Karim Ifrak is an Islamic scholar, doctor of the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE) and researcher at the CNRS.
In fact, there are doubts about Karim Ifrak's real activity at the CNRS, since some sources mention him not as a CNRS researcher but as a “research engineer" at the CNRS. These are radically different responsibilities, since a “research engineer” is in charge of supporting the research of CNRS researchers, and not of publishing any himself.
If it turns out that Karim Ifrak is not actually a CNRS researcher (as he states on his LinkedIn profile), but a research engineer, this could be punishable as “usurpation of title”. This would be all the more serious as the title of “CNRS researcher” has been used by Karim Ifrak in the context of his writings and lectures, but also in the context of his participation in Azerbaijani propaganda in France. The aim, of course, was to use this title to lend credibility to his statements in support of Azerbaijani policy and rhetoric.
He has spoken publicly in support of the Azerbaijani dictatorship since 2017, using his status as an Islamologist to assert that Azerbaijan can speak "on behalf of all Muslim countries," or to describe the country as a "land of tolerance," while pursuing a genocidal policy against its minorities.
In 2021, he traveled to Azerbaijan and the “liberated territories” of Artsakh with Jean-Michel Brun - another key figure in the Azerbaijani lobby in France. The following year, in an article published in the Azerbaijani media, he echoed the rhetoric of the Azerbaijani dictatorship regarding Artsakh's cultural heritage.
Karim Ifrak is of course a regular guest at the Azerbaijani Embassy in France and its Cultural Center, having visited at least 6 times between 2022 and 2023 for events such as Azerbaijan's Independence Day, or the anniversary of Heydar Aliyev's birth.
Azerbaijan uses all available means and relays to silence its wars and crimes.
