Republic of Islamophobia

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Islamophobia in France is on the increase. Muslims are being subjected to unprecedented scrutiny of what they wear, eat and say. Racist acts and rhetoric are increasingly common. Leading public figures, meanwhile, continue to contest the use of the term "Islamophobia".

"Republic of Islamophobia" argues that such intolerance has fed off the adoption of an authoritarian neoliberal outlook by mainstream French political parties, a process that has accelerated since the terrorist attacks in Paris in January and November 2015. Jim Wolfreys describes the development of a "new secularism" that targets Muslims and gives a respectable veneer to racism. He examines how this secularism has been championed by the Front National's Marine Le Pen, and how it has divided the anti-racist movement and undermined the left's capacity to contest bigotry. Techniques from France's colonial era, he argues, are being adapted to stigmatise Muslims.

Drawing on interviews conducted in Paris in 2015-2016, Wolfreys highlights the work of independent grassroots campaigns and activists organising to confront racism. Informed by their experience, he aims to provide tools for those confronting the wider backlash against Muslims that is embedding itself in Europe and the US.