Civilizational Jihad in Disguise: How the Left Enables Islamist Expansion Through Woke Politics

Sherzad MamSani

(EastMed SSI contributor)

Head of the Israel-Kurdistan Alliance Network

The West is sleepwalking into a silent takeover. Behind the façade of (diversity)and (social justice,)a more dangerous game is unfolding: civilizational jihad in disguise.

Progressive elites, blinded by guilt and obsessed with identity politics, have become useful allies for Islamist networks. Under the banner of (woke) tolerance, the Western Left opens doors, funds NGOs, and silences critics — all while Islamist organizations expand their influence, reshape laws, and undermine secular democracy from within.

This isn’t inclusion. It’s infiltration.

And every concession made in the name of tolerance feeds an agenda that rejects the very freedoms the Left claims to defend.

For over two decades, an opportunistic alliance has been forming across Europe, and even in Canada, between parts of the political and academic left and so-called legalist Islamist networks. This alliance is sold to the public as multiculturalism and minority rights, but in reality, it is a cynical transaction: votes in exchange for political silence on ideologies openly hostile to liberal democracy. This is not coexistence; it is the trading of electoral influence for the gradual erosion of freedom of conscience, equality before the law, women’s rights, and minority protections.

How the Narrative Was Built: From Islamo-Leftism to the Red-Green-Brown Alliance

The French term Islamo-gauchisme was coined by Pierre-André Taguieff in 2002 to describe intersections between far-left radicals and Islamist movements under the banner of anti-imperialism. The debate exploded publicly in France when the Minister of Higher Education declared in 2021 that this phenomenon was not confined to universities but was polluting society as a whole, triggering an academic storm.

In broader political discourse, analysts began referring to the red-green-brown alliance, describing a convergence of radical leftists (red), Islamist networks (green), and even elements of the far-right (brown) around a shared hostility to liberal democracy. While contested, the term is widely used in security and political analysis.

Electoral Reality: Concrete Examples

United Kingdom – The Respect Party and Rochdale 2024

Nick Cohen criticized the Respect Party experiment as an opportunistic pact between Trotskyist leftists and Islamist hardliners. In March 2024, George Galloway’s victory in Rochdale openly rode on identity-driven politics, summed up in his rallying cry: “This is for Gaza.” This was not principled politics; it was the weaponization of communal anger to harvest votes.

France – Islamist Separatism

President Emmanuel Macron warned explicitly of an organized political-religious project aiming to create parallel societies where religious law overrides republican law. His government followed up by dissolving associations accused of promoting separatist agendas, a move validated by the French Conseil d’État.

Germany – Legalist Islamism

The German Office for the Protection of the Constitution describes a legalistic Islamist strategy designed to normalize Islamist influence through charities, cultural organizations, and political lobbying while rejecting liberal democracy behind the scenes.

Canada – Soft Civilizational Jihad

Canadian security reports highlight Islamist networks pursuing civilizational jihad through education, charities, and advocacy. Analysts from the Macdonald-Laurier Institute warn: Canada faces the most sophisticated soft infiltration strategy yet, cloaked under multiculturalism and minority rights.

The Cards Being Played: How Discourse Manipulates Democracy

1. The Islamophobia Card

Any criticism of Islamist ideology is reframed as racism against Muslims, conflating religion with political ideology. Policy Exchange documented how postcolonial vocabulary infiltrates activist platforms, sanitizing Islamist narratives while demonizing counter-extremism efforts.

1. The Intersectionality Shield

Issues of national security and secular governance are reframed as oppressor-vs-victim struggles, portraying Islamist networks as marginalized voices rather than ideological movements opposed to liberal freedoms.

1. The Community Representation Card
2. Lobby groups present themselves as the sole legitimate representatives of “the Muslim community,” securing political access and public funding while advancing exclusionary agendas. German security agencies describe this as a dual-track strategy: soft power on the surface, ideological rigidity underneath.
3. Votes for Silence

Local electoral deals exchange bloc votes for symbolic gestures: positions, rhetoric, or leniency toward extremist-linked figures. The Rochdale case demonstrated how identity politics can be weaponized with surgical precision.

The Real Impact on Freedoms

Freedom of Conscience and Expression

When satire or critique of religion is equated with hate speech, freedom of expression becomes criminalized by proxy. Debating religiously motivated violence is reframed as bigotry, and one belief system becomes immune to scrutiny. Macron’s position was unequivocal: no religious law stands above the law of the Republic.

Rule of Law Under Pressure

France dissolved organizations such as the CCIF under counter-separatism laws, with the Conseil d’État upholding the decisions despite objections from some human rights groups. Whether one agrees or not, this demonstrates that the conflict is no longer theoretical but institutional.

Hijacking Human Rights Frameworks

Analysts at the Hudson Institute describe a growing tactical convergence between woke narratives and Islamist agendas: the language of social justice is weaponized to normalize regressive positions on gender, minorities, and secularism, while shielding them from critique under the banner of anti-Islamophobia.

Voices of Criticism

• Nick Cohen on the Respect Party: “The alliance they built between the Trotskyist left and Islamist hardliners has burned through the tolerance of polite society.”
• Emmanuel Macron: “We must confront Islamist separatism, a conscious political-religious project that seeks to bypass republican law and build a parallel system.”
• Michael Walzer (Dissent Magazine): Why do so many leftists refuse to hold Islamists to the same standards they demand of other religious fundamentalists?
• Pierre-André Taguieff: Islamo-leftism describes a coalition where radical leftists and Islamist movements meet on shared hostility toward liberal values and “Western imperialism,” despite deep contradictions.

Not About Muslims or the Entire Left

This is not an indictment of all Muslims or the entire political left. The vast majority of Muslims are law-abiding citizens, and many left-wing voices openly oppose Islamism. The issue lies with specific activist and political networks weaponizing minority rights language to advance ideologies fundamentally opposed to liberal democracy. European security services themselves distinguish clearly between Islam as a religion and Islamism as a political ideology.

Practical Countermeasures

1. Precision of Language

Criticism of Islamism must be decoupled from bigotry against Muslims.

1. Transparency in Civil Society

Public funding for NGOs must be tied to full disclosure of ideological agendas and foreign funding.

1. Protecting Academic and Media Freedom

No ideology is above scrutiny. Universities and media must remain spaces where all ideas can be debated freely.

1. Smart Security Policies

Countering both right-wing extremism and Islamist networks simultaneously, while defending fundamental freedoms, as European and Canadian intelligence agencies recommend.

Key Actors and Networks

I will name names here — with documentation:

1. Political Parties

• UK: Labour left-wing factions, George Galloway’s Workers Party, former Respect Party.
• France: La France Insoumise (Jean-Luc Mélenchon) and their strategic courting of Islamist-linked NGOs.
• Germany: Die Grünen (The Greens) accused of tolerating Islamist-linked networks for electoral gains.
• Canada: New Democratic Party (NDP) and Liberal Party factions leveraging Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated groups for votes.

1. Islamist Organizations

• Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) — accused of historical links to the Muslim Brotherhood.
• Collective Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) — dissolved by French government for Islamist separatism.
• Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network — recently listed by Canada as a terrorist-linked organization.
• Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) — flagged by multiple governments over alleged extremist ties.

1. Front NGOs

• Student associations on UK campuses promoting anti-Israel narratives with hidden Islamist backing.
• Canadian Islamic Congress — repeatedly accused of lobbying to suppress criticism of political Islam under “anti-Islamophobia” campaigns.
• French NGOs dissolved or investigated for covert funding of Salafist-linked mosques.

3. Tactics of Influence

• Bloc voting strategies: leveraging identity politics to swing close elections.
• Legal jihad: using anti-discrimination frameworks to silence critics.
• Narrative laundering: framing Islamist demands within woke intersectional language.
• Media capture: how mainstream outlets amplify selective grievances while ignoring radical agendas.

4. Evidence From Security Agencies

• France: Macron’s “Islamist Separatism” law and the dissolution of CCIF, BarakaCity, and other associations.
• Germany: Verfassungsschutz reports on legalist Islamism and their dual-track strategy.
• Canada: Federal reports on Muslim Brotherhood-linked organizations engaging in “soft civilizational jihad.”
• UK: Policy Exchange and Henry Jackson Society reports exposing Islamist-leftist alliances.

5. Case Studies

• Rochdale 2024 By-Election: George Galloway’s Gaza-centric campaign and bloc mobilization.
• French Universities: Ideological capture and the suppression of debate under “anti-racism.”
• Canadian Institutions: Lobbying for blasphemy-style protections under anti-hate legislation.

6. The Role of Human Rights NGOs

• Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and others accused of double standards:
  • Silence on Islamist homophobia, misogyny, and antisemitism.
  • Over-amplifying “Islamophobia” claims to shield ideological allies.
• The rise of “woke Islamism” — blending identity politics with fundamentalist agendas.

7. Strategic Consequences

• Marginalization of true minorities: Kurds, Yazidis, Druze, LGBTQ Muslims.
• Policy paralysis on counter-terrorism and integration.
• Escalation of antisemitism and erosion of secular spaces.

8. Recommendations

1. Transparency Mandates: compulsory disclosure of NGO funding and ideological affiliations.
2. Counter-Narrative Campaigns: empowering Muslim reformist voices sidelined by Islamist lobbies.
3. Intelligence Coordination: sharing cross-border data on Islamist political influence.
4. Academic Freedom Protections: shielding universities from ideological capture.

9. Appendices

• Official Documents:
  • French decrees dissolving CCIF and BarakaCity.
  • German Verfassungsschutz annual Islamist activity reports.
  • Canadian Public Safety terrorist entity listings.
• Video Evidence:
  • Macron’s separatism speech.
  • Rochdale victory rally (“This is for Gaza”).
  • CBC investigative report on Islamist lobbying in Canada.
• Think Tank Reports:
  • Policy Exchange: Islamism and the Left.
  • Hudson Institute: Woke Islamism.
  • Macdonald-Laurier Institute: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Grand Jihad in Canada.

Recommended Reports and Videos

• Policy Exchange Report: Islamism and the Left

https://policyexchange.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Islamism-and-the-Left.pdf

• Macron’s Official Speech on Islamist Separatism

https://www.elysee.fr/en/emmanuel-macron/2020/10/02/fight-against-separatism-the-republic-in-action-speech-by-emmanuel-macron-president-of-the-republic-on-the-fight-against-separatism

• Hudson Institute Report: The Rise of Woke Islamism

https://www.hudson.org/research/18933-the-rise-of-woke-islamism

• Video: George Galloway’s Rochdale Victory Speech – This Is for Gaza

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2024/mar/01/george-galloway-wins-rochdale-byelection-keir-starmer-this-is-for-gaza-video

• German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution – Legalist Islamism Brief

https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/DE/service/glossar/Functions/glossar.html?cms_lv2=678604

• Macdonald-Laurier Institute: Muslim Brotherhood’s Grand Jihad in Canada

Muslim Brotherhood’s ‘grand jihad’ is growing— just over the US border: Casey Babb and Joe Adam George in the New York Post