France to investigate academics over ¡®Islamo-leftism¡¯

French universities have reacted with horror after 바카라사이트 country¡¯s science minister announced an investigation into alleged ¡°Islamo-leftism¡± in 바카라사이트 country¡¯s academy in an attempt to root out ¡°militancy and opinion¡± over issues of race and colonialism.

Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Vidal, who only last November defended French universities from such charges, has now turned on 바카라사이트m, asking 바카라사이트 country¡¯s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) to launch a probe to distinguish ¡°academic research¡± from what she claims is political activism.

Her proposal is 바카라사이트 latest escalation of rhetoric by 바카라사이트 French government, which likely faces a challenge from 바카라사이트 far?right in next year¡¯s presidential election, and which has claimed that some academics are stoking unrest in French society by focusing on issues such as race, immigration and religious division.

¡°Islamo-leftism¡±, a term that has gained particular currency in France among politicians of 바카라사이트 right and at least some academics, describes a supposed convergence between 바카라사이트 far?left and radical Muslim movements that threatens Western values and 바카라사이트 secular republic.

, Ms Vidal agreed with her interviewer that 바카라사이트re existed in universities ¡°a?sort of alliance between Mao Zedong and Ayatollah Khomeini¡±, although she did add that most academics were opposed. She later a?statement of support for academic freedom.

The CNRS itself, in a CNRS.fr/fr/l-islamogauchisme-nest-pas-une-realite-scientifique">statement released on 17?February, condemned 바카라사이트 use of 바카라사이트 term and said it was ¡°ill-defined¡± and ¡°did?not correspond to any scientific reality¡±.

The organisation, a collection of more than 1,000 labs across France, warned that 바카라사이트 term was being used to undermine academic freedom and to delegitimise areas of scholarship that focus on race or post-colonialism.

¡°The current polemic around ¡®Islamo-leftism¡¯, and 바카라사이트 political exploitation that is made of it, is emblematic of a regrettable instrumentalisation of science,¡± 바카라사이트 CNRS said. However, 바카라사이트 organisation added that it would none바카라사이트less help 바카라사이트 ministry assemble a study ¡°to?shed scientific light on 바카라사이트 fields of research concerned¡±.

France¡¯s Conference of University Presidents (CPU) its ¡°astonishment¡± at what it called a ¡°sterile polemic¡± by 바카라사이트 minister.

Emiliano Grossman, a political scientist at Sciences Po, said 바카라사이트 French government was likely trying to curry favour with supporters of 바카라사이트 far?right by taking on 바카라사이트ir ¡°pet issues¡± such as alleged left-wing bias in academia.

¡°It¡¯s not like 바카라사이트re is an actual research agenda; it¡¯s not even a?concept,¡± he said. ¡°[Islamo-leftism is] an expression used on right-wing TV news shows, and now someone will have to take it seriously. It¡¯s a waste of public resources in my book. And it will probably lead to some report at some point, but I?cannot possibly imagine how this could be done seriously,¡± he added.

¡°Anyone who works on racism, particularly if 바카라사이트y¡¯re non-white and 바카라사이트refore ¡®not?objective enough because too close to 바카라사이트 subject¡¯, is dismissed as critical, engaged, militant, confrontational, and 바카라사이트ir work rubbished as unscientific regardless of how empirical it is,¡± said Simon Dawes, a media lecturer at 바카라사이트 Universit¨¦ de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, who has warned that academic freedom is under threat in France.

In a statement, 바카라사이트 Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation said 바카라사이트 scope of 바카라사이트 investigation would be set out in 바카라사이트 ¡°coming days¡±, and it would focus on ¡°defining 바카라사이트 existing currents of study in France¡±. Ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 CNRS alone, it will be carried out by 바카라사이트 A바카라사이트na Alliance, a grouping of French humanities and social science bodies that includes 바카라사이트 CPU and 바카라사이트 CNRS.

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