism" or "Muslim Brotherhood". The organization also notes a classic bias of telephone surveys: a tendency for the youngest to over-declare their religiosity by reaction, while their elders under-declare it by restraint. For these actors, the conclusions of this poll paint an alarmist picture that does not reflect the nuanced reality on the ground.