This paper examines the racialization process experienced by individuals who are Muslims by faith or by culture. It points out to two different processes through which an Islamic identity is ascribed to individuals. One originates in the dominant group, and the other one comes from the ideological trends of political islam. The post-colonial approach has been useful for deconstructing the gaze of dominant groups towards Muslims. But it has tended to ignore discourses of domination within subaltern groups, and to treat all discourses towards Muslims originating in dominant groups in the same way, associating them with racial thinking. However, the perception of Muslims as a danger originates in two different logics, which we label the 'logic of the Empire' and the 'logic of the Republic'. The distinction made between these two logics and the identification of discourses of domination within subaltern cultures allows us to better circumscribe the processes of racialization that target Muslims and to identify avenues for the expression of solidarity.