This book investigates the socio-political mechanisms that have allowed Islamophobia to become a dominant and accepted feature of contemporary French public discourse. James Wolfreys, a senior lecturer in French and European politics, utilizes a framework of political economy and historical analysis to argue that state-sanctioned intolerance is a byproduct of neoliberal governance and the legacy of French colonialism. He posits that the mainstreaming of anti-Muslim sentiment serves to distract from domestic inequality and the erosion of traditional left-wing political opposition.

Scholars and political commentators frequently cite this work as a rigorous critique of the intersection between secularism and institutional racism in France. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which provides a detailed look at the structural factors driving political polarization in the region.