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{{short description|French philosopher and politician}}
{{Short description|French philosopher and politician (1913 – 2012)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
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| awards = [[King Faisal International Prize]]
| awards = [[King Faisal International Prize]]
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'''Roger Garaudy''' ({{IPA-fr|ʁɔʒe gaʁodi|lang}}; 17 July 1913 – 13 June 2012)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18455068|title=French philosopher Roger Garaudy dies|date=15 June 2012}}</ref><ref name="Cross2012">{{cite news|url=http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20120615-french-resistance-holocaust-denial-roger-garaudy-dies-98|last=Cross|first=Tony|title=From French resistance to Holocaust denial – Roger Garaudy dies at 98|publisher=RFI English|date=15 June 2012}}</ref> was a French philosopher, [[French resistance]] fighter and a [[Communism|communist]] author. He converted to [[Islam]] in 1982. In 1998, he was convicted and fined for [[Holocaust denial]] under French law for claiming that the [[The Holocaust|death of six million Jews]] was a "myth".<ref name="Cross2012"/><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M9Uj6u6b-ZIC&pg=PA219|title=Holocaust Denial as an International Movement|last=Atkins|first=Stephen E.|date=2009-01-01|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780313345388|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Epstein">{{cite book|author-last=Epstein|author-first=Simon|chapter=Roger Garaudy, Abbé Pierre, and the French Negationists|editor-last=Wistrich|editor-first=Robert S.|title=Holocaust Denial: The Politics of Perfidy|publisher=[[Walter de Gruyter|De Gruyter]] with Magnes Press ([[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]])|year=2012|pages=85–107|isbn=9783110288148|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BfQoxsH9bbwC&pg=PA85}}</ref>
'''Roger Garaudy''' ({{IPA|fr|ʁɔʒe gaʁodi|lang}}; 17 July 1913 – 13 June 2012)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18455068|title=French philosopher Roger Garaudy dies|date=15 June 2012}}</ref><ref name="Cross2012">{{cite news|url=http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20120615-french-resistance-holocaust-denial-roger-garaudy-dies-98|last=Cross|first=Tony|title=From French resistance to Holocaust denial – Roger Garaudy dies at 98|publisher=RFI English|date=15 June 2012}}</ref> was a French philosopher, [[French resistance]] fighter and a [[Communism|communist]] author. He converted to [[Islam]] in 1982. In 1998, he was convicted for several years and fined for [[Holocaust denial]] under French law for claiming that the [[The Holocaust|death of six million Jews]] was a "myth".<ref name="Cross2012"/><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M9Uj6u6b-ZIC&pg=PA219|title=Holocaust Denial as an International Movement|last=Atkins|first=Stephen E.|date=2009-01-01|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780313345388|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Epstein">{{cite book|author-last=Epstein|author-first=Simon|chapter=Roger Garaudy, Abbé Pierre, and the French Negationists|editor-last=Wistrich|editor-first=Robert S.|title=Holocaust Denial: The Politics of Perfidy|publisher=[[Walter de Gruyter|De Gruyter]] with Magnes Press ([[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]])|year=2012|pages=85–107|isbn=9783110288148|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BfQoxsH9bbwC&pg=PA85}}</ref>


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==
Roger Garaudy was born in [[Marseille]] to [[working class]] [[Catholic]] parents. At the age of 14, Garaudy converted to [[Protestantism]].<ref name="Morot-Sir"/> He fought during [[World War II]] and received the [[Croix de Guerre 1939–1945|Croix de Guerre]]. After a period as a [[Vichy France]] [[prisoner of war]] in Algeria, Garaudy joined the [[French Resistance]] working for resistance radio and the newspaper ''Liberté''.<ref name="Indy2012">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/roger-garaudy-veteran-resistance-who-later-became-holocaust-denier-7879645.html|title=Roger Garaudy: Veteran of the Resistance who later became a Holocaust denier|work=The Independent|location=London|date=24 June 2012|access-date=25 January 2021}}</ref>
Roger Garaudy was born in [[Marseille]] to [[working class]] [[Catholic]] parents. At the age of 14, Garaudy converted to [[Protestantism]].<ref name="Morot-Sir"/> He fought during [[World War II]] and received the [[Croix de Guerre 1939–1945|Croix de Guerre]]. After a period as a [[Vichy France]] [[prisoner of war]] in Algeria, Garaudy joined the [[French Resistance]] working for resistance radio and the newspaper ''Liberté''.<ref name="Indy2012">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/roger-garaudy-veteran-resistance-who-later-became-holocaust-denier-7879645.html|title=Roger Garaudy: Veteran of the Resistance who later became a Holocaust denier|work=The Independent|location=London|date=24 June 2012|access-date=25 January 2021}}</ref>


==Political career==
==Political career==
Garaudy joined the [[French Communist Party]] in 1933.<ref name="Kelly">{{citation|first=Michael|last=Kelly|editor-first=Peter|editor-last=France|entry=Garaudy, Roger|entry-url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198661252.001.0001/acref-9780198661252-e-1910|entry-url-access=subscription|title=The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780191735004|doi=10.1093/acref/9780198661252.001.0001|orig-year=1995|year=2005|page=332}}</ref> By mid 1940s, Garaudy was considered a leading [[polemicist]] within the party.<ref name="Drake">{{citation|first=David|last=Drake|title=The 'Anti-Existentialist Offensive': The French Communist Party against Sartre (1944—1948)|journal=Sartre Studies International|date=2010|volume=16|number=1|pages=69–94|doi=10.3167/ssi.2010.160105|jstor=23512854}}</ref> He rose through the ranks and in 1945 he became a member of the party's leadership<ref name="Kelly"/> and its Central Executive Committee, where he occupied positions for 28 years.<ref name="Morot-Sir"/>
Garaudy joined the [[French Communist Party]] in 1933.<ref name="Kelly">{{citation|first=Michael|last=Kelly|editor-first=Peter|editor-last=France|entry=Garaudy, Roger|entry-url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198661252.001.0001/acref-9780198661252-e-1910|entry-url-access=subscription|title=The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780191735004|doi=10.1093/acref/9780198661252.001.0001|orig-year=1995|year=2005|page=332}}</ref> By mid 1940s, Garaudy was considered a leading [[polemicist]] within the party.<ref name="Drake">{{citation|first=David|last=Drake|title=The 'Anti-Existentialist Offensive': The French Communist Party against Sartre (1944—1948)|journal=Sartre Studies International|date=2010|volume=16|number=1|pages=69–94|doi=10.3167/ssi.2010.160105|jstor=23512854}}</ref> He rose through the ranks and in 1945 he became a member of the party's leadership<ref name="Kelly"/> and its Central Executive Committee, where he occupied positions for 28 years.<ref name="Morot-Sir"/>


Garaudy remained a Christian and eventually re-converted to Catholicism during his political career. Eventually he converted to Islam.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2012-06-15 |title=French philosopher Roger Garaudy dies |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18455068 |access-date=2023-07-10}}</ref> He was befriended by one of France's most prominent clerics of the time, the [[Abbé Pierre]], who in later years supported Garaudy, even regarding the latter's most controversial views.<ref>[http://www.lexpress.fr/informations/ce-qui-a-fait-chuter-l-abbe-pierre_613908.html "Ce qui a fait chuter l'abbé Pierre"], L'Express, 02-05-1996, (in French).</ref>
As a political candidate, he succeeded in being elected to the [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]] and eventually rose to the position of deputy speaker, and later senator.{{cn|date=November 2020}}

Garaudy remained a Christian and eventually re-converted to Catholicism during his political career. He was befriended by one of France's most prominent clerics of the time, the [[Abbé Pierre]], who in later years supported Garaudy, even regarding the latter's most controversial views.<ref>[http://www.lexpress.fr/informations/ce-qui-a-fait-chuter-l-abbe-pierre_613908.html "Ce qui a fait chuter l'abbé Pierre"], L'Express, 02-05-1996, (in French).</ref>


Garaudy was expelled from the Communist Party in 1970, because he had criticized the party's position on the student movement and the [[Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia]].<ref name="Kelly"/> His philosophical and political views were characterized as [[Revisionism (Marxism)|revisionist]] by Soviet commentators.<ref>See ''[https://archive.org/details/marxismrenegadegaraudy Marxism and the Renegade Garaudy]'' and ''[https://archive.org/details/scicommunismmodernfalsifiers Scientific Communism and Its Modern Falsifiers]''.</ref> He had, however, accepted the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956|invasion of Hungary in 1956]].<ref name="Indy2012" />
Garaudy was expelled from the Communist Party in 1970, because he had criticized the party's position on the student movement and the [[Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia]].<ref name="Kelly"/> His philosophical and political views were characterized as [[Revisionism (Marxism)|revisionist]] by Soviet commentators.<ref>See ''[https://archive.org/details/marxismrenegadegaraudy Marxism and the Renegade Garaudy]'' and ''[https://archive.org/details/scicommunismmodernfalsifiers Scientific Communism and Its Modern Falsifiers]''.</ref> He had, however, accepted the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956|invasion of Hungary in 1956]].<ref name="Indy2012" />
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He obtained a [[Doctorat d'État|state doctorate]] in philosophy in 1953, with a dissertation discussing [[theory of knowledge]] and [[materialism]], entitled ''La théorie matérialiste de la connaissance''.<ref name="Morot-Sir">{{citation|first=Morot-Sir|last=Edouard|entry=Garaudy, Roger (1913–)|title=The Columbia Dictionary of Modern European Literature|edition=2nd|publisher=Columbia University Press|date=1980|isbn=978-0-231-03717-4}}</ref> In May 1954, Garaudy defended another doctoral thesis, ''The Problem of Freedom and Necessity in the Light of Marxism'', at the [[Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences]].<ref>{{citation|first=Gustav Andreas|last=Wetter|title=Dialectical Materialism: A Historical and Systematic Survey of Philosophy in the Soviet Union|publisher=F. A. Praeger|date=1960|page=241}}</ref>
He obtained a [[Doctorat d'État|state doctorate]] in philosophy in 1953, with a dissertation discussing [[theory of knowledge]] and [[materialism]], entitled ''La théorie matérialiste de la connaissance''.<ref name="Morot-Sir">{{citation|first=Morot-Sir|last=Edouard|entry=Garaudy, Roger (1913–)|title=The Columbia Dictionary of Modern European Literature|edition=2nd|publisher=Columbia University Press|date=1980|isbn=978-0-231-03717-4}}</ref> In May 1954, Garaudy defended another doctoral thesis, ''The Problem of Freedom and Necessity in the Light of Marxism'', at the [[Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences]].<ref>{{citation|first=Gustav Andreas|last=Wetter|title=Dialectical Materialism: A Historical and Systematic Survey of Philosophy in the Soviet Union|publisher=F. A. Praeger|date=1960|page=241}}</ref>


Garaudy lectured in the faculty of arts department of the [[University of Clermont-Ferrand]] from 1962–1965. Due to controversies between Garaudy and [[Michel Foucault]], Garaudy left. He later taught in [[Poitiers]] from 1969–1972.<ref name="Cross2012"/>
Garaudy lectured in the faculty of arts department of the [[University of Clermont-Ferrand]] from 1962 to 1965. Due to controversies between Garaudy and [[Michel Foucault]], Garaudy left. He later taught in [[Poitiers]] from 1969 to 1972.<ref name="Cross2012"/>


His main research subject was foundations of revolutionary politics.<ref name="Morot-Sir"/>
His main research subject was foundations of revolutionary politics.<ref name="Morot-Sir"/>
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===Conversion to Islam===
===Conversion to Islam===
Around 1980, Garaudy read ''[[The Green Book (Muammar Gaddafi)|The Green Book]]'' by [[Muammar Gaddafi]] and became interested in Libya and [[Islam]], meeting the country's leader on several occasions in the desert. He converted formally at the Islamic Centre in Geneva, an organisation controlled by the [[Muslim Brotherhood]].<ref name="AAA2007">{{Cite news|last=Taheri|first=Amir|url=http://english.aawsat.com/2007/04/article55263073/roger-garaudy|title=Roger Garaudy|work=Asharq Al-awsat|date=11 April 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304103200/http://english.aawsat.com/2007/04/article55263073/roger-garaudy|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{better source|date=January 2021}} Garaudy converted in 1982 after marrying a Palestinian woman, later writing that "The Christ of Paul is not the Jesus of the Bible," and also forming other critical scholarly conclusions regarding the [[Old Testament|Old]] and [[New Testament]]s.{{cn|date=November 2020}} He became an Islamic commentator and supporter of the [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] cause.{{cn|date=November 2020}}
Around 1980, Garaudy read ''[[The Green Book (Muammar Gaddafi)|The Green Book]]'' by [[Muammar Gaddafi]] and became interested in Libya and [[Islam]], meeting the country's leader on several occasions in the desert. He converted formally at the Islamic Centre in Geneva, an organisation managed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the time.


In ''The Case of Israel: A Study of Political Zionism'' (1983), Garaudy portrays [[Zionism]] as an [[Isolationism|isolationist]] and [[Racial segregation|segregationist]] ideology that is not only dependent on [[antisemitism]] to nourish, but also willfully encourages it to achieve its goals.<ref>{{citation|first=Robert S.|last=Wistrich|title=The Anti-Zionist Mythology of the Left|doi=10.1080/23739770.2015.1037579|journal=Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs|volume=9|date=2015|issue=2|pages=189–199|s2cid=146147436|doi-access=free}}</ref>
In ''The Case of Israel: A Study of Political Zionism'' (1983), Garaudy portrays [[Zionism]] as an [[Isolationism|isolationist]] and [[Racial segregation|segregationist]] ideology that is not only dependent on [[antisemitism]] to nourish, but also willfully encourages it to achieve its goals.<ref>{{citation|first=Robert S.|last=Wistrich|title=The Anti-Zionist Mythology of the Left|doi=10.1080/23739770.2015.1037579|journal=Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs|volume=9|date=2015|issue=2|pages=189–199|s2cid=146147436|doi-access=free}}</ref>
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=== Conviction of violating Gayssot Act ===
=== Conviction of violating Gayssot Act ===
{{Main|The Founding Myths of Modern Israel}}
{{Main|The Founding Myths of Modern Israel}}
In 1996, Garaudy<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20120615-french-resistance-holocaust-denial-roger-garaudy-dies-98|title=From French resistance to Holocaust denial – Roger Garaudy dies at 98 – Africa – Radio France Internationale|date=2012-06-15|language=en-GB|access-date=2016-07-18}}</ref> published, with his editor [[Pierre Guillaume]], the work ''Les Mythes fondateurs de la politique israelienne'' (literally, ''The Founding Myths of Israeli Politics''), later translated into English as ''[[The Founding Myths of Modern Israel]]''. In the book he wrote of "the myth of the six million" Jewish victims of the [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]].<ref name="bbc">{{cite web|title=Writer fined for 'holocaust' writings|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/60742.stm|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC|access-date=8 July 2013|date=27 February 1998}}</ref> Because of this breach of [[Laws against Holocaust denial#France|French law concerning Holocaust denial]], the courts banned any further publication and on 27 February 1998 fined Garaudy 240,000 [[French francs]]. He was sentenced to a suspended jail sentence of several years. Garaudy appealed this decision to the [[European Court of Human Rights]], but his appeal was rejected as inadmissible.<ref name="bbc" /><ref>[http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/sites/eng/pages/search.aspx?i=001-23829 Inadmissibility Decision in the Case of Garaudy v. France], European Court of Human Rights, 7 July. 2003.</ref> At his hearing, Garaudy stated that his book in no way condoned [[Nazism|National Socialist]] methods, and that book was an attack on the mythologizing and use of "the holocaust" by Israeli government as policy. He argued that his book dealt with the Israeli government's use of "the holocaust" as a "justifying dogma" for its actions, mainly in Palestine and toward Palestinians.<ref>{{cite web|title=Writer fined for holocaust writings|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/60742.stm|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC|access-date=8 July 2013|date=27 February 1998}}</ref>
In 1996, Garaudy<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20120615-french-resistance-holocaust-denial-roger-garaudy-dies-98|title=From French resistance to Holocaust denial – Roger Garaudy dies at 98 – Africa – Radio France Internationale|date=2012-06-15|language=en-GB|access-date=2016-07-18}}</ref> published, with his editor [[Pierre Guillaume]], the work ''Les Mythes fondateurs de la politique israelienne'' (literally, ''The Founding Myths of Israeli Politics''), later translated into English as ''[[The Founding Myths of Modern Israel]]''. In the book he wrote of "the myth of the six million" Jewish victims of the [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]].<ref name="bbc">{{cite web|title=Writer fined for 'holocaust' writings|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/60742.stm|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC|access-date=8 July 2013|date=27 February 1998}}</ref> Because of this breach of [[Laws against Holocaust denial#France|French law concerning Holocaust denial]], the courts banned any further publication and on 27 February 1998 fined Garaudy 120,000 [[French francs]].<ref name="Indy2012" /> He was sentenced to a suspended jail sentence of several years.


===''Garaudy v. France''===
===''Garaudy v. France''===
Garaudy challenged the French ruling and appealed to the [[European Convention on Human Rights]] (ECHR), stating that his book was a political work criticizing the policies of [[Israel]] that did not deny that the Nazis had committed crimes against humanity, and that his freedom of expression was interfered by the French courts. The ECHR disagreed and ruled that Garaudy has denied historical facts in his book which is not a research work. It also argued that the interference pursued two of the legitimate aims included in [[Gayssot Act]] articles and is not a violation of Garaudy's right for free speech. The ECHR did not use this rationale in ''[[Perinçek v. Switzerland]]''.<ref>{{citation|last=Gorton|first=Sean|title=The Uncertain Future of Genocide Denial Laws in the European Union|url=http://docs.law.gwu.edu/stdg/gwilr/PDFs/47-2/6%20gorton.pdf|journal=The George Washington International Law Review|volume=47|number=2|date=2015|pages=421–445}}{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
Garaudy appealed this decision to the [[European Court of Human Rights]], stating that his book was a political work criticizing the policies of [[Israel]] that did not deny that the Nazis had committed crimes against humanity, and that his freedom of expression was interfered by the French courts. At his hearing, Garaudy stated that his book in no way condoned [[Nazism|National Socialist]] methods, and that book was an attack on the mythologizing and use of "the holocaust" by Israeli government as policy. He argued that his book dealt with the Israeli government's use of "the holocaust" as a "justifying dogma" for its actions, mainly in Palestine and toward Palestinians.<ref>{{cite web|title=Writer fined for holocaust writings|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/60742.stm|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC|access-date=8 July 2013|date=27 February 1998}}</ref>

His appeal was rejected as inadmissible.<ref name="bbc" /><ref>[http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/sites/eng/pages/search.aspx?i=001-23829 Inadmissibility Decision in the Case of Garaudy v. France], European Court of Human Rights, 7 July. 2003.</ref> The ECHR ruled that Garaudy has denied historical facts in his book which is not a research work. It also argued that the interference pursued two of the legitimate aims included in [[Gayssot Act]] articles and is not a violation of Garaudy's right for free speech. The ECHR did not use this rationale in ''[[Perinçek v. Switzerland]]''.<ref>{{citation|last=Gorton|first=Sean|title=The Uncertain Future of Genocide Denial Laws in the European Union|url=http://docs.law.gwu.edu/stdg/gwilr/PDFs/47-2/6%20gorton.pdf|journal=The George Washington International Law Review|volume=47|number=2|date=2015|pages=421–445}}{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>


===Iranian support===
===Iranian support===
In [[Iran]], 160 members of the [[Iranian parliament|parliament]] and 600 journalists signed a petition in Garaudy's support.<ref>{{cite news|last=Black|first=Edwin|url=https://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/Denial-of-Holocaust-nothing-new-in-Iran-Ties-to-2507165.php|title=Denial of Holocaust nothing new in Iran / Ties to Hitler led to plots against British and Jews|work=SF Gate|date=13 January 2012|access-date=25 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Herf|editor-first=Jeffrey|url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Anti_Semitism_and_Anti_Zionism_in_Histor/CYXfAQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=&pg=PT331|author-last=Litvak|author-first=Meir|chapter=The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Holocaust: Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism|title=Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism in Historical Perspective Convergence and Divergence|location=Abingdon, Oxon & New York City|publisher=Routledge|year=2007|page=331|isbn=9781317983477}}</ref> On 20 April 1998, Iran's [[Supreme Leader]] [[Ayatollah]] [[Ali Khamenei]] met Garaudy. Khamenei was critical of the West which, he said, condemned "the racist behavior of the Nazis" while accepting the [[Zionism|Zionists]]’ "Nazi-like behavior."<ref name="Menashri2009">{{cite web|last=Menashri|first=David|url=http://www.tau.ac.il/Anti-Semitism/asw2005/menashri.html|title=Iran, the Jews and the Holocaust|publisher=The Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism, Tel Aviv University|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201190443/http://www.tau.ac.il/Anti-Semitism/asw2005/menashri.html|archive-date=1 February 2009}}</ref> Iranian president, [[Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani]], insisted in a sermon delivered on Iranian radio that Hitler "only killed 20,000 Jews and not six million" and that "Garaudy's crime derives from the doubt he cast on Zionist propaganda."<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Wistrich|editor-first=Robert S.|url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Holocaust_Denial/BfQoxsH9bbwC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=PA23|title=Holocaust Denial: The Politics of Perfidy|chapter=Introduction: Lying about the Holocaust|location=Berlin & Boston|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|year=2012|page=23|isbn=9783110288216}}</ref> Iranian President, [[Mohammad Khatami]], described Garaudy in 1998 as "a thinker" and "a believer" who was brought to trial merely for publishing research which was "displeasing to the West."<ref name="Menashri2009" />
In [[Iran]], 160 members of the [[Iranian parliament|parliament]] and 600 journalists signed a petition in Garaudy's support.<ref>{{cite news|last=Black|first=Edwin|url=https://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/Denial-of-Holocaust-nothing-new-in-Iran-Ties-to-2507165.php|title=Denial of Holocaust nothing new in Iran / Ties to Hitler led to plots against British and Jews|work=SF Gate|date=13 January 2012|access-date=25 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Herf|editor-first=Jeffrey|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CYXfAQAAQBAJ&pg=PT331|author-last=Litvak|author-first=Meir|chapter=The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Holocaust: Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism|title=Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism in Historical Perspective Convergence and Divergence|location=Abingdon, Oxon & New York City|publisher=Routledge|year=2007|page=331|isbn=9781317983477}}</ref> On 20 April 1998, Iran's [[Supreme Leader of Iran|Supreme Leader]] [[Ayatollah]] [[Ali Khamenei]] met Garaudy. Khamenei was critical of the West which, he said, condemned "the racist behavior of the Nazis" while accepting the [[Zionism|Zionists]]’ "Nazi-like behavior."<ref name="Menashri2009">{{cite web|last=Menashri|first=David|url=http://www.tau.ac.il/Anti-Semitism/asw2005/menashri.html|title=Iran, the Jews and the Holocaust|publisher=The Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism, Tel Aviv University|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201190443/http://www.tau.ac.il/Anti-Semitism/asw2005/menashri.html|archive-date=1 February 2009}}</ref> Iranian president, [[Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani]], insisted in a sermon delivered on Iranian radio that Hitler "only killed 20,000 Jews and not six million" and that "Garaudy's crime derives from the doubt he cast on Zionist propaganda."<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Wistrich|editor-first=Robert S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BfQoxsH9bbwC&q=PA23|title=Holocaust Denial: The Politics of Perfidy|chapter=Introduction: Lying about the Holocaust|location=Berlin & Boston|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|year=2012|page=23|isbn=9783110288216}}</ref> Iranian President, [[Mohammad Khatami]], described Garaudy in 1998 as "a thinker" and "a believer" who was brought to trial merely for publishing research which was "displeasing to the West."<ref name="Menashri2009" />


In December 2006, Garaudy was unable to attend the [[International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust]] in Tehran, Iran owing to ill health. He reportedly sent a videotaped message supporting Iranian President [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]]'s view that Israel should cease to exist.<ref name="AAA2007" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/the-real-challenge-in-the-middle-east-is-ideology/|title=The Real Challenge in the Middle East is Ideology|work=The Times of Israel|agency=Jewish News Service|date=2 July 2012|access-date=25 January 2021}}</ref>
In December 2006, Garaudy was unable to attend the [[International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust]] in Tehran, Iran owing to ill health. He reportedly sent a videotaped message supporting Iranian President [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]]'s view that Israel should cease to exist.<ref name="AAA2007">{{Cite news|last=Taheri|first=Amir|url=http://english.aawsat.com/2007/04/article55263073/roger-garaudy|title=Roger Garaudy|work=Asharq Al-awsat|date=11 April 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304103200/http://english.aawsat.com/2007/04/article55263073/roger-garaudy|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/the-real-challenge-in-the-middle-east-is-ideology/|title=The Real Challenge in the Middle East is Ideology|work=The Times of Israel|agency=Jewish News Service|date=2 July 2012|access-date=25 January 2021}}</ref>


==Death and legacy==
==Death and legacy==
Roger Garaudy died in [[Chennevières-sur-Marne]], [[Val-de-Marne]], on Wednesday 13 June 2012, aged 98.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.france24.com/en/20120615-france-obituary-controversial-philosopher-garaudy-dies-98-paris-suburb-chennevieres|title=Controversial French philosopher Garaudy dies|work=France-24|date=15 June 2012|access-date=25 January 2021}}</ref>
Roger Garaudy died in [[Chennevières-sur-Marne]], [[Val-de-Marne]], on Wednesday 13 June 2012, aged 98.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.france24.com/en/20120615-france-obituary-controversial-philosopher-garaudy-dies-98-paris-suburb-chennevieres|title=Controversial French philosopher Garaudy dies|work=France-24|date=15 June 2012|access-date=25 January 2021}}</ref>


According to [[Azzam Tamimi]], Tunisian thinker [[Rached Ghannouchi]] was inspired by Garaudy in the early 1980s, after he read a translation of his book on women. He subsequently authored a treatise on women rights and on the status of women in the Islamic movement, partly influenced by Garaudy's work.<ref>{{citation|first=Azzam|last=Tamimi|editor-first1=John L.|editor-last1=Esposito|editor-first2=Emad El-Din|editor-last2=Shahin|entry=Rashid Al-Ghannushi|entry-url=https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195395891.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780195395891-e-028|entry-url-access=subscription|title=The Oxford Handbook of Islam and Politics|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195395891|doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195395891.013.0028|year=2013|doi-broken-date=31 July 2022}}</ref>
According to [[Azzam Tamimi]], Tunisian thinker [[Rached Ghannouchi]] was inspired by Garaudy in the early 1980s, after he read a translation of his book on women. He subsequently authored a treatise on women rights and on the status of women in the Islamic movement, partly influenced by Garaudy's work.<ref>{{citation|first=Azzam|last=Tamimi|editor-first1=John L.|editor-last1=Esposito|editor-first2=Emad El-Din|editor-last2=Shahin|entry=Rashid Al-Ghannushi|entry-url=https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195395891.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780195395891-e-028|entry-url-access=subscription|title=The Oxford Handbook of Islam and Politics|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195395891|doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195395891.013.0028|year=2013|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024}}</ref>


== Awards and honours==
== Awards and honours==
* [[Croix de Guerre]]<ref name="cedelle">Luc Cédelle, [https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2012/06/15/roger-garaudy-mort-d-une-figure-du-negationnisme_1719202_823448.html "Roger Garaudy : mort d'une figure du négationnisme"], ''[[Le Monde]]'', 15 June 2012. Retrieved 2012.</ref>
* [[Croix de Guerre]]<ref name="cedelle">Luc Cédelle, [https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2012/06/15/roger-garaudy-mort-d-une-figure-du-negationnisme_1719202_823448.html "Roger Garaudy : mort d'une figure du négationnisme"], ''[[Le Monde]]'', 15 June 2012. Retrieved 2012.</ref><ref name="Indy2012" />
* [[Political deportation and internment medal|Médaille de la déportation et de l'internement pour faits de Résistance]]<ref name="cedelle" />
* [[Political deportation and internment medal|Médaille de la déportation et de l'internement pour faits de Résistance]]<ref name="cedelle" />
* [[King Faisal Prize|King Faisal International Prize for Services to Islam]] (1986), jointly with [[Ahmed Deedat]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kfip.org/service-to-islam/ |title=Service to Islam &#124; King Faisal International Prize |access-date=2015-01-07 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106191329/http://kfip.org/service-to-islam/ |archive-date=2015-01-06 }}
* [[King Faisal Prize|King Faisal International Prize for Services to Islam]] (1986), jointly with [[Ahmed Deedat]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kfip.org/service-to-islam/ |title=Service to Islam &#124; King Faisal International Prize |access-date=2015-01-07 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106191329/http://kfip.org/service-to-islam/ |archive-date=2015-01-06 }}</ref>
* Prix Kadhafi des droits de l'homme (2002)<ref>[https://www.dna.fr/actualite/2012/06/15/mort-de-l-ancien-communiste-roger-garaudy-figure-du-negationnisme "Mort de l’ancien communiste Roger Garaudy, figure du négationnisme"], ''[[Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace]], 15 June 2012. Retrieved 2012.</ref><ref>[https://www.letemps.ch/suisse/jean-ziegler-refuse-prix-kadhafi-droits-lhomme "Jean Ziegler refuse le «prix Kadhafi des droits de l'homme»"], ''[[Le Temps]]'', 2 October 2002. Retrieved 2012.</ref>
* Prix Kadhafi des droits de l'homme (2002)<ref>[https://www.dna.fr/actualite/2012/06/15/mort-de-l-ancien-communiste-roger-garaudy-figure-du-negationnisme "Mort de l’ancien communiste Roger Garaudy, figure du négationnisme"], ''[[Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace]]'', 15 June 2012. Retrieved 2012.</ref><ref>[https://www.letemps.ch/suisse/jean-ziegler-refuse-prix-kadhafi-droits-lhomme "Jean Ziegler refuse le «prix Kadhafi des droits de l'homme»"], ''[[Le Temps]]'', 2 October 2002. Retrieved 2012.</ref>


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
Line 83: Line 83:
The author of more than 70 books,<ref>[https://www.francetvinfo.fr/culture/livres/deces-de-roger-garaudy-un-ex-intellectuel-communiste-devenu-negationniste_3313039.html "Décès de Roger Garaudy, un ex-intellectuel communiste devenu négationniste"], ''France Info''</ref><ref>[https://www.humanite.fr/disparition-de-roger-garaudy-de-staline-mahomet "DISPARITION DE ROGER GARAUDY, DE STALINE À MAHOMET"], ''L'Humanité''</ref> some his translated works include:
The author of more than 70 books,<ref>[https://www.francetvinfo.fr/culture/livres/deces-de-roger-garaudy-un-ex-intellectuel-communiste-devenu-negationniste_3313039.html "Décès de Roger Garaudy, un ex-intellectuel communiste devenu négationniste"], ''France Info''</ref><ref>[https://www.humanite.fr/disparition-de-roger-garaudy-de-staline-mahomet "DISPARITION DE ROGER GARAUDY, DE STALINE À MAHOMET"], ''L'Humanité''</ref> some his translated works include:
* ''[https://archive.org/details/GaraudyLiteratureGraveyard Literature of the Graveyard: Jean-Paul Sartre, François Mauriac, André Malraux, Arthur Koestler]'', New York, International Publishers, 1948.
* ''[https://archive.org/details/GaraudyLiteratureGraveyard Literature of the Graveyard: Jean-Paul Sartre, François Mauriac, André Malraux, Arthur Koestler]'', New York, International Publishers, 1948.
* ''[https://books.google.com.au/books?id=4zQMAQAAIAAJ Marxism and Religion]'', Australian Left Review, 1949.
* ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=4zQMAQAAIAAJ Marxism and Religion]'', Australian Left Review, 1949.
* ''Science and Faith in Teilhard de Chardin'', in collaboration with Claude Cuenot, Garnstone Press, 1967.
* ''Science and Faith in Teilhard de Chardin'', in collaboration with Claude Cuenot, Garnstone Press, 1967.
* ''[https://archive.org/details/karlmarxevolutio0000gara Karl Marx: The Evolution of his Thought]'', International Publishers, 1967, Greenwood Press, 1967, Lawrence & Wishart, 1967.
* ''[https://archive.org/details/karlmarxevolutio0000gara Karl Marx: The Evolution of his Thought]'', International Publishers, 1967, Greenwood Press, 1967, Lawrence & Wishart, 1967.
Line 91: Line 91:
* ''[https://archive.org/details/marxismintwentie0000gara/page/n7/mode/2up Marxism in the Twentieth Century]'', HarperCollins Distribution Services, 1970, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1970, Collins, 1970.
* ''[https://archive.org/details/marxismintwentie0000gara/page/n7/mode/2up Marxism in the Twentieth Century]'', HarperCollins Distribution Services, 1970, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1970, Collins, 1970.
* ''The Crisis in Communism: The Turning Point of Socialism'', Grove Press, 1970.
* ''The Crisis in Communism: The Turning Point of Socialism'', Grove Press, 1970.
* ''[https://books.google.com.au/books?id=TzeaAAAAIAAJ The Turning Point of Socialism]'', New York: HarperCollins Distribution Services, 1970, London: Fontana, 1970.
* ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=TzeaAAAAIAAJ The Turning Point of Socialism]'', New York: HarperCollins Distribution Services, 1970, London: Fontana, 1970.
* ''Socialism's Unanswered Questions: Europe 1968'', Sydney, Australian Left Review, 1970.
* ''Socialism's Unanswered Questions: Europe 1968'', Sydney, Australian Left Review, 1970.
* ''[https://books.google.com.au/books?id=4zQMAQAAIAAJ The Whole Truth]'', Fontana, 1971.
* ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=4zQMAQAAIAAJ The Whole Truth]'', Fontana, 1971.
* ''[https://archive.org/details/lish00gara/page/n5/mode/2up The Alternative Future: A Vision of Christian Marxism]'', Simon & Schuster, 1974.
* ''[https://archive.org/details/lish00gara/page/n5/mode/2up The Alternative Future: A Vision of Christian Marxism]'', Simon & Schuster, 1974.
* ''[https://archive.org/details/godmarxfuturedia0000norr/page/n5/mode/2up God, Marx, and the Future: Dialogue with Roger Garaudy]'', in collaboration with Russell Bradner Norris, Fortress Press, c. 1974.
* ''[https://archive.org/details/godmarxfuturedia0000norr/page/n5/mode/2up God, Marx, and the Future: Dialogue with Roger Garaudy]'', in collaboration with Russell Bradner Norris, Fortress Press, c. 1974.
* ''[https://books.google.com.au/books?id=Z5_aAAAAMAAJ Karl Marx: Evolution of his Thought]'', Greenwood Press, 1976, Praeger, 1977, ABC-CLIO, 1977.
* ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Z5_aAAAAMAAJ Karl Marx: Evolution of his Thought]'', Greenwood Press, 1976, Praeger, 1977, ABC-CLIO, 1977.
* ''The Case of Israel: A Study of Political Zionism'', Shorouk International, 1983.
* ''The Case of Israel: A Study of Political Zionism'', Shorouk International, 1983.
* ''Mosquée, miroir de l'Islam, The Mosque, Mirror of Islam'', Editions du Jaguar, 1985.
* ''Mosquée, miroir de l'Islam, The Mosque, Mirror of Islam'', Editions du Jaguar, 1985.
Line 114: Line 114:


== See also ==
== See also ==
* [[Robert Faurisson]]
*[[Georges Corm]]
* [[Pierre Guillaume]]
*[[Paul Rassinier]]


==References==
==References==
Line 121: Line 121:


==External links==
==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* [https://www.persee.fr/authority/228787 Full text books by Roger Garaudy ] on [[Persée (web portal)|Persée]], Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l'Innovation
* [https://www.persee.fr/authority/228787 Full text books by Roger Garaudy] on [[Persée (web portal)|Persée]], Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l'Innovation
* [https://www.academia.edu/Documents/in/Roger_Garaudy Roger Garaudy research papers], academia.edu
* [https://www.academia.edu/Documents/in/Roger_Garaudy Roger Garaudy research papers], academia.edu
* [https://www.senat.fr/senateur/garaudy_roger56601x.html Roger Garaudy] at [[Senate (France)|French Senate]]
* [https://www.senat.fr/senateur/garaudy_roger56601x.html Roger Garaudy] at [[Senate (France)|French Senate]]
Line 129: Line 130:


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garaudy, Roger}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garaudy, Roger}}
[[Category:1913 births]]
[[Category:1913 births]]
[[Category:2012 deaths]]
[[Category:2012 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century French philosophers]]
[[Category:Writers from Marseille]]
[[Category:21st-century French writers]]
[[Category:Politicians from Marseille]]
[[Category:Anti-Zionism in France]]
[[Category:French Muslims]]
[[Category:Communist members of the French Resistance]]
[[Category:French former Christians]]
[[Category:Converts to Protestantism from Catholicism]]
[[Category:Converts to Protestantism from Catholicism]]
[[Category:Converts to Sunni Islam from Protestantism]]
[[Category:Converts to Sunni Islam from Protestantism]]
[[Category:French Communist Party politicians]]
[[Category:Members of the Constituent Assembly of France (1945)]]
[[Category:Members of the Constituent Assembly of France (1946)]]
[[Category:Deputies of the 1st National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic]]
[[Category:Deputies of the 1st National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic]]
[[Category:Deputies of the 3rd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic]]
[[Category:Deputies of the 3rd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic]]
[[Category:Members of Parliament for Tarn]]
[[Category:Members of Parliament for Seine]]
[[Category:French senators of the Fifth Republic]]
[[Category:Senators of Seine (department)]]
[[Category:20th-century French philosophers]]
[[Category:21st-century French writers]]
[[Category:French anti-Zionists]]
[[Category:Marxist theorists]]
[[Category:Former Marxists]]
[[Category:Former Marxists]]
[[Category:French Communist Party politicians]]
[[Category:French former Christians]]
[[Category:French Holocaust deniers]]
[[Category:French male writers]]
[[Category:French male writers]]
[[Category:French Muslims]]
[[Category:French political philosophers]]
[[Category:French political philosophers]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Poitiers]]
[[Category:Members of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco]]
[[Category:French military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:French prisoners of war in World War II]]
[[Category:French prisoners of war in World War II]]
[[Category:French Senators of the Fifth Republic]]
[[Category:World War II prisoners of war held by Vichy France]]
[[Category:Marxist theorists]]
[[Category:Communist members of the French Resistance]]
[[Category:Members of the Constituent Assembly of France (1945)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)]]
[[Category:Members of the Constituent Assembly of France (1946)]]
[[Category:People convicted of Holocaust denial]]
[[Category:Writers from Marseille]]
[[Category:Politicians from Marseille]]
[[Category:Prix des Deux Magots winners]]
[[Category:Prix des Deux Magots winners]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)]]
[[Category:French people convicted of Holocaust denial]]
[[Category:Senators of Seine (department)]]
[[Category:University of Poitiers faculty]]
[[Category:World War II prisoners of war held by Vichy France]]

Latest revision as of 22:03, 25 November 2024

Roger Garaudy
Senator for Seine
In office
26 April 1959 – 31 October 1962
Member of the National Assembly
for Seine
In office
2 January 1956 – 8 December 1958
Member of the National Assembly
for Tarn
In office
21 October 1945 – 4 July 1951
Personal details
Born(1913-07-17)17 July 1913
Marseille, France
Died13 June 2012(2012-06-13) (aged 98)
Chennevières-sur-Marne, France
Political partyFrench Communist Party (1933–1970)
AwardsKing Faisal International Prize

Roger Garaudy (French: [ʁɔʒe gaʁodi]; 17 July 1913 – 13 June 2012)[1][2] was a French philosopher, French resistance fighter and a communist author. He converted to Islam in 1982. In 1998, he was convicted for several years and fined for Holocaust denial under French law for claiming that the death of six million Jews was a "myth".[2][3][4]

Early life and education

[edit]

Roger Garaudy was born in Marseille to working class Catholic parents. At the age of 14, Garaudy converted to Protestantism.[5] He fought during World War II and received the Croix de Guerre. After a period as a Vichy France prisoner of war in Algeria, Garaudy joined the French Resistance working for resistance radio and the newspaper Liberté.[6]

Political career

[edit]

Garaudy joined the French Communist Party in 1933.[7] By mid 1940s, Garaudy was considered a leading polemicist within the party.[8] He rose through the ranks and in 1945 he became a member of the party's leadership[7] and its Central Executive Committee, where he occupied positions for 28 years.[5]

Garaudy remained a Christian and eventually re-converted to Catholicism during his political career. Eventually he converted to Islam.[9] He was befriended by one of France's most prominent clerics of the time, the Abbé Pierre, who in later years supported Garaudy, even regarding the latter's most controversial views.[10]

Garaudy was expelled from the Communist Party in 1970, because he had criticized the party's position on the student movement and the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia.[7] His philosophical and political views were characterized as revisionist by Soviet commentators.[11] He had, however, accepted the invasion of Hungary in 1956.[6]

Academic career

[edit]

He obtained a state doctorate in philosophy in 1953, with a dissertation discussing theory of knowledge and materialism, entitled La théorie matérialiste de la connaissance.[5] In May 1954, Garaudy defended another doctoral thesis, The Problem of Freedom and Necessity in the Light of Marxism, at the Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences.[12]

Garaudy lectured in the faculty of arts department of the University of Clermont-Ferrand from 1962 to 1965. Due to controversies between Garaudy and Michel Foucault, Garaudy left. He later taught in Poitiers from 1969 to 1972.[2]

His main research subject was foundations of revolutionary politics.[5]

Political and philosophical views

[edit]

As of 1940s, Garaudy was critical of Jean-Paul Sartre's view of freedom, maintaining that it lacks any social, economic, political or historical context.[8] He criticized Being and Nothingness for what he deemed not going beyond the domain of metaphysical pathology, and Sartre's novels for "depicting only degenerates and human wrecks" and describing his existentialism as "a sickness".[8]

Garaudy's faith in communism was shaken in 1956, after Nikita Khrushchev made the Secret Speech at the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.[5] Afterwards, he espoused an eclectic and humanist view on Marxism, strictly opposing the theoretical Marxism of Louis Althusser and advocating dialogue with other schools of thought.[7]

In 1974, Frederic Will described him as sympathetic towards Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and Gabriel Marcel. He held that the Western culture was something of a coalition between the idealistic philosophy and the elite class, which is devoted to turning man away from the material world.[13] The goal of socialism in his view was not simply economic or providing social justice, but also giving each individual their personal chances for creativity.[5]

Conversion to Islam

[edit]

Around 1980, Garaudy read The Green Book by Muammar Gaddafi and became interested in Libya and Islam, meeting the country's leader on several occasions in the desert. He converted formally at the Islamic Centre in Geneva, an organisation managed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the time.

In The Case of Israel: A Study of Political Zionism (1983), Garaudy portrays Zionism as an isolationist and segregationist ideology that is not only dependent on antisemitism to nourish, but also willfully encourages it to achieve its goals.[14]

Holocaust denial

[edit]

Conviction of violating Gayssot Act

[edit]

In 1996, Garaudy[15] published, with his editor Pierre Guillaume, the work Les Mythes fondateurs de la politique israelienne (literally, The Founding Myths of Israeli Politics), later translated into English as The Founding Myths of Modern Israel. In the book he wrote of "the myth of the six million" Jewish victims of the Holocaust.[16] Because of this breach of French law concerning Holocaust denial, the courts banned any further publication and on 27 February 1998 fined Garaudy 120,000 French francs.[6] He was sentenced to a suspended jail sentence of several years.

Garaudy v. France

[edit]

Garaudy appealed this decision to the European Court of Human Rights, stating that his book was a political work criticizing the policies of Israel that did not deny that the Nazis had committed crimes against humanity, and that his freedom of expression was interfered by the French courts. At his hearing, Garaudy stated that his book in no way condoned National Socialist methods, and that book was an attack on the mythologizing and use of "the holocaust" by Israeli government as policy. He argued that his book dealt with the Israeli government's use of "the holocaust" as a "justifying dogma" for its actions, mainly in Palestine and toward Palestinians.[17]

His appeal was rejected as inadmissible.[16][18] The ECHR ruled that Garaudy has denied historical facts in his book which is not a research work. It also argued that the interference pursued two of the legitimate aims included in Gayssot Act articles and is not a violation of Garaudy's right for free speech. The ECHR did not use this rationale in Perinçek v. Switzerland.[19]

Iranian support

[edit]

In Iran, 160 members of the parliament and 600 journalists signed a petition in Garaudy's support.[20][21] On 20 April 1998, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met Garaudy. Khamenei was critical of the West which, he said, condemned "the racist behavior of the Nazis" while accepting the Zionists’ "Nazi-like behavior."[22] Iranian president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, insisted in a sermon delivered on Iranian radio that Hitler "only killed 20,000 Jews and not six million" and that "Garaudy's crime derives from the doubt he cast on Zionist propaganda."[23] Iranian President, Mohammad Khatami, described Garaudy in 1998 as "a thinker" and "a believer" who was brought to trial merely for publishing research which was "displeasing to the West."[22]

In December 2006, Garaudy was unable to attend the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust in Tehran, Iran owing to ill health. He reportedly sent a videotaped message supporting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's view that Israel should cease to exist.[24][25]

Death and legacy

[edit]

Roger Garaudy died in Chennevières-sur-Marne, Val-de-Marne, on Wednesday 13 June 2012, aged 98.[26]

According to Azzam Tamimi, Tunisian thinker Rached Ghannouchi was inspired by Garaudy in the early 1980s, after he read a translation of his book on women. He subsequently authored a treatise on women rights and on the status of women in the Islamic movement, partly influenced by Garaudy's work.[27]

Awards and honours

[edit]

Bibliography

[edit]

Books by Garaudy

[edit]

The author of more than 70 books,[32][33] some his translated works include:

Books and theses about Garaudy

[edit]

Articles about Garaudy

[edit]
  • Maurice Cranston, "The Thought of Roger Garaudy," Problems of Communism, vol. 19, no. 5 (Sept.-Oct. 1970), pp. 11–18.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "French philosopher Roger Garaudy dies". 15 June 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Cross, Tony (15 June 2012). "From French resistance to Holocaust denial – Roger Garaudy dies at 98". RFI English.
  3. ^ Atkins, Stephen E. (1 January 2009). Holocaust Denial as an International Movement. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313345388.
  4. ^ Epstein, Simon (2012). "Roger Garaudy, Abbé Pierre, and the French Negationists". In Wistrich, Robert S. (ed.). Holocaust Denial: The Politics of Perfidy. De Gruyter with Magnes Press (Hebrew University of Jerusalem). pp. 85–107. ISBN 9783110288148.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Edouard, Morot-Sir (1980), "Garaudy, Roger (1913–)", The Columbia Dictionary of Modern European Literature (2nd ed.), Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0-231-03717-4
  6. ^ a b c d "Roger Garaudy: Veteran of the Resistance who later became a Holocaust denier". The Independent. London. 24 June 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
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  8. ^ a b c Drake, David (2010), "The 'Anti-Existentialist Offensive': The French Communist Party against Sartre (1944—1948)", Sartre Studies International, 16 (1): 69–94, doi:10.3167/ssi.2010.160105, JSTOR 23512854
  9. ^ "French philosopher Roger Garaudy dies". BBC News. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Ce qui a fait chuter l'abbé Pierre", L'Express, 02-05-1996, (in French).
  11. ^ See Marxism and the Renegade Garaudy and Scientific Communism and Its Modern Falsifiers.
  12. ^ Wetter, Gustav Andreas (1960), Dialectical Materialism: A Historical and Systematic Survey of Philosophy in the Soviet Union, F. A. Praeger, p. 241
  13. ^ Will, Frederick (1974), "Roger Garaudy, the Hellenic Tradition, and Imaginative Space", The Classical Journal, 69 (4): 328–330, JSTOR 295973
  14. ^ Wistrich, Robert S. (2015), "The Anti-Zionist Mythology of the Left", Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, 9 (2): 189–199, doi:10.1080/23739770.2015.1037579, S2CID 146147436
  15. ^ "From French resistance to Holocaust denial – Roger Garaudy dies at 98 – Africa – Radio France Internationale". 15 June 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  16. ^ a b "Writer fined for 'holocaust' writings". BBC News. BBC. 27 February 1998. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  17. ^ "Writer fined for holocaust writings". BBC News. BBC. 27 February 1998. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  18. ^ Inadmissibility Decision in the Case of Garaudy v. France, European Court of Human Rights, 7 July. 2003.
  19. ^ Gorton, Sean (2015), "The Uncertain Future of Genocide Denial Laws in the European Union" (PDF), The George Washington International Law Review, 47 (2): 421–445[permanent dead link]
  20. ^ Black, Edwin (13 January 2012). "Denial of Holocaust nothing new in Iran / Ties to Hitler led to plots against British and Jews". SF Gate. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  21. ^ Litvak, Meir (2007). "The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Holocaust: Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism". In Herf, Jeffrey (ed.). Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism in Historical Perspective Convergence and Divergence. Abingdon, Oxon & New York City: Routledge. p. 331. ISBN 9781317983477.
  22. ^ a b Menashri, David. "Iran, the Jews and the Holocaust". The Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism, Tel Aviv University. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009.
  23. ^ Wistrich, Robert S., ed. (2012). "Introduction: Lying about the Holocaust". Holocaust Denial: The Politics of Perfidy. Berlin & Boston: Walter de Gruyter. p. 23. ISBN 9783110288216.
  24. ^ Taheri, Amir (11 April 2007). "Roger Garaudy". Asharq Al-awsat. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  25. ^ "The Real Challenge in the Middle East is Ideology". The Times of Israel. Jewish News Service. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  26. ^ "Controversial French philosopher Garaudy dies". France-24. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  27. ^ Tamimi, Azzam (2013), "Rashid Al-Ghannushi", in Esposito, John L.; Shahin, Emad El-Din (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Islam and Politics, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195395891.013.0028 (inactive 1 November 2024), ISBN 9780195395891{{citation}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  28. ^ a b Luc Cédelle, "Roger Garaudy : mort d'une figure du négationnisme", Le Monde, 15 June 2012. Retrieved 2012.
  29. ^ "Service to Islam | King Faisal International Prize". Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  30. ^ "Mort de l’ancien communiste Roger Garaudy, figure du négationnisme", Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, 15 June 2012. Retrieved 2012.
  31. ^ "Jean Ziegler refuse le «prix Kadhafi des droits de l'homme»", Le Temps, 2 October 2002. Retrieved 2012.
  32. ^ "Décès de Roger Garaudy, un ex-intellectuel communiste devenu négationniste", France Info
  33. ^ "DISPARITION DE ROGER GARAUDY, DE STALINE À MAHOMET", L'Humanité
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