Donald Trump, guest in recent days on the Glenn Beck Program, a conservative American podcast, declared that Sharia law was “almost like a second way of life” in Paris. In the same interview, he even goes so far as to add: “I would absolutely ban Sharia law, and it is present to some extent in this country. And where we see it, we remove it. It must be deleted. » On several occasions, since his re-election and even before, the American president has denounced the expansion of political Islam in Europe. But behind the shocking and often excessive formulations, what do his statements tell us about the United States and ourselves? That’s the whole point.
Beyond the positions of one and the other, it is appropriate in this matter to adopt the famous formula of Péguy: “Say what you see; above all, we must always, which is more difficult, see what we see. » That the head of the most powerful state in the world, however unpredictable and outrageous he may be, could make such a statement should give us pause. Let’s say it bluntly, as we speak, sharia does not apply in the streets of Paris. The American president’s sentence therefore appears, at first glance, irrelevant and far from actual reality.
But once the outcries against Donald Trump were raised (the mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, took charge, declaring that “Paris had no lessons to learn”), it is nevertheless appropriate to state the facts as they are, without being burdened with political correctness: yes, political Islam is experiencing a worrying expansion throughout Europe.
In the United Kingdom first, since Trump denounces the situation in London, an official report commissioned by the British Interior Ministry estimates between 30 and 85 the number of sharia councils in activity. Active in England and Wales, these Islamic councils mainly intervene in matters of religious marriage and divorce. A government survey finds that more than 90% of women who use it do so to obtain an Islamic divorce and notes the existence of discriminatory practices in some of these councils.
Faced with this unprecedented situation, the British government recalled in March 2026 that Sharia law had not “no jurisdiction” in England and Wales and that national law remained sole sovereign. So, if we come back to Trump’s sentence, things deserve a little nuance and that is not the American president’s strong suit… If there is no Islamic justice recognized by the British state, there are, however, religious bodies to which a part of the population chooses to submit certain aspects of their family life.
Certain Islamist movements carry a political project based on the primacy of religious norms
In France, the government report dedicated to the Muslim Brotherhood, published in May 2025, lists 139 places of worship affiliated with Muslims of France and 68 others considered close, spread across 55 departments. Together, they represent 7% of the 2,800 Muslim places of worship recorded. The same report identifies 280 associations linked to the movement, active in the religious, charitable, educational, professional, financial or youth fields, as well as 21 schools linked or deemed close to the movement, welcoming 4,200 students. The authors warn of a “municipal Islamism” and local ecosystems capable of exerting an influence far greater than their numerical weight.
Europe’s missions
As in the United Kingdom, the situation therefore deserves to be clarified in light of Donald Trump’s comments. Obviously, Sharia does not apply as “a second way of life” in Paris, but political Islam is weaving its web over part of the territory and some of its components wish to govern a growing part of collective life.
The few facts reported here allow us to identify a basic trend. Yes, political Islam is progressing in Europe. Yes, certain Islamist movements carry a political project based on the primacy of religious norms over all or part of social life. If they have obviously not succeeded in imposing such a model, contrary to what Donald Trump seems to suggest, that is no reason to look elsewhere and not take this excessive word for what it may be, namely a warning.
Europe must absolutely protect its people, its culture and its morals. Faced with the growing influence of codes and standards resulting from rigorous conceptions of Islam, the Old Continent must demonstrate great foresight. The Islamists have a precise political agenda. If we do not collectively put an obstacle to it, the excessive phrase of the American president could become, in twenty years, in fifty years or in a hundred years, a banal observation. Between adherence to Trump’s words and total rejection, there is a third path: that of realism and the best interests of the nation. We can bet that this is what we will borrow in the future.
