70% of French people favor establishment of Islamic parties: Poll

A new opinion poll indicates a growing support for political Islam in France, with nearly 70 percent of respondents advocating establishment of Islamic political parties in the country.

The survey conducted by IFOP (French Institute of Public Opinion) in October 24-27, was released on November 7 showing that 68 percent of the respondents agreed with the idea of establishment of Islamic political parties in France.

Meanwhile, 26 percent of the respondents were against this issue and six percent had no idea, the poll said.

The results of the new survey show a growing support for and declining opposition to the idea of forming Islamic parties in France, as a previous IFOP poll in 2011 indicated that 52 percent of the respondents agreed with the issue while 45 percent of them opposed the idea.

Many prominent sociopolitical analysts, including Francois Picard and Gilles Kepel, contend that institutionalizing Islamic movements in the West will benefit both the Muslims and the political systems in the Western countries, as political participation of the Islamic groups prevents illegal and underground political activities.

The growing support for promotion of political Islam in France comes in defiance of the West’s orchestrated campaign to incite Islamophobia across the world.

In a latest instance of the West’s Islamophobia campaign, the sacrilegious US film “Innocence of Muslims” sparked an outrage across the Muslim world and triggered mass demos outside US embassies in many countries in Early September.

Anti-West sentiments among Muslims reached a new high when the French weekly Charlie Hebdo printed insulting cartoons of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) on September 19.