Marine Le Pen, to many, is one of the faces of the new far-right.
According to the BBC, she has repeatedly attempted to move away from the traditionally male, racist and intensely right-wing base of her party towards a cultivated mix of anti-immigration, Islamophobic rhetoric and a focus on ‘taking care of their own’. The thinking seems to go that once all of the immigrants and refugees have left France there will be plenty left for ‘real’ French people to enjoy government services and equal rights. As well, she has focused on appealing to white women and has called herself “quasi-feminist”.
It is with this last point that the modernization of her father’s party becomes clear. While the National Front focused heavily on racial politics before (particularly expressions of antisemitism), fascism and far-right politics tend to include a certain level of nostalgia surrounding gender norms that would discourage women leadership. Feminism, as well as labour rights and racial equality, was considered part of the corruption of society in early fascist states such as Germany and Italy. While the actual experience of women in fascist societies is far more complicated than the ideology presented it to be, the presence of a woman as the leader of one of the largest semi-far right parties in Europe is indicative of a new form of fascism: One that disregards some older enemies in exchange for focusing mainly on immigrants and a hatred for Muslims. Gays for Trump and the framing of Muslim people as particularly misogynistic and homophobic are similar expressions of this new tactic.
However, there is no guaranteeing that these groups remain safe when the far-right gains power.
Nowak, Marysia and Becky Branford. (2017, February 10). “France Elections: What Makes Marine Le Pen Far Right?”. BBC News. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38321401.
Bet You Couldn't See This Coming 
This article observes an aspect of Le Pen’s party which perhaps is overlooked. It made me think of other individuals in this context such as Milo Yiannopoulos who seem to challenge the mainstream idea of what it means to be someone on the far-right. It raises the question of whether there is a “correct” way to view empowerment? Le Pen represents a powerful woman, is that forfeit because of what she stands for? I don’t have an answer, but an important discussion nonetheless.
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I think the distinction between feminized and feminist is really important, and I think you show that here. To be a feminist in the true sense, is to want equality and equal rights for everyone. Clearly, Le Pen does not represent this mindset. I think this plays into a complicated discussion of how not all women in positions of power can be seen as good examples of feminist leaders. Evidently, this situation is a complex one and shows that the prioritization of certain values has complicated traditional other ones.
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What you are describing has perfect answer in my opinion. Just like Huntington said we are seeing the clash of civilizations. Marine LaPen completely represents this. On the one hand, she thinks she represents a civilization where it is acceptable for a woman to be in charge. Where the struggles of women through the years to get rights are not in vain. And even though there is still progress to be done it is much better for women. Also, a civilization where you can have any sexual preference you desire without fear of any type of physical harassment or punishment. On the other hand, she believes she is standing against what she considers the opposite of that. What is quite hard for me to understand is why do you tiptoe around homophobia in Islam. Just like Christianity, Islam stands with the same resolve against homosexuality. They are Abrahamic religions after all. I think if you are a homosexual you have every right to fear the growth of Islam in your country. Especially of Sharia Law. You can check out these two articles if you’d like.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/apr/11/british-muslims-strong-sense-of-belonging-poll-homosexuality-sharia-law
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/21/gay-lgbt-muslim-countries-middle-east
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I disagree due to my personal experiences that we are now in a society which it is acceptable to have any “sexual preference you desire.” I think it is disingenuous to be especially fearful of homophobia from Muslim people when the vast majority of homophobia I have experienced is from non-Muslim people. Tying the beliefs of all Muslim people to the worst experiences is inaccurate and deeply harmful. However this is a blog post about Marine le Pen and her leadership. Would it benefit my blog to always include an asterisk about condemning homophobic attitudes in some Muslim people. Thanks for the constructive advice!
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The issue with invoking the concept of a clash between civilizations, is it reinforces the same fallacious ‘US’ versus ‘THEM’ dichotomy, which has been so effectively employed by populists and fascist forces of the past. The establishment of an out group is practically the defacto requisite to establish populist support. It is a mentality which unjustly creates a category for all Muslims. It cannot speak for all Muslims. Consider your Guardian article, “Half of all British Muslims think homosexuality should be illegal, poll finds.” When establishing a clash of civilizations between Islam, and Western Liberal Democracy, one fails to account for the fact that half of those Muslims in your source do support the legal right to gay marriage. A clash of civilizations is not carefully stipulated. There is no footnote to justify the populist rhetoric which demonizes the other. It does not account for the diversity in Muslim views. There is no consideration for accuracy, only for political expedience.
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