French far-right leader Marine Le Pen said French Muslims who are thinking about leaving France if she wins the 2027 presidential election are wrong to fear her, insisting they are French and that France is their home.
“They are wrong,” Le Pen said Thursday on the CNews program Objectif Élysée 2027. “It is their country, they are French. We only have one country.”
Poll: 46% of French Muslims would consider leaving
Le Pen was responding to a new Ifop survey for the French magazine Marianne. It found that 46% of Muslims polled would consider moving abroad if the National Rally candidate reached the Élysée Palace.
The concern was not limited to French Muslims. According to the same survey, 21% of all French respondents said they would consider leaving the country under a Le Pen presidency. That figure rose to 44% among Jewish respondents and 43% among supporters of left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
Le Pen said she wants to be president of all French people and stressed her respect for freedom of religion and conscience. She said Muslims would be able to keep practicing their faith without difficulty and had absolutely no reason to worry.
Islam yes, Sharia no
Le Pen drew a clear line between Islam as a religion and political Islam. She said Islam is compatible with the French Republic, while Sharia law and Islamist fundamentalism are not.
She warned that anyone seeking to impose Sharia in France would find her standing in their way. She repeated the message on X later, writing that she had said Islam was compatible with the Republic many times before.
To back her point, Le Pen cited her election results in Mayotte, the French overseas department where most residents are Muslim.
Headscarf ban still part of Le Pen’s plan
Her reassurances came alongside a policy that many Muslims see as a direct threat. Le Pen confirmed she still plans to hold a referendum on a bill targeting what she calls totalitarian ideologies, and said she considers the Islamic headscarf part of that ideology.
Under her plan, the headscarf would be banned in stages, starting with universities, sports federations and public buildings.
During her 2022 campaign, Le Pen also backed a ban on slaughtering animals without prior stunning, a measure that would affect halal and kosher meat production.
Critics on both sides reacted quickly online. Some on the hard right accused her of softening her stance, while opponents argued that her headscarf plans contradict her promise that Muslims have nothing to fear.
Le Pen is currently leading in polls ahead of the 2027 presidential race, with several surveys pointing to a possible runoff against Mélenchon. Her comments are likely to keep the debate over Islam, secularism and national identity at the center of the campaign as both camps try to win over voters beyond their base.