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The Strategic Logic of Islamophobic Populism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2020

Lacin Idil Oztig Open the ORCID record for Lacin Idil Oztig [Opens in a new window] ,
Turkan Ayda Gurkan  and
Kenan Aydin
Lacin Idil Oztig*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science and International Relations, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey
Turkan Ayda Gurkan
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science and International Relations, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey
Kenan Aydin
Affiliation:
Department of Business, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

In Europe, the rise of populism is coupled with the rise of Islamophobia, vividly evident with exponential increases in votes for anti-Islam political parties in national elections. These parties portray Islam and Muslims as threats and maintain a position that Islam (as a religion and culture) is a threatening contrast to European values. By analysing Islamophobic discourses of the French National Front, Alternative for Germany and the Dutch Freedom Party, this article argues that Islamophobic populism targets not only Muslims, but also the incumbent leaders. By looking at the current dynamics of public opinion, this article explains how Islamophobic populism functions as an electoral strategy.

Keywords

Islamophobic populismanti-Islam political partieselectoral strategyvotersEurope
Type
Article
Information
Government and Opposition , Volume 56 , Issue 3 , July 2021 , pp. 446 - 464
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Government and Opposition Limited and Cambridge University Press

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