Leaked Intelligence Links Controversial French Poll on Muslims to a Wider Emirati Disinformation Network
Dark Box has obtained access to confidential information revealing that a recent and widely publicised poll on Muslims in France is directly connected to a media structure tied to an alleged Emirati influence and disinformation campaign. The findings cast a long shadow over a survey already criticised for its methodology, rhetoric and political impact, and raise deeper questions about foreign interference in French public debates on Islam, citizenship and national cohesion.
The poll, conducted by the French Institute of Public Opinion, claims to map the relationship between Muslims in France and what it calls “Islamism.” The institute presents the study as an examination of religious practice, social attitudes and political views among Muslims, concluding that younger generations are undergoing what the report describes as “re-Islamisation.” It asserts that there is a growing attachment to stricter religious norms, stronger sympathy for political currents within Islam, and rising preference for the application of Islamic law. These conclusions have been embraced by conservative politicians and amplified by far-right figures who see in the data justification for renewed security measures and stricter legislation against what they define as radical Islam.
Yet almost as soon as the poll was released, its credibility began to fracture. Critics highlighted the small and unrepresentative sample size and the ambiguous use of charged terms such as Islamism, Salafism and the Muslim Brotherhood without providing definitions to respondents. The poll combines responses in ways that exaggerate the appearance of religious strictness and uses leaps of interpretation to turn personal spirituality into evidence of ideological separatism. Figures about veiling, religiosity and adherence to Islamic law were all challenged as oversimplified, distorted or taken out of context. Spirituality, according to religious leaders, was reframed as a marker of danger.
While the methodological controversy was already significant, the deeper issue emerged only when the identity of the poll’s sponsor came under scrutiny. The commissioning body is a media outlet called Écran de Veille, produced by Global Watch Analysis. Although the organisation presents itself as a publication dedicated to combating fanaticism, its editorial focus is overwhelmingly devoted to denouncing movements and individuals associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, along with extensive criticism of Qatar. Its parent company is Countries Reports Publishing, a British-registered shell company that conceals its ownership. Evidence reported in France links these outlets to a wider influence apparatus tied to Abu Dhabi.
Dark Box can confirm that key figures behind the commissioning outlet, including its director of publications, have been named in a major interference and disinformation case revealed by investigative journalists in France. That case, known as the Abu Dhabi Secrets, involved a Swiss intelligence firm accused of conducting a vast operation on behalf of the Emirati state. According to public reporting cited in the provided documentation, the operation targeted more than a thousand individuals across many European states, including politicians, researchers and civil society organisations. The objective was to promote narratives hostile to the Muslim Brotherhood, pressure Qatar, and influence public opinion through planted articles, manipulated profiles and altered online records.
The connection between this network and the French poll is not incidental. By commissioning a study that portrays Muslims as a potential internal threat, the commissioning media outlet provides material that reinforces the political agendas of groups that support securitisation policies and crackdowns on expressions of Islamic identity. Left-wing politicians in France have condemned the operation as an orchestrated attempt to stigmatise millions of citizens and residents. Prominent voices argue that the poll transforms Muslims into an enemy within, echoing patterns of marginalisation historically used against other minorities.
Commentators have also raised concerns about the willingness of a well-established polling institution to participate in a project backed by an organisation linked to foreign intelligence. Critics argue that the institute failed to question the intentions of the commissioning body or the political uses to which the results would likely be put. The release of the poll has already shaped media narratives, with far-right commentators citing its conclusions to warn of imagined threats to the republic.
The implications extend beyond the poll itself. Recent revelations suggest that Emirati involvement in French internal affairs may not be limited to media manipulation. New reports indicate that French authorities are investigating the possibility that the Emirates influenced a financial intelligence note targeting a member of parliament who had publicly criticised Emirati policy. If confirmed, this would deepen concerns about a foreign state’s attempts to shape French political life.
The controversy surrounding the poll underscores a broader pattern: foreign-linked networks seeking to influence European public discourse by amplifying fears about Islam, reframing Muslim communities as security risks and steering political debate in ways aligned with Abu Dhabi’s regional priorities. Dark Box will continue to follow this developing story and examine the expanding links between disinformation, foreign interference and the politics of Islam in Europe.
