Strange Alliance: The Convergence of the Radical Left and Radical Islam

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The undeclared strategic alliance between the radical left and radical Islam has become so conspicuous that it demands a comprehensive dissection and analysis. This growing strategic and ideological affinity between the radical left in the West and radical Islamic organizations and regimes that have wrapped themselves up in anti-imperialism flag has not only trivialized the left’s vociferous commitment to democracy, social justice, and anti-oppression but has also turned the radical left into the “frontier guards” for fundamentalist and militant Islamic organizations and regimes. 

This strange symbiosis between these diametrically opposing movements not only contributes to the greater strangulation and stifling of democratic aspirations in Islamic societies but is also geared to embolden radical Islamists to foster illiberal values in the West.Before analyzing the ramifications of the unusual alliance between two diametrically opposed ideological movements for democracy, it is essential to examine the basis for their mutual attraction. It has become mind-numbing to witness how the radical left that conceptualizes religion as “the opium of the masses” and displays a progressive view of gender and sexual orientation has gravitated toward radical Islam, which espouses principles that run counter to the values that the radical left stands for. 

As will be demonstrated later, even though both movements raise the flag of social justice, equality, and fighting oppression, these are not necessarily the basis for their mutual attraction. The historical force of mutual attraction between these two ideologically different radical movements emanates from their shared hostility toward the US-led Western imperialism in particular and Western liberal democracy in general (Vidino, 2022; Salzman, 2025).

The roots of the radical left’s attraction to and fascination with radical Islam can be traced back to the 1979 revolution in Iran, which culminated in the collapse of the pro-Western monarchy and the ascendancy of the Islamic regime. The prevailing anti-American and anti-Western slogans during the revolution resonated with the Western leftist intellectuals’ anti-imperialist crusade (Sixsmith, 2018). The Islamic Revolution in Iran was perceived by prominent Western leftist intellectuals, such as Edward Said and Richard Falk, as a harbinger of emancipation and freedom from the yoke of imperialism, colonialism, and Western hegemony (Zarnett, 2007).